4 ms·

Strange that Americans have two devices washer and dryer, where as most of the rest of the world use a single washing machine, that does both, without having to

Strange that Americans have two devices washer and dryer, where as most of the rest of the world use a single washing machine, that does both, without having to switch clothes between the two. Perhaps it is the marketing efforts of the manufacturers that is preventing Americans from realizing that the work could be done by a single appliance.

Bayart 7y ago
I don't think I've ever seen one of these in France. Everybody has separate machines or hangs their stuff to dry.
helb 7y ago
I'm no dryer expert (using an old fashioned clotheslines or a rack), but i gathered from people who use them that separate dryers work much better (larger capacity, better results) than integrated ones.
kube-system 7y ago
Those machines are available here in the US. I considered buying one. While not having to switch clothes was appealing, the low capacities and long cycle times felt like it cancelled out that advantage. The lackluster reviews I read from those who had made the switch were probably the biggest reason why I didn't do so myself. As I understand, our laundry habits are a bit different than much of the world. We tend to wash everything after one use and clotheslines are few and far between. Also, our energy prices are cheap, so the pay-off curve for the efficiency gain of such a machine is long. They'll probably get more popular as family sizes continue to shrink, and people continue migrating back to cities.
- billfruit 7y ago
  As per my info, washing machines are available in reasonable enough capacities for most European and Asian families, so I do not think capacity is an argument against them. Also their cycle time is around an hour mark, so I think even that is not much.
  - Scea91 7y ago
    The bottleneck in our case is not the capacity but the number of colors you need to wash separately.
  - kube-system 7y ago
    I'm not arguing against them. They exist in the US, so there must be a reason why they aren't as popular. I was outlining my reasons. Preferences are simply preferences.

Bayart 7y ago

I don't think I've ever seen one of these in France. Everybody has separate machines or hangs their stuff to dry.

helb 7y ago

I'm no dryer expert (using an old fashioned clotheslines or a rack), but i gathered from people who use them that separate dryers work much better (larger capacity, better results) than integrated ones.

kube-system 7y ago

Those machines are available here in the US. I considered buying one. While not having to switch clothes was appealing, the low capacities and long cycle times felt like it cancelled out that advantage. The lackluster reviews I read from those who had made the switch were probably the biggest reason why I didn't do so myself. As I understand, our laundry habits are a bit different than much of the world. We tend to wash everything after one use and clotheslines are few and far between. Also, our energy prices are cheap, so the pay-off curve for the efficiency gain of such a machine is long. They'll probably get more popular as family sizes continue to shrink, and people continue migrating back to cities.

billfruit 7y ago
As per my info, washing machines are available in reasonable enough capacities for most European and Asian families, so I do not think capacity is an argument against them. Also their cycle time is around an hour mark, so I think even that is not much.
- Scea91 7y ago
  The bottleneck in our case is not the capacity but the number of colors you need to wash separately.
- kube-system 7y ago
  I'm not arguing against them. They exist in the US, so there must be a reason why they aren't as popular. I was outlining my reasons. Preferences are simply preferences.