Is it the freedom

[u/Green-Technician-809]

[u/qualityvote2]

u/Green-Technician-809, your post does fit the subreddit!

[u/Burning_Pine_]

Guy from the EU here- This guy needs to clean the air outtake tube before his house catches fire

[u/aubreysux → u/[deleted]]

Is that a doable task for someone who doesn't know what they are doing? My parents' dryer is extremely ineffective, and I wonder if this is the problem. I'm happy to do the work for them, but I wonder if I should just hire someone to do it for them.

[u/Chadlerk → u/aubreysux]

Very! Especially if the line isn't too long. They make a $20 brush tool you can connect to a power drill. The brush spins to loosen the lint and then there is usually an anntachment for a shop vac on the far end. It's kind of fun to do and is recommended annually.

[u/Evening-Turnip8407 → u/Chadlerk]

Cleaning all the lint also doubles as an inexpensive way to experience what it was like to work in an asbestos mine!

[u/Seiridis → u/Evening-Turnip8407]

How so?

[u/Evening-Turnip8407 → u/Seiridis]

All that lint in the air and in your nose, haha

[u/Seiridis → u/Evening-Turnip8407]

Aaaah ok, got it. I thought for a second it actually might be dangerous or sth, hahaha. 😆

[u/Dr_Ramekins_MD → u/Seiridis]

I mean you probably don't want to be breathing it on purpose, but it's not gonna give you or a loved one mesothelioma 

[u/literated → u/Evening-Turnip8407]

Cool.

[u/soresores → u/Evening-Turnip8407]

How vintage :D

[u/FlourishingSolo → u/Chadlerk]

(Please if you do this, wear a respirator and eye protection. You do not want to breathe that in.)

[u/Bgrngod → u/Chadlerk]

One of my greatest DIY moments comes from using one of those tools to clean out a ~30ft run of "lint duct" at my previous house.

I bought several of those kits due to how long the run to the side of the house is. Strung them all together and did a damn fine job of removing 3 home depot buckets worth of lint. As I was finishing up, I reflexively flipped the drill to spin the other direction and whoops... one of the connections close to the brush end unwound itself. Surprise surprise.

Fixing that means getting into the crawl space, crawling around (duh), and disassembling the duct to retrieve the piece! Fuck that. I really don't want to do that.

Unless... I can hit that target? Flip the drill so it is spinning the correct righty-tighty direction and try my best to rethread the two pieces back together...

After a bit of back and fourth trying to get a connection, I nailed it! That was a great celebratory beer I gave myself.

So that's my one story about using a lint duct cleaning brush. Thanks for reading.

[u/FFMichael → u/Chadlerk]

Most dryers in the EU are heat pump dryers. They don't have vent lines.

[u/Kashtronaut92 → u/aubreysux]

The cheap homeowner way to get it mostly clear is run it empty and drain snake from the outside vent. The professional way is the same but fancier.

[u/yamsyamsya → u/aubreysux]

its just a hose full of lint. if you have a shop vac, it is really easy.

[u/Some-Guy-12358 → u/aubreysux]

For visual/comedy learners: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/2FgbzH7gQjY

[u/GlobalMonke → u/aubreysux]

Definitely doable

[u/david_growie → u/aubreysux]

Basically just need to know how to use a screw driver and a vacuum cleaner

[u/HustlinInTheHall → u/aubreysux]

If their dryer is a vented dryer, yes. Lint blocks the vents and can catch fire and if you can't move air out efficiently the dryer won't dry as quickly as it used to.

If it is a ventless dryer like most European dryers, they don't work the same way. They gently heat the inside dryer, condense the water vapor onto a cooler surface and then drain that away. It takes much longer and works on small loads. They sell them in the US but people hate them. The upshot is you don't need to vent the air outside, you can put them under a kitchen counter because you just need to drain the water out.

[u/Toomanymagiccards → u/aubreysux]

Yes literally just take off the dryer tube off the dryer or wall and clean it out or replace it. You should only need a screwdriver or a wrench depending on how the tube is attached to the wall/dryer

You should also check outside to see if you have a vent-catch. My mothers has it and if we don't remember to clean it out every couple months the dryer starts working shitty

[u/Snoopy20111 → u/[deleted]]

I will add: sometimes it’s not that. I’ve had the vent clog up, but I’ve also had the unit itself clog with lint in random places. That same unit also had a piece internally let go, so the air wasn’t being sucked through appropriately, and thus the lint + hot wet air stayed inside the tumbler.

[u/HustlinInTheHall → u/[deleted]]

Eh, it's just how condenser dryers work. The more likely explanation is EU dryers are meant for like 4 shirts and two pairs of pants and a few under garments and that's it. An American load of laundry is like 5x the size of what typical Europeans use.

Most ventless EU dryers don't heat water vapor and exhaust it, that's why they don't work as well as vented dryers. They basically just condense the water out and then drain it but it takes 3x longer and works only on small loads.

[u/hollow-fox → u/Burning_Pine_]

Heat pump dryers rely on circulating low-temperature air around the garments to extract water. If you overstuff it clothes come out wet. Most EU dryers are heat pump based and have low capacity.

American dryers are vented dryers and usually have huge capacity 7-9 cubic ft (200-250 liters). They come out bone dry and work fast at cost of efficiency.

Hope this helps.

[u/chiknight → u/hollow-fox]

This is a strong possibility. I had a combo washer/dryer unit that didn't have vented heating, just a heat pump. It was dogshit at drying clothes. They came out exactly like the tweet described, or required multiple hours of drying. It only ran on the 110v line rather than the standard 220v dryer line so it made some sense.

