The Controversial Washer/Dryer Combo Is Making A Comeback In 2026. Here's What To Know

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If you're interested in maximizing the available space in a small home or want some savvy tips for a more efficiently designed laundry room, you may find that the bulky appliances are limiting your options. Typical washer and dryer pairs are 27 inches in width each, which adds up quickly in a small space.

An option to increase your room layout options is a washer/dryer combination unit. This all-in-one machine both washes and dries the clothing without any transferring. These units clean the clothing like a normal front-load washing machine, but they usually dry by using a ventless condensation and moisture-absorbing evaporator technique. This means you do not need a vent tube that leads outdoors like you do with a traditional clothes dryer.

Even though this combination sounds great, there are several things to consider before buying an all-in-one washer/dryer. The first patent applications for a washer/dryer combo date back to the 1950s, yet it's been difficult to find modern reviewers who wholeheartedly recommend them unless your living situation leaves you with no other in-home laundry options. They're controversial because they dry clothing incredibly slowly, sometimes requiring several hours per load, while also being quite expensive. If you've been putting off buying one of these machines because of the drawbacks, a machine introduced at 2026's Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas in early January offers a significantly improved drying time, showing that combo-unit manufacturers are investing in continued design improvements.

At CES 2026, LG announced a design upgrade to its Signature model of washer/dryer combination units. LG's newest design claims to be able to wash and dry a load of laundry that weighs up to 10 pounds in as little as 90 minutes. This is an improvement over previous models, which required at least 120 minutes. When the washer/dryer combo units were introduced in the 1990s, full cycles took six hours or longer to complete. More recent machine designs may even take 3 or more hours to complete a full cycle. It's not unusual for these machines to take far longer than the estimated time listed on the display screen to complete a load of laundry, either.

LG didn't provide details on how it achieved the improved cycle time. The machine probably will be available for sale in the first half of 2026, although LG did not announce a release date or the machine's expected price. However, LG's previous version of its washer/dryer combo unit (with its 120-minute completion time) had an MSRP of $3,299. You can find it for sale for as low as $2,099 at Home Depot.

One of the biggest improvements in these machines in recent years is increased capacity. GE recently introduced a machine with a 4.8-cubic-foot capacity, double that of previous models. Some older models can be as small as 1.6 cubic feet of capacity. Samsung offers a 5.3-cubic-foot capacity machine. With a larger capacity drum, the clothing has more volume in which to move, which enhances airflow and reduces drying time.

A recent technological advancement that helps with overall performance is the use of heat pump technology. It aids in drying the clothing faster than older methods. It works like and has many of the same benefits found with installing a heat pump in your house. The heat pump in the washer/dryer combo unit pulls ambient heat from the room into the machine. An evaporator in the machine then removes the water from the clothing as it condenses. This technology removes the moisture from clothing more efficiently than older washer/dryer combination units did.

If you really want to speed up the drying performance, consider a recently introduced washer/dryer combo machine that has a vent, such as the Samsung Bespoke unit ($1,999 at Home Depot), which was introduced in mid-2025. Most washer/dryer machines use a ventless design, however the Bespoke combo unit works more like a traditional dryer, connecting to the vent hookup you were already using for the old standalone dryer. Samsung claims it can complete a full cycle for a 10-pound load of laundry in 68 minutes.