Broken tumble dryer? Here's what to do

Getting your tumble dryer repaired

Repairing the dryer often feels like the obvious first step when it breaks down, especially if it worked fine until now and the fault appeared out of nowhere. You keep the appliance you already know and do not need to research anything new.

Having it repaired makes sense for a dryer that is still fairly young and has not given you much trouble before. An engineer finds the cause, fixes it and you are back to drying laundry. Repairing can bring some uncertainty too, especially if the dryer has broken down before or you are unsure how much life it has left. Booking an engineer also takes time and you are left without a working dryer in the meantime, which is awkward if you do not have much space to hang washing.

What a lot of people do not realise is that a broken tumble dryer is sometimes just the first of several faults. One repair is often followed by another a while later, meaning more waiting and more costs. Not sure whether repairing is still worth it? Read up on when it makes more sense to replace your dryer.

Buying a new tumble dryer

Once repairing is no longer an option, many people start looking at a new dryer. It feels like a clean slate. You know the appliance is in good condition and you will not have to worry about hidden wear and tear. Modern dryers are also more efficient than older models.

There are downsides too. A new dryer is a fairly big purchase, usually at a time you were not planning for it. On top of that, the responsibility sits entirely with you. Buying a new dryer can also come with a fair bit of decision fatigue. You compare models, read reviews and go back and forth between a condenser dryer and a heat pump dryer, when all you really want is dry laundry.

Buying a second hand tumble dryer

When a new dryer feels like too big a spend, a second hand model comes into view. At first glance, this looks like a quick and affordable fix. You get a working dryer again without the high price tag.

The risk mostly lies in the uncertainty. You do not know how heavily the previous owner used it or how much life it has left. A second hand dryer could break down again tomorrow, with no warning at all. There is usually no service or guarantee to fall back on either, unlike with a new appliance. If it breaks again, you are back to square one.

For some people, second hand works fine as a short term fix. In practice, though, it rarely turns out to be a lasting solution. Plenty of households end up switching to something else sooner than planned, which brings extra hassle and cost.

Letting your washing air dry

There is another option you always have: skip the dryer altogether and let your washing air dry, outside on the line or inside on a clothes airer. This costs nothing extra and you do not use any electricity, which is a nice bonus if you are already trying to cut costs.

This does come with a downside though. Weather is often the first problem. Most people prefer to dry their washing outside. If it rains or you do not have a garden or balcony, the washing has to dry indoors instead. That is when space quickly becomes an issue. A clothes airer needs somewhere to stand and not every home has room to spare. Think of a small flat or a house without a loft or storage room. Sometimes the living room is the only spot with enough space left, but then you are staring at damp washing for the rest of the day when you would rather just relax.

Drying laundry indoors also adds a fair amount of moisture to your home. One washing machine load on a clothes airer can add as much as two litres of extra moisture to the air. Without proper ventilation, this causes a sharp rise in dust mites and mould spores. That is especially unpleasant for anyone with asthma, eczema or a weakened immune system.

On top of that, air drying takes considerably longer than using a dryer and you are entirely at the mercy of the weather. Some people turn up the heating to speed up drying, which then pushes up the energy bill instead.

If you have relatively little washing, plenty of patience and some spare space, air drying can work well. For households where the washing machine runs daily or space is tight, it is a less practical solution.

Taking out a tumble dryer subscription

Never want to worry about a broken dryer again? Then a tumble dryer subscription is a logical step. This option is not about ownership, it is about convenience and peace of mind.

With Homie, you take out a subscription for an energy efficient dryer for a fixed monthly fee. You choose the term that suits you. The dryer stays Homie's property, so maintenance and repairs are already covered. If it breaks down, you simply log a service request with us. You will not face unexpected costs and you do not need to track down an engineer. That is a weight off your mind, right when you need it most.

Another advantage is that you do not have to make one big payment upfront. That makes this option accessible even when buying a new dryer does not quite fit your budget right now.

Which option suits me best?

When your tumble dryer is broken, what you want most is to get back to hassle free drying as quickly as possible. The overview below can help you work out what suits you.

Ready to be done with the hassle of a broken tumble dryer today? Take a look at our range and take out a dryer subscription.