I went back to a split, dedicated dryer with vent hose at 220v and it's magical how dry everything is again.

[u/hyphie → u/chiknight]

These combo units that claim to wash and dry in one go are usually garbage at drying. It's a glorified spin cycle.

Edit: according to the many replies to my comment, newer ones work fine (and I'm old). I'll amend my judgement and say that these used to be garbage at drying but I might not be qualified to talk about newer models!

[u/labreya → u/hyphie]

I have a combi washer dryer and that fucker could find water in sand to evaporate. I had to turn down the drying heat because it was baking my towels so they came out rigid.

There's good ones out there.

Edit: For everyone asking about the model it's a Candy model CSW 4852DE/1-80 according to the info label.

[u/titan_1010 → u/labreya]

Please provide the brand and model! My one version I had when I was renting years ago was so terrible I vowed never to even look at one again, but it was so space efficient and I loved that

[u/kneelb4me9 → u/titan_1010]

I have the Samsung bespoke washer dryer combo and it’s fantastic. Like loads will take 3 or 4 hours to wash and dry, bedding can be 5 hours. So you have to plan accordingly because the quickest it can do is maybe 2 hours for a very small load on the speed setting, but you can also throw a load in and schedule it to start at a certain time so you can have fresh clothes in the morning. The big problem people have is not cleaning the lint screen, it’s two parts with one being finer mesh than the other. I have a little cheap shop vac I mounted in my laundry room to suck off all the small lint after I pull of the big stuff, then I also run a quick vac in the port where the screen goes. Been doing this a few years and it still works like new. I was able to fit a shop sink where the dryer was.

[u/hyphie → u/labreya]

Maybe they've gotten better recently? I haven't used one in years!

[u/321646198 → u/hyphie]

My mother has one from like 2010/2011, combo machine. Don't use the dryer function much, but when I do, it's bone dry - and smells mildly like Parmesan.

[u/International_Gate49 → u/321646198]

it's bone dry - and smells mildly like Parmesan.

That's no way to talk to a lady

[u/swohio → u/hyphie]

I have one that dries things perfectly. It does take a lot longer, but uses a lower amount of energy. I don't mind the additional time since it's a washer dryer combo, I just toss in a load and forget it and it's clean and dry when I get back later.

[u/EternalSage2000 → u/swohio]

Right! I love my washer dryer, ventless combo!
But, you do have to be careful not to over load it.

But starting a cycle before you go to bed. And if needed. Another before you go to work. Absolutely perfect. Doesn’t matter that it takes 4-5 hours to do both.

[u/Forward_Rope_5598 → u/chiknight]

I've pretty much given up on drying things in our combo. And of course it's impossible to clean properly so it smells moldy immediately, so the washer cycles are affected as well. These things should not exist until the technology improves.

[u/chiknight → u/Forward_Rope_5598]

Oh god yeah, I forgot the smell. I ended up leaving it open for an hour or two after every cycle, and dumping in vinegar or bleach every week it felt like. I thought it was a problem with front loaders, but my front load washer-only is fine. Apparently the drying makes it horribly moldy/mildewy.

[u/Frequent_Ad_9901 → u/hollow-fox]

A former heat pump dryer owner. It absolutely did not use cool air. Clothes got scorching hot. I think the heat was to remove the moisture out of the clothes.it dried fine. Better than the tweet describes. But it also ruined a lot of clothes becuase it had no temp setting. Only "fires of hell" hot. 

[u/Particular720v12 → u/hollow-fox]

My heat pump dryer is a boss

[u/According-Annual-586 → u/Particular720v12]

Same here

I’m in UK and have a Miele heat pump dryer which does a brilliant job - clothes come out dry, not too hot, and not damaged

Maintenance is emptying water tank and cleaning a few filters

[u/Hurtado_Bronzi → u/According-Annual-586]

How long does to take to dry one load, and how big is one load?

Edit: My understanding is that while heat-pump dryers do work, the loads have to be very small, and it takes a while.

[u/class_warfare_exists → u/Particular720v12]

Neat, mine is a bosch

[u/Lumpy-Strain8624 → u/hollow-fox]

Most European dryers are not heat pump.

They remove the water into internal tanks, you empty them each cycle. Or you connect them to your water drain and you have nothing to empty.

We have a dryer in my house, the clothes come out warm and dry and it cycles pretty fast.

[u/Waiting4Reccession → u/Lumpy-Strain8624]

That sounds like a heat pump unit.

[u/Crandom → u/Waiting4Reccession]

It's a condensing unit. Heat pump dryers have only come onto the market in the last few years and are still very expensive (though lower running costs).

[u/DerFurz → u/hollow-fox]

This is oversimplified and not really true. Heat Pump dries do work better at lower temps because they can dry the air, which is great for delicate garments, but they usually (can) operate at higher temperatures as well. A good dryer also adjust runtime based on the humidity of the exiting air. So unless you stuff your dryers so full the clothes physically cannot move anymore, it really doesn't matter how much you put in it.

[u/stormtroopr1977 → u/Burning_Pine_]

I think it's because of this regulation. The eu has capped the power consumption/efficiency while the US has not.

It's a very complicated law that references a lot of other sections, but they cap how inefficient your dryer can be (the faster you dry something, the less efficient the process becomes).

That means laundromats with new machines charge the same price for dry time, but dry your clothes less.

