🫧 A New Laundry Era
The washing machine I purchased new in 2011 after moving into my apartment has decided that it’s done. 14 years is apparently the average age of these machines, so mine is right on schedule!
I was ironically warned about this two weeks ago when I attended an HOA board meeting where they recommended everyone get a leak sensor due to the limited lifespan of washing machines. I fortunately caught it mine leaking while it was running and was able to stop it and drain without any damage thanks to a twist of the universe.
When it broke, I was sitting on the couch and I heard the sound of water but I ignored it because I hear my neighbors water pipes all the time. Moments later, I decided it was time to replace the ceiling light bulbs I had been procrastinating replacing, so I pulled out the ladder that lives next to my washing machine. After pulling it out, I decided to feel the floor since I had heard water, and it was indeed wet. Phew! Conveniently, I had also just brought some clean beach towels home from my boyfriend’s apartment that were handy to soak up what had leaked.
Leak disaster averted! Photo: Alex Porter
This seems like a boring subject to write about except I’ve decided to buy one of those all-in-one washer dryers that they’ve had in Europe for a long time, but which no one seems to think are any good.
My problem is that my apartment has a very small space for a washing machine, with a height of just 72 inches. This is closely related to challenges I have had replacing my hot water heater (which I’ve done twice). I also only have electric, so gas units are out of the question.
I wanted to pull the trigger on an Electrolux stacked unit, or an LG or a Samsung, but they’re all a couple inches too tall for the space. I asked both Microsoft Copilot and ChatGTP for help finding a shorter one and their replies were incorrect and only had ones taller than 72 inches. The thought of buying an all-in-one came to mind, and following the research I’ll share below, I’ve now ordered the Better Homes & Gardens top-rated All-In-One.
It slices, it dices, it does it all. I got it on Black Friday special for $1,798 from Lowes.
The biggest concerns that I have heard about All-In-Ones, and confirmed by Tom’s Guide, is that they take too long to dry or leave clothes not dry which compounds the issue of only being able to do one load at a time unlike conventional sets that allow you to start washing a second load while your first dries.
The drying function of these units surprised me—they do not have a heating element and do not have a vent. Instead, they use heat pump technology to pull air from the room into the dryer and send the moisture removed down the drain! If they are located in cold basement or a humid place, they can leave the clothes damp or take a long time. My space is neither of those, so I am hopeful. Ratings and reviews of this model are also generally good.
The product listing claims it takes 90 minutes to run a complete cycle, and Better Homes and Gardens said the average time to run was 2:12. I have a small apartment and live alone so I think I can handle two hours to wash and dry my clothes with the convenience of not moving the load and of mobile notifications via their connected app. I try to do my laundry on Sunday and don’t have any worries about making time for up to three loads for laundry, sheets and towels.
I was a little wary of clicking “buy” so I talked to my mom and my boyfriend first. Mom said, “A heat pump! One more thing to break!” so I have purchased the extended 5-year protection plan from Lowes to cover repairs and discount replacement if necessary. My boyfriend said, “Lucky!” because he hates doing laundry and is excited by the idea of putting clothes in one machine and taking them out done, so he’s on board (and suggested the warranty).
There are a few fun additional features I’m excited about:
You fill up an internal compartment with detergent and it dispenses it automatically so you don’t really have to deal with detergent except to refill the machine.
It has a pet hair removal mode that you can run clothes through for 15 minutes and they come out free of hair, and it apparently also de-pills clothing!
It plugs into a single standard outlet and uses half the energy of a regular dryer.
You can run the dryer separately without a wash, and you can use the app to ask it to keep drying if you suspect it needs more time.
Now that I’m waiting for it to be delivered, I’m excited about it!
We’ll see how it goes, I’ll report more after I’ve used it for a while 🙏🏻
