Steam dryer worth it?

[Kaido]

My crappy electric laundry dryer is on its last legs, shopping for a replacement. Are steam dryers worth the money? They don't seem to really replace ironing & there doesn't seem to be a ton of information about their validity online. Extra cost & would have to run a water line for it.

 

[AMDMaddness]

I have one, it's good for touch ups on slightly wrinkled stuff but nothing else really. I have used it a handful of times in the last year since I bought my dryer. I honestly don't see the need now since I own one. You do have to run a water line, mine came with a T and hose to attach to the water line from the washing machine. All in all.. not worth the extra bucks.

 

[Cr0nJ0b]

I have one and really never use the feature.

 

[Kaido]

I have one, it's good for touch ups on slightly wrinkled stuff but nothing else really. I have used it a handful of times in the last year since I bought my dryer. I honestly don't see the need now since I own one. You do have to run a water line, mine came with a T and hose to attach to the water line from the washing machine. All in all.. not worth the extra bucks.

Yeah, right now I just get a dish towel wet & throw it in if I need something de-wrinkled. Works fine.

 

[Kaido]

I also didn't realize how big they get now...Samsung has a 9.5 cubic foot dryer hahahaha.

 

[NutBucket]

Huh? You can tap off the water line for the washer. Easy peasy.

So far I've found different models have different uses (shocking, right?). The Kenmore/LG units I've used have a static reduction mode which is actually quite effective for synthetics when the humidity is low. We no longer use dryer sheets because it is so effective. Then there are some steam refresh modes. The wrinkle-removal mode works decently well but you can only do a few items of clothing at a time. I'd rather just iron.

By comparison, the GE unit we bought for in the in-laws (open box at Home Depot) doesn't have the static feature.

 

[cbrunny]

I had one in my old house. I miss it often. This morning, even.

 

[rcpratt]

Our ~3 year old dryer has a steam function. I'm not sure if it even has the ability to connect to the water line; it just has a little removable tub that you can fill up with water. I don't use it much because it's annoying to have to fill it up often.

The couple of times I've tried it, the "steam fresh" drying cycle didn't seem to do much different than regular. I do like the "wrinkle care" setting which does short bursts of steam-drying every few minutes after the normal drying cycle in order to try to reduce wrinkles if you don't remove it immediately.

 

[BoomerD]

Our Samsung dryer has the steam feature. I think I've used it twice in 3 years. I generally use one or two wet/damp bath towels to de-wrinkle clothes.

 

[Miramonti]

It's a minor bell/whistle and shouldn't be looked at as anything more when considering your dryer options. I really wanted the steam feature, so I got it in my new one, but have only used it 2-3 times in one year. Part of the issue that when you have last minute wrinkles, it still takes about 20-25 minutes to get them out, often too much time, and it's for just a few items and not for refreshing a load that's been sitting there for a day getting all wrinkled. (and if a wet towel does just as good, that's another reason to not invest in the feature.)

 

[blackangst1]

I use the steam on ours quite often. Its got its own water feed.

 

[zinfamous]

Be honest: you intentionally sabotaged your perfectly good dryer as an excuse to buy a new fancy gadget.

 

[pauldun170]

Just outta curiosity, what year\model dryer do you have?
Depending on the model, they can be obscenely cheap and easy to fix or refresh.

As for steam dryer question.. small to medium size wet towel works for most of my shirts\slacks.
I rarely use my iron. However, a lot of my work clothes are marketed as wrinkle free.

 

[Scarpozzi]

A coworker told me they just bought a new dryer that had that feature. I was informed that it was worth it and their favorite feature of the new dryer....but this was coming from a female. Most of my clothes need to be pressed. I'm sure there are some materials that a steam dryer works great on like knits, etc... (if you don't worry about them shrinking)

For me, I can't dry half of my clothes because I have long arms and need every inch of sleevage I can get. My wife is the same way....she's 5'8". If she buys larger sizes to compensate for her height, all of her clothes fit baggy...so she buys her size and we just hang everything up to keep the sleeves and torso of her clothes from shrinking down a size. I blame the sweatshops in China and McDonald's (50/50) for ruining our clothes sizing in this country.

 

[Miramonti]

For me, I can't dry half of my clothes because I have long arms and need every inch of sleevage I can get. .

Big and Tall clothes ftw?

 

[Kaido]

Be honest: you intentionally sabotaged your perfectly good dryer as an excuse to buy a new fancy gadget.

No way, it doesn't cook for me!

 

[Kaido]

Just outta curiosity, what year\model dryer do you have?
Depending on the model, they can be obscenely cheap and easy to fix or refresh.

As for steam dryer question.. small to medium size wet towel works for most of my shirts\slacks.
I rarely use my iron. However, a lot of my work clothes are marketed as wrinkle free.

I considered it, but this dryer has always has problems & is undersized for the washing machine I have, so we always have to run everything at least twice to get fully dry because everyone always maxes the washing machine out. It is getting recycled as a hand-me-down to my brother (he can get it fixed, haha), so no worries.

 

[pauldun170]

I considered it, but this dryer has always has problems & is undersized for the washing machine I have, so we always have to run everything at least twice to get fully dry because everyone always maxes the washing machine out. It is getting recycled as a hand-me-down to my brother (he can get it fixed, haha), so no worries.

Gotcha

 

[SearchMaster]

I echo most of the sentiments here - mine has the feature (with the pull out tray for water, not connected to a water line) and it's been used just a handful of times (never by me and I do 90% of the laundry). I haven't noticed any difference between clothes dried with it versus without it when my wife or son have tried it.

FWIW, it's a higher end (I think, it was a gift) LG model and I absolutely love it. It dries super quick, and seems easier on the clothes than any previous dryer I've owned.

 

[edro]

I use it all the time to de-wrinkle my work clothes.
My old one was connected to water, but new one has a water tub.
Also, old one converted water to steam before injecting into dryer.
New one just squirts water in there and lets the heat convert to steam.

I prefer my old one.

 

[mike8675309]

Had a Samsung unit with the steam. WELL worth it if you often are wearing cotton or blend shirts or pants and skirts. No need to iron anything anymore just pull it out of the basket throw it in the dryer put it on steam and by the time you come out of the shower it's dry and wrinkle free.

If you don't iron anything or are religious about hanging things up right away, then it likely won't be of value for you.

 

[Bella4655]

We just bought an LG with the steam function. there are actually two settings for steam with one being a 30 min cycle and the other 5 mins. I am just now starting to utilize the feature. So far so good. I have a lot of viscose and cotton lounge pants and sweatshirts that are dry-clean only. It seems like such a waste of money to take these particular kind of items to the cleaner. The steam cycle works beautifully to refresh these casual clothes. I have never had to deal with any of these items having stains but will cross that bridge if and when I need to cross it. I am just starting to utilize my new dryer and all of its advanced functions. Apparently you can also download an app to customize your cycles. Haven't tried that yet but is on the to-do list. In our case we are so glad that we upgraded to this great dryer.

 

[sdifox]

No gas hookup? Gas dryer is better.