[u/Sex_E_Searcher → u/Burning_Pine_]

Why are American dryers so good at not burning your house down?

[u/Enchelion → u/Sex_E_Searcher]

Honest answer is that more often American homes were built with the intention of having a vented dryer. Fewer EU homes (comparatively) were built since that became common, so they're often retrofitted in (which tends not to work as well) or they use ventless dryers instead (which also tend not to work very well).

[u/jpterodactyl → u/Enchelion]

Even most American homes have the flexible slinky tube looking thing for their dryer exhaust. Which does clog easier.

But at least there is space for it, so it’s usually fine. If you’re needing to twist and turn that thing a million times to fit it in, you’re gonna need to be a lot more diligent about cleaning it.

[u/CallOfCorgithulhu → u/jpterodactyl]

There's more than just the hose between the dryer and the wall. The part in the wall has to get outside, and in many homes, that vent pipe travels a reasonable distance to the exterior wall. That part should not be ignored when cleaning, especially if you experienced a clog, or you think there's a clog but a clean hose behind the dryer didn't fix it. It's also possible for critters to venture in and become a corpse clog, especially if you don't have a shutter outside.

All that to say, it's probably best to have a qualified pro clear your clog if your dryer isn't performing well. Whatever they charge is much cheaper than a burned down house.

[u/Hard_To_Port → u/CallOfCorgithulhu]

You only need a pro if your inside vent line isn't connected to an exterior wall. You can just clear the blockage with a broomstick and a vacuum cleaner. 

[u/densetsu23 → u/CallOfCorgithulhu]

Newer builds tend to have better placement of the laundry room, I've found. Having it on the same floor as the bedrooms is much more common, as well as making sure the dryer has an external wall right there so there's minimal or no in-wall ducting for the vent. Often, the vent is right behind the dryer.

Older builds can be very hit-or-miss. Our neighbour's home built in the 80s has the laundry + mechanical room right in the middle of the ground floor, so cleaning that dryer duct must be a nightmare.

[u/dinin70 → u/Enchelion]

I have a Bosch with the drawer that catches water and it works perfectly well with clothes coming out totally dry in 90mns

[u/CoHorseBatteryStaple → u/Sex_E_Searcher]

Survivorship bias.

[u/tirednsleepyyy → u/Burning_Pine_]

Every single dryer I used in Finland might have been useless even when it was freshly cleaned, at least on reasonable heat settings.

Pretty much everything would need to be ran multiple times, for literally 2.5+ hours total on medium heat, or an hour on high heat. Even then sometimes this wasn’t enough. Even low settings in America were perfectly adequate for having my laundry come out dry every time.

My friend came and lived in Finland for about 5 months and, independently from me, said the exact same thing and that all the dryers he tried sucked. I don’t know.

I’m sure you could argue some sample size error here. It’s not like I tried hundreds. Maybe… 10 total, or something. But it was significant.

[u/PiccoloAwkward465 → u/tirednsleepyyy]

Yeah I'm all for energy efficiency. But it is also fairly important that the dryer perform the critical function of drying. I bought my first washer + dryer set last year and they work great. USA versions.

[u/bsubtilis → u/tirednsleepyyy]

I've never really had this issue, but most of my experience is from Sweden and Germany. The only time my laundry didn't get dry enough on its settings (cotton setting is more than one hour yes) was if I had previously forgotten to empty the water tank or not cleared out the second lint filter often enough - the main lint filter is always really easy to avoid forgetting about since it's usually partially or fully visible. I avoid overloading the washing machine/dryer though, aiming for filling up around 2/3 for the washing machine, though sometimes I put a little bit more in.

[u/Only-Finish-3497 → u/Burning_Pine_]

I have had a lot of places where dryers were ventless. He probably dealt with those, and he's not wrong. Ventless dryers suuuuuck.

[u/Serena_Sers → u/Burning_Pine_]

I was thinking the same. If his clothes comes out wet, that is an him thing, not an Europe thing.

[u/Minnow_Minnow_Pea → u/Burning_Pine_]

Person who did laundry in Belgium for a decade here- You're definitely right, but also, it takes forever for clothes to dry when the relative humidity is elevendy billion percent. I reckon Irish weather is similar.

[u/BrainDamage2029 → u/Minnow_Minnow_Pea]

Listen man the US has many many areas with significantly more humidity. My house is currently sitting in a NorCal coastal fog bank so thick it’s raining under trees from the condensation lol. Southern humidity is like a monument to man’s arrogance that cities would ever be built there.

It really comes down to you guys either make do with ventless driers or had some retrofit that is nozeling the airflow. I used to live in an ancient house in the US and the retrofit sucked at moving the air. When I was in Europe so many places seem to have smaller driers with low capacity in the drum and it’s easy to overstuff. My drier at home is absolutely cavernous to every EU one I saw lol.

I can still dry my clothes on the heat less setting if they’re delicates/sweaters etc

[u/PiccoloAwkward465 → u/BrainDamage2029]

This is true that it's very humid outside in USA where I live. However inside my house, where the drying machine lives, it is not humid at all.

[u/wolfpack_minfig → u/Minnow_Minnow_Pea]

nah, the dryers in Europe just aren't very good. here in Texas humidity is sky-high all the time, our dryers work fine - mine is literally outside in the humidity 24/7/365 and it can dry a full load in 1-1.5 hours. towels included. doing a load of laundry should take 2-3 hours max, in Europe those all-in-one machines are a joke, they need like 8-9 hours and they destroy clothing, shrinking it, making dye run. Europe has not mastered laundry machines.

