Best Smart Washer Dryer Sets of 2024

Smart washers and dryers connect to your home Wi-Fi network and deliver a wide range of benefits. Laundry is one of the most diverse appliance categories in terms of products, features, and sizes. If you’re looking to purchase a new washer and dryer, you’re probably wondering what you can gain from buying a ‘smart’ appliance over a ‘standard’ appliance.

Smart appliances incorporate modern technology to enhance our lives in a meaningful way. After all, what you want are clean clothes. In this post, I’ll talk about the industry’s most noteworthy innovations in laundry and how they could benefit you.

What is a smart washer dryer set?

I recognize the term “modern technology” is a bit elusive and constantly evolving. Ten years ago, “smart” meant more flashy bells and whistles. Today the focus is on home automation, artificial intelligence, voice control, and connectivity. I believe that some of these features are groundbreaking, while others are a bit far-fetched. It’s my goal to demystify the smart concept for you and hopefully help you make an educated purchase.

Remote diagnostics make troubleshooting a breeze

Whether you are a technical whiz or a smartphone newbie, you will benefit from remote diagnostics. The traditional service process is antiquated and cumbersome. Anything can break, and appliances are complex machines that incorporate a plethora of electronic and mechanical components.

Without remote diagnostics, appliance repair is a two-part process. First, you must schedule a service call, wait at home, trust your local appliance repair authority to correctly diagnose the issue, and order parts. Then you need to stay home again on a different day to have the repair technician return and hopefully fix the problem.

Your time is more important than that! This is one of my favorite smart innovations and it mutually benefits homeowners and repair technicians. Almost every smart washer and dryer has this capability.

Cycle status notifications so you know exactly when your stuff is ready

It seems that every product you buy has a corresponding app so it’s no surprise that every appliance manufacturer has one. With smart washers and dryers, you can monitor your cycle and receive an alert when the cycle is finished. Although you might get bombarded by push notifications about everything from your Instagram account to your headphones, you will likely appreciate the reminder that your laundry cycle is finished. Did you ever have to re-run your washer because you forgot to move your clothes from your washer to your dryer? Most of you carry your phones all the time. Whether you’re watching tv, cooking dinner, or walking your dog, you no longer need to set an alarm to move your clothes over.

Remote activation lets you run a load from anywhere

Some manufacturers allow you to operate your washer and dryer from your device. It took me a few minutes to realize why this capability is compelling. Remote activation is the new “delay start”. You can put your clothes in and set the washer to begin before your evening commute so they are newly clean and ready for the dryer when you get home.

Syncing to your virtual assistant to control your appliances hands-free

Do you talk to your appliances at home? I do and they don’t respond, but yours could! Many of you own a virtual assistant such as Amazon Alexa, or Google Home. Voice activation is a huge trend right now and it could make your life much easier. Stacked laundry is taller than ever. With bigger capacity comes taller appliances. I’m above average height and still find it difficult to see the dryer controls. Although you might need to use a step stool to program your dryer, I would rather talk to my dryer than reach well above my head to set the right cycle and press start.

Did you ever run out the laundry detergent the night before you leave for vacation? The concept of auto-replenishment is fantastic. Nobody remembers to saunter down the cleaning aisle at the grocery store and why carry that big bottle home when you can get it shipped to your door? Select auto-dispensing washing machines that can communicate with your in-home assistant to order more detergent when you are running low.

Cycle customization to customize your washer dryer set

We should take better care of our clothes. Clothes are expensive and we spend a lot of time shopping. With smart laundry, you can download cycles and tailor them to your specific needs.

If you bought a washer in the last ten years, it probably is “load-sensing” meaning that it adjusts the cycle duration based on the weight of your clothes. Some manufacturers are taking this a step further. For example, LG uses AI to assess the shape and fabric type and then adjusts the washer movement for optimal cleaning performance. New smart LG dryers can automatically select the dryer setting based on the previous washer cycle.

At the end of the day, I only care about clean clothes. How can smart laundry do it better?

Smart washers reduce human error in two ways: remote diagnostics and automatic dispensing. If your smart washer or dryer is malfunctioning, with remote diagnostics, your appliance will let you know exactly what the problem is saving you time and headaches. If you select a Samsung washer, it doesn’t necessarily have to be wifi enabled to get remote diagnostics.

Everyone with a high-efficiency laundry machine uses too much soap which can lead to residue on your clothes and maintenance issues for the machine, smart laundry takes human error out of the equation with automatic dispensing. Maytag, Whirlpool, LG, and Miele take the guesswork out of dispensing.