Washer / Dryer - Is the Convenience Worth It

The friendliest place on the web for anyone with an RV or an interest in RVing!
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
See posts with no answers
P

ppet

Member
Joined
Jun 25, 2017
Posts
17
Location
Pittsburgh
Haven't purchased our first MH yet but hopefully within the next year.  I'm considering either a used Tiffin 36LA or 31SA.  Floor plans are very similar but the 36LA includes the extra 1/2 bath (which I don't care about) and can have a combo W/D. 

Only me and the wife will be using the MH.  We are adventure and site seekers vs true stay in place and camp so the MH will be a means to see other parts of the country.

So the advantage of the W/D is obviously the convenience.  Other than obviously another piece of equipment that can fail and needs to be maintained, what are the disadvantages???

Would value feedback from individuals who have W/D and also those that manage without it.
 
If you use the Search button (above left) and search on the word Splendide you'll find numerous comments, including pros and cons, and most of us love them.  By the way, Splendide is the most common RV washer/dryer combination that washes and then dries in the same unit.  Can you manage without one?  Yes, of course.  But if you hate going to Laundromats, then you'll want one.  We also are a couple and travel more than stay in one place and it's really nice not to need to search for a place to wash clothes.

ArdraF
 
The problem I have with doing laundry in campgrounds or coin-op places is my sensitivity to a lot of the "fragrance" and other additives in the detergents other people use. I don't full time, and the longest I've been camping is 12 nights, so I don't need my own washer/dryer... yet. When I do retire and start leaving the sticks-n-bricks for a month or more, I will want some way of washing my clothes that will allow me to control what gets saturated in them.

And then there was the one time a couple used a washer where the previous user had used RIT dye. Oh boy, where they mad!
 
We've loved the Splendide combo washer/dryer in our coach and the one in our boat. There are some limitations, but for two people the convenience is unbeatable.
 
Depends.  Is there something more important you'd want to do with the space?  How much do you dislike laundromats? 

We have a combo washer/dryer.  It takes forever and leaves clothes wrinkled like you wouldn't believe.  So if you have a choice get a stacker.
 
It takes forever and leaves clothes wrinkled like you wouldn't believe.
Click to expand...

That's a problem if you fill it too full and then fully dry them.  I take things like shirts out damp and hang them to finish drying so they don't wrinkle.  I also sometimes wash a full load and divide it to dry in two loads.  There are ways to avoid wrinkling which is part of the learning curve for combination washer/dryers.

ArdraF
 
We full time and don't have a washer dryer combo. We prefer to use the space for storage. In four years we've only use a laundromat outside of a campground once. We use a campground laundry every 7-10 days for about two hours.
 
[quote author=ArdraF]There are ways to avoid wrinkling which is part of the learning curve for combination washer/dryers.[/quote]

Aye Ardra. We had a combo W/D at home in the UK the late 60's/early 70's. Back in the day they were made in Italy by a company called Indesit, the company that pioneered thin-walled refrigerators. They still make combo W/Ds, fridges, and other appliances to this day.
 
We fulltimed for 5 years without a washer/dryer because Sue wanted  the extra closet space.


For the past 5 years we have had a Splendide in our current RV and she would not be without one.
 
Our rig came with the washer/dryer stacked on top of each other. In my retirement years I find myself having a rather limited wardrobe by choice. Maybe 5 pairs of shorts ten pair of boxers and the same amount of tee shirts. Space is limited as we all know so wearing and washing go hand in hand with us. What a luxury to do laundry while camping whenever you get the urge! Mostly while using hookups because of water usuage, but every once in a while while boondocking to. The old days of a bag of worn clothing waititng to be washed at home is gone forever!!! Love it!
 
I full timed for ten years and had one for one year. I hated it, small capacity and wrinkle. Uses way too much water, electricity and sewage, gotta be hooked up.
 
We are snowbirds and just got our washer and dryer last wnter.
We love it and now never again have to suffer smelling other peoples laundry detergent.

Jack L
 
When Wife and I purchased this motor home they offered us a Washer Dryer.. We considered how much it cost.  the average lifetime, and the number of loads of wash my wife does every period of time and came to the conclusion that it was, at best, a break even option.. So we said "NO THANK YOU".

Now the advantage is you can do laundry "In house" and not have to go to the laundry... But the offset is if you have a diesel you should be OK but with my Gasser.. That would leave me with basically a ham sandwich as my Cargo Carrying Capacity.  A gallon of milk would put me over.
 
We fulltimed for 6 years. Our 5th wheel had hookups for a W/D but we opted to use the space for storage. We would go to a laundrymat and get the weeks worth of laundry done in just a couple of hours. It's a personal choice.
 
Tara didn't think she wanted one; I differed and we got one. Now you would have to pry her cold dead hands off it.

Ernie
 
WOW!  If a 200 pound washer/dryer puts you over loaded you have far bigger issues to deal with.  We have had our current washer in our fiver for 10 years.  Other than a broken latch it has worked flawlessly.  Yes, they wash and dry small loads.  Yes, they take time, yes, there heavy, yes they consume water.  On the flip side, we do not have to go to some dingy dirty laundrymat once or twice a week, pay several dollars, and wait two hours to do a load of wash.  We normally put a load in first thing in the morning and a second load in the afternoon.  Since it washes and dries all in one setting there is no need to check on it for several hours, so we are gone doing fun stuff instead of sitting watching our clothes so someone does not steal them. We normally do laundry every other day, so dirty clothes storage is quite small.  If you decide to get one, be sure to get a vented model.  Ventless models basically boil the clothes semi dry.  They are much slower and use more water.
 
It is indeed a personal choice and a tradeoff with storage space. We've never fulltimed, so I can't speak for a fulltimers' needs, but have spent 3-6 months in the coach or on the boat on multiple occasions. Needing full hookups is a reality if doing much laundry in the coach, but we only ever had an electric hookup on the boat (larger fresh water tank, and grey water is pumped overboard).

As Donn mentioned, there's a difference between vented and non-vented combo washer dryers. The non-vented uses large amounts of fresh water (and time) to achieve drying.
 
A friend who has half timed in his coach and half time on his boat for a number of years has a non-vented W/D in his boat. His clothes are 'wash and wear', which presumably eases concerns about wrinkling and possibly limits required drying time. Since such clothes typically contain a high percentage of polyester or other synthetic, they don't work for me.
 
Tom said:
A friend who has half timed in his coach and half time on his boat for a number of years has a non-vented W/D in his boat. His clothes are 'wash and wear', which presumably eases concerns about wrinkling and possibly limits required drying time. Since such clothes typically contain a high percentage of polyester or other synthetic, they don't work for me.
Click to expand...

In my case all clothes are wash and wear. We have an iron and ironing board somewhere in the house. Sure the wife knows where it is. When I was active duty AF I loved the BDU's (battle dress uniforms). If for some reason I didn't have a clean pair I could grab a pair out of the laundry, spritz with water and throw n the dryer for 10 minutes. Good as new.
 
IMO it's a space tradeoff. Convenience of having a w/d handy vs whatever else you might put in that space. On a 36 ft coach, the space hit is very noticeable. Not so much on a 40 footer.

Some people hate laundromats in general or feel that campground laundries are inadequate. If you are one of those, the answer is simple.

We really enjoyed the convenience and had the space. Your opinion is your own.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Members online

Total: 891 (members: 39, guests: 852)

Forum statistics

Threads
131,961
Posts
1,388,263
Members
137,714
Latest member
JollyJim
Back
Top Bottom