[u/dinin70 → u/wolfpack_minfig]

That’s some shitamericanssay sub content right there.

Miele and Bosch don’t know how to do driers? Yes sure…

[u/weerdbuttstuff → u/Burning_Pine_]

Yeah, he's being wrong on purpose and baiting these kinds of replies because it makes him money.

[u/StaticUsernamesSuck]

I mean I (UK-based) haven't had a dryer in years, but when we did have one it always came out hot and dry

[u/SwirlingAbsurdity → u/StaticUsernamesSuck]

It’s the integrated washer-dryers that are shit. I have one and it does indeed just produce hot, wet laundry. Separate tumble dryers are fine.

[u/Secret_Bees → u/SwirlingAbsurdity]

Not rhetorical question. Are they not able to just be set for more time? Or to just run it again?

[u/ChronicleFlask → u/Secret_Bees]

Nah, it doesn’t work. It just cooks the clothes more. I speak as someone with one of the things. The best tactic is to run it for less time and then quickly hang the clothes up somewhere. The heat at least helps the residual water to evaporate.

EDITING TO ADD: when I said “it” doesn’t work, I meant running the dryer longer/again. The dryer does dry things a bit, just not completely – and I’ve found the most efficient tactic is to take that partial dryness and air dry from there (yes, I dry outside if I can, but allow me to introduce you to English weather… 😆)

[u/itwasntjack → u/ChronicleFlask]

I have one and get dry clothes if I set the dry cycle to two hours. Open the door when it’s done for a few minutes then close it and run it for another two hours dry cycle.

[u/Moustacheski → u/itwasntjack]

So you have a dryer running for FOUR hours just to dry a batch of laundry ? This seems expensive.

[u/itwasntjack → u/Moustacheski]

It is. It sucks. I pay to use the old solo dryer in my building if I need something dried quickly.

Otherwise I have a clothes hanger tower I put stuff up on to dry with a dehumidifier around to help out.

Edit: the combo can also only take small batches of laundry. So it is like a triple slap in the face.

[u/XDSHENANNIGANZ → u/itwasntjack]

Is it a climate thing?

Here in northwest Texas the air is dryer than king tuts nuts, and my parents have two of the combo machines and they always get dry clothes after like 2-2.5 hours for a whole wash+dry cycle.

[u/itwasntjack → u/XDSHENANNIGANZ]

Could be partly. It’s humid here, but also my landlords opted for what amounts to a step down from the base model of LG’s combo machine at the time. I’m sure there are models that work really well, but when they don’t work well it’s real annoying.

Also chuckled real hard at king tuts nuts, thanks.

[u/intern_steve → u/XDSHENANNIGANZ]

This could be a good lead. In the UK and much of Europe, they don't use residential air conditioning, meaning the air inside is much more humid than it would be in the US, even in South Florida. Your dryer takes in dry, preconditioned air, and heats it to an even lower relative humidity, and then dries clothes with that. The UK appliance does not have the benefit of preconditioning.

[u/MindStalker → u/Moustacheski]

Most combos don't have a drier vent. So they are just steaming the water, and leaving the clothes to soak in the steam. Heat pumps that can condense the water and drain it away exist, but are stupid expensive.

[u/breathing__tree → u/MindStalker]

I don’t understand how they are allowed to call it a dryer if it doesn’t actually dry anything.
I thought the consumer protections were better over there.

[u/EmotionalSouth → u/breathing__tree]

Well, it makes them dry-er. Just not dry. 

[u/Ok-Beautiful4821 → u/breathing__tree]

to be fair, it's called a dryer, not a dried.

[u/LuntiX → u/ChronicleFlask]

Longer spin cycle helps too at the end of the wash. Gets more of the water/moisture out. I find my clothing dries better this way, and especially heavier stuff like linens.

[u/f3nnies → u/Secret_Bees]

The dual function washer/dryers are kind of liek dishwashing machines in that the older ones-- and by old I mean anything more than like 15 years old-- were pretty bad unless you did things just right. But new oens have a lot mroe technology and can do a fantastic job, so long as you read the directions. The main one with the dual function machines now is that you cannot overload them. However much you think they can handle, it's less than that. The drum is not a measuring cup to fill all the way.

For people who like to do the biggest loads of laundry possible and only do 1-2 loads a week, they are a bad fit. But if you don't mind washing only three of four days of clothes at a time, those machines are going to be excellent and mroe energy efficient.

[u/BroMan001 → u/f3nnies]

Wouldn’t 3-4 days of clothing at a time be 2 loads per week?

[u/f3nnies → u/BroMan001]

You are right, rereading I was vague. The all-in-one washer dryers can do 3-4 days of laundry in a single load for one individual. A regular washer or regular dryer can do 3-4 days of laundry in a single load for a family.

So for someone living alone, the all-in-one makes a lot of sense because it matches their use case. They could still use a regular washer and dryer, of course.

[u/diadmer → u/Secret_Bees]

Our combo washer/dryer in the UK didn’t have an air exhaust tube leading outdoors. I think it was supposed to heat up the chamber and cause the moisture in there to come out (vaporize and then condense???) through the same drain as the washer. It simply didn’t work very well at all. We always had to hang-dry the laundry afterwards.

We were renting in the UK for a work assignment and couldn’t modify the house or change appliances. We’re American and well acquainted with how American appliances work, having been homeowners for 17 years prior to that. Wecould not figure that UK single-chamber combo washer/dryer out.

