How to Choose a Dryer That’s Best for Your Needs

Clothes dryers are very useful appliances that use hot air and tumbling to dry your clothes through evaporation and throw away the access water through a lint filter. Drying your clothes this way is much faster than using the natural process of evaporation, making dryers very practical to have at home. If you hate doing laundry, then getting the right dryer for your tasks is the key to making household chores faster, easier and more effective. Here are a few things to pay attention to when buying a new dryer for your laundry room: 

Get the right type of dryer

Dryers need to create heat in order to dry clothes, either by using gas or electricity. Gas dryers hook up to a gas line and use a dedicated outlet for electricity. If you already have a gas connection, then this can be a great option for you, because even though these dryers are more expensive at the store, they are cheaper to run, thus saving a lot of money in the long run. Electric dryers use a strong electrical current to produce heat and dry your clothes. They have a cheaper price tag, but they are also more expensive to run on a day-to-day basis. 

Dryer size

Dryers come in different sizes, and they all dictate how much laundry you can put inside and take out dry clothing at the end of a cycle. The more laundry you can put inside, the better your time and money savings in the long run. Also, when there’s more space in the drum, your clothing will be less wrinkled when you pull it out. You have full-sized dryers that can manage a typical wash load. These are the most practical choice for families that want to dry bulkier items like winter jackets and comforters. There are also space-saving dryers, usually measuring 24 inches or smaller. These are perfect for single people or couples without kids who don’t wash big items and want to save as much space as possible in their laundry rooms. An even more practical option for smart clothes dryers is a washer dryer combo—a two-in-one appliance that performs all your laundry needs. These fit a regular load of laundry, wash it and start drying, eliminating the need for two appliances. 

Dryer controls 

There’s a wide range of settings on the market today that help users regulate the drying cycles. More expensive models use a touchpad to set up the cycles, temperatures and drying times, while older and cheaper models use mechanical dials. No matter if touch-screen or mechanical, your dryer should have a nice and clear way for you to operate the appliance. 

Dryness settings

Three main ways to set up the drying cycle and control it are timed drying, automatic drying and moisture-sensor drying. Timed drying requires you to set a certain time for drying your clothes, after which the dryer stops. The issue with this is that you need to have good knowledge of fabrics or plenty of experience to set an accurate drying time (usually present in cheaper dryers). Automatic dryers offer a few different drying cycles—delicate, knit, regular, permanent press, etc. After you choose the cycle and dryness level (very dry, dry or a little moist), the appliance does the drying until it reaches the programmed temperature and moisture level. There’s also drying with moisture sensors that constantly check the level of dryness in the appliance. This is the most sophisticated and efficient way to dry clothes used in high-end dryers only. 

Extra features

Depending on your lifestyle needs and your preferences, you might require some extra features in your dryer. For instance, if you or your family members suffer from allergies, you might want to get a dryer model with a sanitizer cycle that removes bacteria and allergens from toys and other unwashable items using steam or high heat. If you hate ironing, you can search for a dryer with a steam setting that removes some of the wrinkles. Also, if you need to keep your dryer near your bedroom or living room, it’s smart to look for a noise-reduction system that results in a quieter mode of work. 

Dryers are a must-have appliance in a modern household that can save you a lot of trouble. If you pick the right model, you can enjoy only the best convenience and have clean and dry laundry whenever needed.