Clothes Dryer Review

Comparing reviews of clothes dryers

ConsumerReports.org offers the best information on clothes dryers, with comprehensive and credible ratings. Editors test nearly 40 clothes dryers and rate them on drying performance, noise and capacity. Both gas and electric dryers are recommended. Good Housekeeping magazine editors also review steam washers and dryers, but only the best models are discussed, and there's no indication of how many models were tested in all. J.D. Power and Associates is another good source of information on laundry appliances. Its customer satisfaction survey gauges the opinions of more than 4,000 consumers on numerous dryer bands, but the organization does not discuss specific models.

In addition, a host of retail and user-review sites give owners a chance to weigh in on their clothes dryers. While such reviews rarely approach the depth and knowledge of the pros, many offer interesting insights into usage over a period of time and sometimes delve into practical matters that the experts overlook. Review sites such as Sears.com, BestBuy.com and HomeDepot.com all have a good amount of user reviews. Some reviews can also be found on Viewpoints.com, AJMadison.com and Epinions.com.

Unlike washing machines, which can be labeled as Energy Star-compliant if they meet certain criteria on energy and water consumption, current clothes dryers are not rated as energy efficient. Tests conducted by the Department of Energy show that most dryers use roughly the same amount of energy. As a result, you won't achieve drastic energy savings by replacing your older clothes dryer with a new model as you would with washing machines. Since newer dryers are not necessarily more energy efficient than older models, the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) recommends keeping the same dryer until the end of its useful life, about 12 years.

That's not to say that there aren't things you can do to save energy. According to ACEEE, you can reduce energy usage and drying time "by drying similar fabrics together, drying multiple loads in quick succession (to take advantage of residual heat), and make sure to clean the dryer filter after each use." EnergyStar.gov also recommends choosing a washer with a high spin speed, which extracts more water out of laundry and lessens drying time. You can find the best Energy Star-rated washers in our companion report on washing machines.