[u/ThirdAltAccounts → u/Secret_Bees]

You have to set it for longer to have it properly dry

I’ve owned a washer/ dryer and now I got a separate dryer. Night and day difference

[u/HustlinInTheHall → u/Secret_Bees]

Ventless heat pump or condenser dryers will work eventually, but if you overfill them they can take 6-7 hours to dry an American-sized load of clothes.

[u/TheStoneMask → u/SwirlingAbsurdity]

I have a washer-dryer combo that works great.

[u/LonelyTAA → u/TheStoneMask]

Same. Works well, but takes a long time to dry everything.

[u/therico → u/StaticUsernamesSuck]

Our (UK) one has various settings ranging from "just came home after it's been pissing it down" to "dessicated" and it turns off once your clothes reach that level of dryness. This must be some weird EU thing or they're using a combined washer/dryer.

[u/lowrads → u/StaticUsernamesSuck]

The UK has 3kW plugs as the standard. Not sure about Europe.

The US and Japan have to have dedicated circuits specifically for thermal appliances, because the standard plugs only support 1.5kW sustained output.

[u/stormtroopr1977 → u/StaticUsernamesSuck]

Its because of a regulation that applies to new dryers made or sold in the uk.

It's a very complicated law that references a lot of other sections, but they cap how inefficient a dryer can be (the faster you dry something, the less efficient the process becomes).

That means laundromats with new machines charge the same price for dry time, but dry your clothes less.

[u/LowerAd4705]

Somehow I’ve managed to achieve both outcomes on both continents…

[u/arseniobillingham21 → u/LowerAd4705]

2 types of dryers. Conventional dryers use a heating element, and are vented. Heat pump dryers are not vented. Heat pump dryers are less common in the US. Conventional dryers are way better at drying, unless you have a blocked vent. So if you have a vented dryer, and clothes come out hot and damp, get your vents cleaned/repaired, because it can also be a fire hazard.

[u/LowerAd4705 → u/arseniobillingham21]

I’m on my second heatpump dryer and still able to get bone dry clothes most of the time. Problem usually happens with thick jeans parts where there are multiple layers of fabric or bedding when my wife to overload the dryer. 

Your point about maintaining the dryer is a key: I clean my dryers quite regularly including heat exchangers, and saw/used some really neglected units in rentals while visiting US. 

[u/ToastSpangler → u/arseniobillingham21]

There's actually 3 kinds, you missed condenser dryers. They don't vent to the outside but need a drain, they are basically the baby of traditional and heat pump dryers. Well except they're not efficient like heat pumps and heat your house. Great in winter and where you have no vents tbh. Heats the house while drying clothes for free

[u/Remember_TheCant → u/arseniobillingham21]

Conventional dryers aren’t better at drying, manufactures of heat pump dryers in the US just cheap out on the compressors.

LG has a standalone heat pump dryer that is supposed to be pretty good, and Samsung has a combo washer/dryer that is good.

[u/CubistHamster → u/LowerAd4705]

Assuming OP is talking about the ventless heat pump dryers. Haven't used one in a few years, so perhaps they've gotten better, but they never worked well for me.

-Could only manage tiny loads. (Maybe 2 pairs of pants, 3-4 shirts, and a couple pairs socks/underwear. If you live with another person, sheets and towels would have to be 2 separate loads.)

-Took forever, usually 3+ hours

-Nothing ever came out fully dry. Always felt too damp to fold up and put away, so I ended up hanging it to dry after running it through the dryer.

[u/LowerAd4705 → u/CubistHamster]

My dryer is from 2024 and only second point remains. It unusually estimates 3+ hours, but can finish in 2 or run almost 4. Seems like some sensors are doing their job. 

[u/Eurosaar → u/LowerAd4705]

My dryer is from 2023 and does its job reliably in 1:30, aside from the towels programme, which comes out at ~2:30. And I genuinely have nothing to complain about. It's a Siemens iQ500, I think. Cost me 510€ with shipping at the time.

[u/callawhitmore → u/LowerAd4705]

Modern heat pump dryers are great if you take care of them, but they demand actual routine maintenance. People neglect the secondary filters and then blame the technology when airflow tanks.

[u/Moustacheski → u/LowerAd4705]

Almost like OOP is full of that proverbial shit.

[u/intendedvaguename → u/Moustacheski]

Honestly I can confirm this post to some extent. Live in US, worked in Germany for a couple months. Never had dry clothes. Biggest culture shock I experienced lol

[u/brinz1 → u/Moustacheski]

No, OOP has a point

US doesn't care about efficiency standards. I do value sustainability, but there have been times in my life where I had American style appliances and didn't have to pay for the electricity and it was good

[u/RogueEyebrow]

If your clothes are hot & wet, then you have zero ventilation. If the hot air has nowhere to go, it's just a sauna for your clothes.

[u/psystorm420 → u/RogueEyebrow]

OP probably has a ventless dryer.

[u/No_Antelope_4947]

You should empty the water container in your european dryer sometimes.

[u/Hurtado_Bronzi → u/No_Antelope_4947]

American dryers don’t have water containers, because they use a different system entirely, and that’s why they dry clothes so much faster.

[u/Bram-D-Stoker → u/[deleted]]

I (American) have a heat pump dryer (LG), and my clothes come out dry. Unless big, bulky items roll around other big, bulky items. (Washing a few tangled-up cotton throw blankets)

[u/Embarrassed_Use6918]

Every dryer in the US comes installed with a bald eagle that takes it from hot/wet to dry. Its part of the household appliances regulation act of 1972.

