With just the two of us in our family, we don’t do a lot of laundry, so it seemed pointless to spend money on any of the newer washer and dryer models out there. We don’t have a large family, so having large clothes-washing equipment that would unnecessarily be taking up space seemed silly. We looked into what our options at that point were, and we found out that washers and dryers were available that did not require a washer/dryer hookup. Both of us being reviewers, we looked into each washer/dryer that did not require such a hookup, and we mainly found tons of reviews of people bashing the products. I was about ready to give up altogether on ever finding the right washer/dryer for us, but he was diligent in his research, and so we found the LG WM3431 Washer/Dryer and almost immediately purchased it. Not only did we purchase it, but we love it too!

The machine fits nicely into almost any small space and does not take up nearly the amount of room that almost any other washer/dryer setup on the market would. Additionally, the Washer/Dryer plugs right into any three-prong outlet and the hose from which water is dispensed may be dumped into any drain (including the kitchen and/or bathroom sink!). The amount of water that is pushed through the drains is not too much for even the smallest sink or drain to hold, and so it will not overflow one’s home with water! The drying function on the machine does not require any sort of vent or outdoor outlet. It also nicely helps to heat one’s home without making it overwhelmingly hot or pumping dryer dust or air all over the house.

The Washer/Dryer comes in either white or titanium, and both have stainless steel door frames that surround the glass window at the front of the machine. The machine is a compact unit that measures twenty-four inches wide, thirty-three-and-a-half inches tall and twenty-five inches deep. The Washer/Dryer features a main settings dial, an assortment of pushable buttons, and a digital screen that is featured on the control panel. On this panel is a timer which allows one to load their laundry as well as detergent before they leave their home and to have the machine start running and complete its cycle just in time for when they arrive home again. This wonderful timer can be set for up to nineteen hours later! Additionally, because this machine is a two-in-one, one need not worry that their clothes will be sitting there wet; growing mildew, as they will immediately begin drying after the wash cycle is completed! This is really one of the most incredible products that I have ever owned!
In order to keep with our current décor and the décor we hope to have in any of our future homes, my husband and I went with the titanium version of the machine, and it very much compliments our home.

As far as effectiveness goes, clothes definitely get clean in this machine! The wash cycle agitates incredibly, so there can be no doubt whatsoever that clothes are being cleaned successfully. Additionally, clothes seem to dry faster as well. There is also a sanitary cycle that helps to clean clothes with incredibly hot water. I use this cycle to keep my white clothes incredibly white, to keep my dog and cat toys super-clean, and to wash anything that may have been badly soiled by the animals such as their pet beds.

However, I am careful when putting large items or potentially heavy items into the machine (such as pet beds) as the machine does seem to have problems with balancing itself. Carefully loading laundry into the machine perfectly is necessary, be careful to be sure that the load is balanced throughout! When the machine is unbalanced, it will continuously reset and try to balance the load, which is inconvenient. Normally the machine does a good job of re-balancing itself, and I have only ever had to re-balance it by re-arranging the contents myself a few times. There are some vibrations that come from the machine, and while I know that some have complained that these are fairly violent, I have had no such problems. Our Washer/Dryer sits directly on the floor, completely flat, and we have only had it vibrate uncontrollably when there were loads being washed that were not balanced. In addition, the machine does not emit much in the way of noise. Perhaps we just got lucky, as again, I have read that others have had problems with the machine being loud, but the one that we purchased is rather silent. Of course, any washer/dryer will make noise as it is going through its cycles, but this one makes no more noise than any other one that I have used and/or encountered.

Overall, I adore this machine. My clothes always come out of it perfectly washed and dried, more often than not, warm to the touch. I’ve had other washer and dryers in the past, and for a small family of two, it makes perfect sense to own the LG WM3431 as we don’t do nearly as much in the way of laundry as a larger family would. This new Washer/Dryer was a great solution to our problem, and can be taken with us to wherever we move to next. I most certainly recommend this machine to any small family that is simply looking for a quick, effective, space-saving way to do laundry.

The developer, blaming this on me for overloading the machine, told me to call GE and reschedule, which I did for Sept 2nd. The same tech came out, by himself, and told me he needed two men for the job (which I had told GE when I made the appointment). He verbally told me he would come by on Wed Sept 10th at 7:30 am to fix it but I did not get a conf #

That Monday I got a call from GE confirming my appointment for Tue Sept 9th from 8 – 12 (which was a day early but I accepted). At 10:30 am on Tue I called GE and was told that they would be at least 1.5 hours late (1:30 pm). At this point I had to cancel and get to work. I had expected this appointment to start at 7:30 am. I called and canceled at 10:30 but for whatever reason their tech still showed up at 1:30 (a point that GE used to make it seem like my fault). My appointment was rescheduled for that Saturday Sept 13th but again I had no confirmation # and GE said they had no record. So I rescheduled AGAIN for today Tue Sept 16th 1-5 and asked that they call 1 hr in advance so I can leave work and meet the tech. The rep said this was okay and put it in the notes. I called to confirm at 3 pm and was told that the tech arrived and left already because I was not home. He did not call me. I was at work waiting for the call and could have left at anytime.

