Hong Kong in summer is known for its high humidity and heavy rainfall, which makes it challenging for households to air-dry their freshly laundered clothes. For this reason, buying a clothes dryer has become one of the most popular choices for speeding up the drying process for crisp, fresh-smelling laundry. Nevertheless, clothes dryers come in various sizes, styles, functions, and electricity consumption levels. Different clothes dryers can give you very different results. Read on to learn more about the different types of clothes dryers and pick the best one that will suit your family's needs.
5 types of clothes dryers
1. Vented Tumble Dryer
The most conventional type of clothes dryer is a vented tumble dryer, which operates by heating up and drawing the air from the room where it’s installed. The warm air will blow inside the drum, evaporating any remaining moisture as the clothes are spinning in the drum. The air will then be vented out through the pipe. These types of dryers usually require a venting hose for heat, lint, and moisture to be expelled outdoors, so the warm air can continue drying up clothes inside the machine.
Typically, vented tumble dryers are more reasonably priced, making them ideal for households with limited budgets. However, you must always reserve a space for installing the exhaust pipe to prevent unwanted steam and heat from getting trapped inside the room. Besides, if you're installing a gas-powered tumble dryer, be sure to install it where the gas pipe can be attached to the machine. But it may, in turn, limit your options as to where you can install the dryer.
2. Condenser Tumble Dryer
Similar to vented tumble dryers, condenser tumble dryers also draw air from the room while collecting moisture in the drum. The difference between the two is that instead of venting out the water from the pipe, a condenser dryer turns the steam from the clothes into water and collects them in a reservoir inside the machine. Since it doesn’t require a pipe to vent out steam when using a condenser dryer, you can virtually place it anywhere in your home. The installation process will be easier and more straightforward as well.
However, condenser dryers are usually more expensive than vented tumble dryers, and it is less energy efficient and can potentially heat up your room.
3. Heat Pump Dryer
Heat pump dryers are often considered an "upgraded" version of condenser tumble dryers. A heat pump tumble dryer contains a refrigerant inside the machine, which allows the hot air to absorb moisture from your clothes; the moisture will then be collected into a tank, reheated, evaporated into warm air and recirculated to the drum. Compared to traditional vented and condenser models, heat pump dryers can save a significant amount of energy with better drying and dehumidifying results, but they also come with a much heftier price tag.
4. Washer Dryer
As its name suggests, a washer dryer is a two-in-one machine that can both wash your clothes and dry them in one go. You don't need to take your clothes back and forth to re-dry them after washing. You can simply complete the drying process using the same machine. Some washer-dryer models even offer a smart laundry function that allows users to dry their clothes automatically once the washing process is finished; best for people who have busy schedules or want to save a bit of hassle.
Better yet, the biggest benefit of a washer-dryer is that it only takes up half the space of a washer-and-dryer combo. Especially for Hong Kong families living in smaller apartments, this machine can significantly diminish the amount of space needed for this day-to-day house chore.
5. Drying Cabinet
Drying cabinets have become increasingly popular among modern households nowadays thanks to their slim, vertical design that allows clothes to dry while softening and minimizing wrinkles and creases, as opposed to using normal dryers. On top of that, drying cabinets can also clean and sterilize your clothes, boots, shoes, and hats, making them the most versatile dryers on the list.
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