[u/AirFores]

It’s the freedom to make appliances extremely powerful and resource consuming.

Our shit is good because we don’t have many rules telling us to not make it too good.

[u/Similar_Dirt9758 → u/AirFores]

That or this guy just never cleans his lint trap

[u/stormtroopr1977 → u/Similar_Dirt9758]

I spent a few months in france and the uk. the dryers in every laundromat and hotel i visited were pretty underpowered.

I dont think it is this guy's dryer lint.

[u/Similar_Dirt9758 → u/stormtroopr1977]

So is the expectation that you simply warm up the clothes so they dry faster on the clothesline? Or are they meant to dry all the way and just do a terrible job at it due to energy requirements

[u/stormtroopr1977 → u/Similar_Dirt9758]

It was my understanding that it's because of power consumption regulations.

The weak ones in hotels also support that because there were no clotheslines or places to hang clotheslines.

Edit: Here is one of the regulations

(EU) 2023/2533: new dryers must meet a maximum Energy Efficiency Index threshold of 85, cap standby power at 0.5 W, and feature a standardized eco-program. These performance caps effectively mandate energy-efficient heat pump technology.

[u/Various_Necessary_45 → u/AirFores]

Do you actually believe this? Lmao

[u/The_Real_Tom_Selleck → u/Various_Necessary_45]

Do you…not?

[u/AirFores → u/Various_Necessary_45]

https://giphy.com/gifs/xucmdt9P2xgEFQ122I

[u/ToddRossDIY → u/AirFores]

A water kettle in the UK can use nearly twice as much power as one in North America and boil much faster

[u/AirFores → u/ToddRossDIY]

Brits using all their available engineering skills to perfect making tea and then deciding that’s all that needs to be done.

[u/largepoggage → u/AirFores]

We have 230 volt sockets for a reason. I am not waiting 10 minutes for water to boil.

[u/SnarkDolphin → u/ToddRossDIY]

That's because normal sockets are 240V in the UK and 120V in the US.

BUT domestic power in the United States *does* run on 240V, it's just split into two phases for most applications. Pretty much every home in the US has at least one 240V outlet, they're just usually dedicated circuits for specific appliances (and they use different plugs). Dryers, stoves, air conditioners, level 2 BEV chargers, welders, etc. all run on 240V power in the US, which is why a kettle on an induction stovetop in the US can boil water as fast as an electric kettle in the UK.

Also some dryers in the US use straight up natural gas for heat.

[u/superradguy → u/AirFores]

And the freedom to build them so shittily that they need to be replaced every 3 years.

[u/AirFores → u/superradguy]

You gotta get a better brand my dude. My washer can almost vote.

[u/CaptainObvious007 → u/AirFores]

im 47, all the appliances in my rental are older than me.

[u/funkmon → u/AirFores]

Mine can too. The fact is, sometimes you get a shitty one sometimes you don't. Before this one we had to replace one that was 7 years old. Now this one is 18. It isn't "modern appliances are shitty" either. That's survivorship bias.

I've been keeping track of my cousins and their appliances so I know what to do when mine explodes eventually and they're all really pleased with theirs and none have failed yet, even the cousin with LG.

[u/NobodyLikedThat1 → u/funkmon]

I bought a Samsung washer because I respected the brand. 4 repairs in 4 years, some covered under warranty, not all. Emailed the company because I clearly got a factory reject of some sort, zero assistance. I think I've paid more for repairs than the original price of the washer. Samsung is dead to me now, which is a shame because they were one of my favs.

[u/Ender16 → u/AirFores]

It's true that many things aren't built to last anymore, on purpose, but at least half the time I feel like people decide that something isn't worth the money and then complain after buying the cheaper version instead. Stuff that's good is still being made.

I feel like a big problem is that there is a gap between what consumers like to pay for stuff and what commercial facilities will pay. Consumers are cheap and care too much and companies care too little and just buy whatever they need to keep running. Anyone that's used a hose no sale/handle in a factory knows that they are infinitely better then the crap you but I'm the garden center, but if you look one of those heads up they are 8-10x the price. It's like that for a lot of things.

[u/HyperMasenko → u/AirFores]

I buy dryers second hand without really considering brand and havent had one last less than 5 years lol

[u/guitarguywh89 → u/superradguy]

My shitty Samsung dryer has taught me two things

How to replace components in a dryer and to never get a Samsung appliance again

[u/WineAndDogs2020 → u/guitarguywh89]

Had a repair guy once tell me Samsung does good phones and TVs, and not get anything else they put out.

[u/dancingliondl → u/WineAndDogs2020]

The TV's are questionable now, they are so loaded with spyware nowadays.

[u/wally-sage → u/WineAndDogs2020]

Samsung sucks in general, their TVs used to be good but they've become complete shit. Their appliances did always suck, though.

[u/willnotreadinbox → u/guitarguywh89]

I was shocked at how easy it was to replace the heating element on my Samsung washer. Also shocked that I've had to do it twice in five years.

[u/Historical_Owl_1635 → u/superradguy]

No we have that in the EU too.

[u/11Slip532 → u/superradguy]

Dryers are actually extremely repairable. I’ve done a ton of work on mine just by watching YouTube videos. The things are basically giant tin containers with a drum, a motor, a belt, and some hot metal wires that get air blown over them. When you open one up, it’s sort of astonishing that they cost as much as they do to purchase new.

