A washing machine dryer is a convenient appliance that both washes and dries your clothes in the same machine. This saves time and energy compared to using separate appliances. Let’s take a look at how these combination washer/dryers work.
Washing Cycle and Components
The washing cycle happens first in a washer dryer combo unit. Water is heated and mixed with detergent to clean your clothes. Several main components are involved in the washing process:
Tub
The tub is the large, rotatable inner tub that holds the water and your clothing. It is made of stainless steel to withstand corrosion and has holes to allow water to pass through. The agitator is found inside the tub to move clothes around in the hot water during a wash cycle.
Agitator
The agitator is an internal, finned device in the center of tub that spins back and forth to help scrub and turn clothes over during the wash cycle so all sides get cleaned. Most agitators lift up out of the way when the spin cycle starts so they don’t interfere.
Motor
A powerful electric motor is what spins the agitator and tub. It reverses direction when transitioning from agitation to spin.
Pump
A drain pump is used to remove soapy water during certain wash stages and all the water before the drying cycle. The pump empties the tub via a drain hose that connects to your home piping.
Drying Cycle and Components
After the wash and rinse cycles finish, the washer dryer starts the process of drying your clothes automatically in the same tub. These components help make the drying cycle work:
Blower Fan and Heating Element
Hot air is blown into the tub to dry the clothing. This hot air comes from an electrical heating element that heats up air that blows into the tub through a blower fan. The motor helps circulate the warm air during the drying cycle.
Moisture Sensors
Special sensor strips detect the moisture levels in clothes to help determine when they are properly dried. The machine reads these sensors and shuts off when sufficiently dry.
Lint Filter
Lint and debris get trapped in a filter so this does not gather in your clothes while drying. The lint filter is either attached to the blower system or located on the inside of the door for convenient cleaning.
The washer dryer machine automatically moves between wash and dry cycles without the user needing to do anything in between. This all-in-one solution helps you quickly finish your laundry from dirty to clean and dry. Now that you know how a washer dryer combo works internally, you can appreciate this handy appliance even more!
References
Home Laundry Association. How Do Washer-Dryer Combo Units Work? 2022.
Whirlpool. Understanding the Washer Dryer Combo. Blog. 2019.
Laura has had an enthusiasm for laundry ever since she was a teenager experimenting with wash cycles. She went on study textile science in college before working in product testing.
Soon, Laura found friends and family constantly asking her laundry advice, realizing she had become an unofficial laundry guru. The questions kept coming in, so Laura decided to start sharing laundry tips online to help more people. The enthusiastic response led her start the blog “Laundry How”.
Now in her late thirties, Laura uses Laundry How to tackle all kinds of laundry topics – stains, fabric care, detergents, and more. She provides advice from both her studies and experience testing techniques out firsthand. Laura continues to grow an engaged community of laundry learners, feeling fulfilled empowering people to make laundry an easy, confidence-building ritual rather than a dreaded chore.