RV washer and dryer combo machines are usually found in larger rigs like Class A motorhomes.

This is because they take up a certain amount of space that smaller rigs just can’t provide.

But for many RV owners, giving up the space for a washer and dryer combo is well worth the trade-off.

Everybody has to do laundry at some point. And if you don’t have a built in washer and dryer installed in your RV, your choices are limited.

In fact, you will most likely have to wash your clothes at either a campground facility or a nearby laundromat. And there are drawbacks for both of these choices.

Either way, you will probably have to sit with your clothes while they are being washed and dried.

On the other hand, having a washer/dryer in your RV allows you to do other things while the laundry is being done.

Also, the machines in campgrounds and laundromats can be dirty at times and even greasy from the previous users.

And then there is the expense involved in using those machines that can also add up over time.

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Pros And Cons Of RV Washer/Dryers

The main benefit of an RV washer and dryer combo unit is their convenience of use. You lose no travel time to bring your clothes anywhere else to do laundry.

You also don’t lose the time babysitting your clothes while they are being done.

In fact, the combo units use the same drum to both wash and dry. And this means that you don’t even have to transfer clothes from washer to dryer. And these machines do a very good job and are known to be reliable.

The cons of RV washer/dryer combos is mainly related to their size. Because they are designed to take up as little space as possible, you can’t do large loads of laundry.

This may be an irritation at first if you are used to doing laundry in larger washers at home.

But as you learn to use the machine correctly, you simply adjust to the smaller load size. And you plan on doing laundry more often to make up for the smaller loads.

But you may notice that during the spin cycle, the vibration from the washer will shake the RV a little bit. Again, this is a minor issue for most but some find it disconcerting when compared to a home washer.

Also, you will have to get used to machine washing clothes in a different way. When we first got our Splendide washer, my wife thought it wasn’t working properly.

This is because the drum would just roll back and forth for a while. Then it would roll over a few times, then go back to the back and forth motion.

After a call to the manufacturer assured us that it was designed to work that way, we let it do its job. And sure enough, our laundry came out just fine.

How To Use A Washer/Dryer Combo

As mentioned above, you will need to adjust the size of your laundry loads and do them more often.

Although the combo unit can both wash and dry your clothes automatically, you may choose to air dry your laundry.

Some RVers put a portable drying rack in their shower or outside on their rear ladder for this purpose. This allows you to wash more loads while air drying them as they are done with the wash cycle.

Also, you will need to use a laundry detergent that is made for these washers. It will be labeled “HE” (High Efficiency) on the detergent bottle.

This keeps the amount of suds down in each laundry load while still doing a great job cleaning your clothes.

Tide makes a great detergent for these units, but most other laundry brands have their version as well.

If you use regular laundry detergent, it will produce too many suds and overflow. So be sure to use the HE version of your favorite laundry detergent.

You also can use a mild fabric softener like Downy but no dryer sheets can be used in these units.

And every now and then you will want to empty out the lint trap that is usually located at the bottom of the unit.

What Is The Best RV Washer And Dryer?

This is the Splendide washer/dryer in our bedroom:

For many RV owners, the best RV washer/dryer combo is made by Splendide. You can find them in many full-time RV rigs these days. However, Splendide makes both a ventless and a vented model.

But there is a big difference in customer satisfaction between those two models. By far, the preference of most RV owners is for the vented machine.

On Amazon the vented units have a 4.5 star rating and the ventless model only 3.5 stars. So my recommendation is definitely for the vented model. That’s the one that we have.

If your RV did not come with a washer/dryer combo installed, make sure that is has been plumbed for it first.

And be sure that your RV electrical service can handle the additional load one of these machines can place on it.

Then have it installed by a professional who is familiar with this kind of installation. Otherwise, you can have a mess on your hands that can be costly to fix.

Click here learn more about the Splendide RV washer and dryer combo

(This is an affiliate link for the product on Amazon. It does not cost you any extra to buy the product using my affiliate link if you choose to do so)

Conclusion

So are RV washer and dryers worth it? Well, it depends.

You don’t have to own a washer dryer combo unit to keep your clothes clean while RVing.

There are plenty of campgrounds and laundromats that can help you stay up with your laundry needs.

But if you have the room in your RV, I can heartily recommend the Splendide washer and dryer combo as it has been a real pleasure to use in our motorhome.

My wife basically plans on doing one load a day on average. By doing this she keeps up with the daily laundry for us both.

And since the machine washes and dries the clothes automatically, it doesn’t really take up much of her time to do laundry.

When larger items like bed covers need to be done, she plans ahead to use a commercial machine at a convenient laundromat. This system has worked well for us in our RV travels.

Of course, what works for us may not be best for you. Everyone who travels by RV has different needs and circumstances, so your mileage may vary.

But we are glad to have the convenience that a washer dryer combo unit brings to our RV life.

I hope that this discussion of washer/dryer combo units for RVs has been helpful.

Please let me know if you have any questions that I didn’t answer. You can include them in the comments below.

As always, have safe and happy travels my friends!