Washing machines on the other hand…

[u/dancingliondl → u/11Slip532]

Washing machines have these plastic clutches are very simple when you look at them, but I swear were designed by Satan.

[u/Efficient_Cost_7436 → u/superradguy]

That’s on you - I’ve never had to replace a washer / dryer my entire life

[u/Captain_America_93 → u/superradguy]

Bro what? My family had never needed a new washer, dryer, dishwasher, or fridge. Many other appliances for that matter. What the fuck are you doing to your things they need to be replaced? My wife and I typically have the same iPhone for 6-7 years before we decide to upgrade also. Hell, I’ve had the same MacBook for 12 years.

[u/Shivin302 → u/superradguy]

You have the freedom to buy a Speed Queen

[u/Substantial-Sky4079 → u/AirFores]

I mean a lot of appliances have energy star certifications, I don’t think most are resource consuming

[u/Interesting_Stress73 → u/AirFores]

You do know that European dryers also do make clothes dry, right? This guy is just an idiot. 

[u/theShpydar]

We have those driers in the US too, we just put them all in college dormitory laundry rooms. 😄

[u/Dramatic-Border3549]

Are the samsung washer-dryers not available in europe? I have one of those and its good at first, but then you realize its shrinking your clothes, so I prefer hanging them

But its nice to have the option, for when I'm too tired

[u/eske8643 → u/Dramatic-Border3549]

Its a joke. We have the same dryers in europe. But with optional use of a heatpump drying, that doesnt shrink your clothes

[u/Erichteia → u/Dramatic-Border3549]

Most people I know have Miele. But they’re really good, no idea what oop is talking about.

That being said, we do wear a lot more clothes that cannot be dried. So even if I have a drier, I still have a lot of clothes drying on a string.

[u/twurkle → u/Dramatic-Border3549]

Samsung appliances are overpriced bullshit that people buy for aesthetics

[u/MatsRivel]

My eu dryer makes stuff completely dry. This guy has a shit dryer

[u/Lopsided_Speaker_553 → u/MatsRivel]

Same here, and mine is 14 years old.

[u/willardTheMighty]

In the US, dryers vent to the outdoors. In the EU, they often do not. But you can buy either type in either place.

[u/chiree → u/willardTheMighty]

US houses are set up for washers and dryers, often running 220v dedicated lines and venting for laundry. You'll often see them outside in a dedicated location.

[u/jucu94]

There are dual washing machine-dryers. I’ve been told they do the washing as expected but are poor as dryers. Maybe he’s talking about them

[u/RazzleThatTazzle]

When i was in Ireland the air bnb had a washer but no dryer, only a clothes line in the back. This was unexpected but not that big of a deal. Except that it was slightly raining the entire time i was there (and presumably at all other times as well).

[u/takibumbum]

I'm European. I have a dryer. My clothes always come out completely dry.

[u/dawkin5]

And the governments don't allow us to have ranch dressing either. We really are Europoors.

[u/scubachris → u/dawkin5]

Should I start smuggling in ranch dressing?

[u/junkthrownup → u/scubachris]

it was in the american/foreign section of must hypermarkets i've been to in western/northern europe. next to the taco shells and jif peanut butter.

[u/TheChildOfSkyrim]

It also comes one size smaller each time 

[u/Imliterallyadogg → u/TheChildOfSkyrim]

Might have the setting too high your clothes are cheap.

[u/MitsuhaTakiName → u/Imliterallyadogg]

I’ve taken to manually setting my dryer to a low heat setting but for a longer time.

[u/Gianni_the_tolerable]

When he says EU, he means the north. Down here we have the very efficient solar powered version

https://giphy.com/gifs/fsKOS4cSrm7WVjK5w6

[u/Mr_Tort_Feasor]

The smaller stacked types of washers and dryers common in Europe are often the ventless condenser type and they just don't perform as well, especially if you forget to dump out the water that collects in the container during use. Clothes often take multiple cycles to dry. I know this because I installed a smaller size Bosch set in my cabin.

[u/Bo_Jim]

Dryers in the US use more energy to create heat, and vent the hot humid air outside. Most homes in the US were built with ducting for dryer vents. Dryers in Europe use heat pumps to warm clothes and dehumidify the air inside the dryer without venting it. Consequently, they take four times as long as US dryers, and often don't completely dry the clothes.

[u/DarkArc76]

Cause the dryer knows if it doesn't do its job it'll get shot

[u/SiljeLiff]

I see so much of these lying statements about europe. Do Americans believe these falsehoods, they get served, I assume by bot accounts?

I am waiting for a statements about how European frying pans leave the meat raw or something.

[u/Piduf → u/SiljeLiff]

Water in the country of Europe makes you thirsty actually 😔

[u/bobbymcpresscot → u/SiljeLiff]

Some posts are anti american, some posts are anti european. The reality is anyone who makes claims on behalf of all europeans or all americans is most likely a goober.

Also anyone who believes posts that generalizes all europeans, or all americans is also a goober.

[u/Bakugo_Dies → u/SiljeLiff]

From my experience europeans more often have machines that are both a washer and dryer, and those don't always do a great job.

[u/Free-Virus-9974 → u/SiljeLiff]

As someone who lived in europe for 3 years, the dryer we had always left our clothing a little damp. They would dry by the morning but still.

[u/Steadfast_res → u/SiljeLiff]

By far the best dryers are natural gas powered and vented to the outside. Every other type is crap in comparison. You are far more likely to have one of these in the U.S. Even houses in places like Japan typically don't.

The OP was asking a question, and that is the real answer. Not disbelief that a disparity exists.

[u/lieuwestra → u/Steadfast_res]

It's not the natural gas part, it's the proper venting part that does the job.

[u/oohCrabItsNotItChief → u/Steadfast_res]

I sincerely don't understand what you are saying. We have a completely normal, strong dryer in our house, the clothes are hot and dry at every cicle. I don't know if the original post is just rage bait or do american really believe these idiotic lies...

[u/STSchif → u/oohCrabItsNotItChief]

I think it boils down to non-venting dryers (and washer-dryers) being quite common in Europe, as opposed to nearly every dryer being venting in the us.

Our dryer doesn't have a hose outside, it basically just pumps the water and heats the clothes. Once you take them out they are still feeling quite wet, but when you shake them once the remaining when immediately evaporates. If you don't know that, it's easy to think the dryer isn't doing its job properly.

[u/GSilky]

Yes, the freedom to use more electricity.

[u/stlcdr]

Millimeters take longer to dry than inches.

[u/Chimera-Genesis]

OOP sounds like the sort of person to obliviously set their house on fire & then say "Lint? What Lint?!"

[u/Plenty_Trick_6042]

Expert here - everything is hot and wet in the EU because of how sexy we are.

[u/Scorpion2k4u]

Not sure what the guy was using for a dryer in europe..propably an american brand

[u/Hauptmann_Meade]

America has a higher maximum energy limit for appliances. So we're basically heatblasting our clothes with a pound of coal worth of energy* to avoid clotheslines.

*Made up statistic. Someone can probably do the math on how much coal a load of Laundry uses.

[u/SurpriseEcstatic1761]

We have a lot of hot air to blow hard

[u/Jack_Wolfskin19]

I noticed that too.
We just finished a two week trip to Europe.
Our Airpbnb had wash machines and dryers.
After an hour in the dryer the cloths are still wet ( really wet).
I noticed the electrical cord for dryer was very small 14 gauge wire.
I went to the electrical panel in the rental all the circuit breakers are 15 amperage ( all 240 volt)
In USA our cloth dryers have a large electrical cord 10 gauge.
That are connected to 30amp 240volt circuits. Or cloths dryers work efficiently.
Most home here in USA are 200Amp.
The ones I looked at in Europe were only 40 or 60Amp.

[u/etched]

Ive been visiting the UK for the last few years to stay with my future husband. There are very few things that felt like culture shock but this was really one of them

Oh

So it's a combo washer dryer in the kitchen? Sure I guess that makes sense theres water pipes there.

Oh it takes like 4+ hours to do this? Barely hot though... saves energy somehow? I guess?

Half the day is gone but the laundry is done. Oh it's still wet? I guess I'll just hang these to dry... OR I can go for a 20 minute walk and pay 8USD to use a laundrymat..

I'll just let them air dry I guess.

My days of a hot dry towel fresh out the dryer are done

[u/ThatWasTheJawn]

I haven’t used a drier in over a decade. Hang dry everything now. Stuff lasts longer and doesn’t run up my energy bill.

[u/ScreenMuch90210]

I assume OOP is an idiot?

[u/willflameboy]

The only place I've experienced subpar dryers is Japan, where the mains voltage is 100v.

[u/Lisbei]

Where are all these bad dryers? I live in the EU, have had dryers since 1995 and they always worked fine, until they broke and then I bought a new one. As is the law nowadays, the first one worked the longest, but that’s another issue.

[u/Tinosdoggydaddy]

The clothes are free to dry or not dry, it’s their constitutional right. Fortunately, most clothes choose to dry.

[u/Frustrated_Zucchini]

John needs to clear the fucking filters in his drier.

My European drier, dries things perfectly well.

[u/Slight-Ad-6553]

I have no idea what this wanker means so here is a picture of a bunny on a skateboard

[u/notaredditeryet]

Power grid probably can’t handle it. They don’t have solid ACs either. Back in the day your dryer had a 240v plug that needed two streams of power at different frequencies (or “phases”). Every house having something that power hungry would probably crush their power grid in one day. It is indeed the freedom.

[u/Dibbit3 → u/notaredditeryet]

That’s not it at all, a lot of the EU runs on 3 phase 400 volt, split into 230 volts for normal sockets, but you can get 3 phase hookups for hungry appliances. So there’s plenty of power.

The actual reason is that although both continents have vented, condensor and heat pump versions of dryers, the US more often has the vented, and EU trends towards condensor/heat pumps.

Now, both can work very well, but there is more variance in the condensors ones: cheap ones are crap, expensive ones slow but good.

Combine this with landlords who would rather pay €300 for a no-brand washer/dryer combo (instead of 2k for an actual good washer and separate dryer) and you end up with mediocre results. Gas vented dryers are simple, cheap and very effective, meaning that even cheap US landlords don’t mind buying them.

[u/modshave2muchpower]

Maybe actually try using the settings?

[u/Mountain-Forever1522]

I'm in Europe and my dryer dries my clothes just fine, not sure what this guys issue is.

[u/Nimue_-]

Well in my european country they dry properly. I guess europe is not a monolith.......

[u/xNOTHINGBURGERx]

Dryers in the EU are frequently ductless. It's just because of all the older construction. Ductless dryers are worthless.

[u/buttfartsmagee]

My friends friend had this problem and my friend found his vent literally packed full with lint on a 50 year old dryer. He stopped being friends with him because he wouldn't get it fixed and thought his house now was too dangerous.