I have no idea of this washing machine works or not but I would not recommend any GE products based on the service I have recieved. Good luck for those of you that took the plunge.

This broke after one use. T-shirt supposedly got sucked into the exhaust and wrapped around the barrell of the machine. I have not seen the t-shirt (it’s inside the machine) so I can’t confirm but I have done plenty of loads of laundry in my life and it was not overloaded.

The only available location for the unit on the main level is in my office (I work from home). We looked at stackers for space savings, and when I saw this one, I really was interested. We bought some things that look like hockey pucks (I think they are called “good vibrations”) to help with vibrations. So we had them from the git go.

Here is some good stuff about this machine: Electric – Standard wall outlet – no need for 220V. Important for us since we were relocating machine. Clean – clothes are noticably cleaner with this baby. Options – many cycles – more than we need. Drying – always come out dry – we use smaller or medium loads. Lint – very little, quick wipe with damp cloth and done.

I own the washer and dryer that constitute the Thin Twin as seperate pieces. They no longer build this washer except as a part of the Thin Twin, but they do build the dryer as a seperate part, which I’ve already reviewed, but I’ll go over the relevant parts of here.

This laundry pair is just 24″ wide. That’s 3″ narrower than standard washers usually are, there aren’t many people who must have 24″ machines, but if you could fit 27″ ones, you wouldn’t even be reading this.

The washer part of this combo is based on a fairly basic direct-drive Whirlpool washer. That’s a good thing. It debuted over 25 years ago, and they have the bugs worked out. It’s durable, reliable, and very overbuilt for this size washer. The tub has a 1.5 cubic foot capacity, which is quite small. It’s a little less than half as big as a regular Whirlpool washer (typically 3.2). The agitator is smaller than a regular one, but it still necessarily cuts into the capacity of the smallish tub. In spite of these size differences, this machine uses the same transmission, two-speed motor, pump, and so on as much larger machines. The DD Whirlpool chassis is a real marvel of cost-cutting and ease of service that does not have detrimental effects to the user. It has two weaknesses designed in that are smart and clever, but which could make some users mad until you think about it. The coupler is $15 and is designed to break in case the transmission locks up, but will wear out in normal use after about twenty years. The “agitator dogs,” a set of small ratchet devices in the agitator will wear out in a similar length of time and are even cheaper and easier to replace. Without them, the washer will run, but the agitator top will not turn.

If you’ve used a Whirlpool or Kenmore (or a slew of other brands), you’ll recognize the sounds. The washer does a good job for what it is. It’s a small version of the very familiar. If you’re buying it for yourself, it’s something you already probably know about. If you’re buying it for apartment units, your tenants will certainly be accepting of this familiar type machine. If you like, it’s possible to add a dispenser for liquid fabric softener in place of the agitator cap. The controls for both units are at the bottom of the dryer part, which is actually better than regular appliances or the seperate pieces that I own.

The washer has 4 cycles- Prewash, Regular, Permanent Press, and Delicate. The regular and prewash cycles start with fast agitation and switch to slow, and the others are slow only. The Regular cycle does a fast spin, all others are slow. It’s a DD Whirlpool, so it isn’t especially gentle on the clothes, but it does get them clean. Someone used to the bigger ones will have to adjust their detergent use like I did. Use a lot less detergent (about half) than you would ordinarily or you’ll have detergent residue on your clothes. I wish that it had an automatic second rinse, but I’ve gotten used to setting the dial for a second one when I need it. The cycles are quick and you can choose as soil setting to change the length if needed. The only drawback to top loaders in general (and it applies to this one) is that they don’t spin as fast as front loaders, so the clothes are little wetter when you get them out than a front load or laundromat machine. No real biggie. There are 3 water levels and 4 temperature combinations, which is typical and plenty to cover most fabrics. It isn’t as quiet as some machines, but the noises it makes are not terribly loud or disruptive even at their worst. You can hear it through a wall, but it isn’t a big deal.

On to the dryer. At about 3 cubic feet, it’s the proper size for the washer. For most loads, the automatic setting will be the right one, and it’ll take about an hour to dry a regular load. Adding towels or jeans or towels to the mix will make it take longer. This is a small pair, so you’re likely to be doing more than one load consecutively. The dryer does take a little longer to dry a load than the washer takes to wash one load, but removing just a few items for drip dry can make it a close match. The automatic setting with the moisture sensor always does a perfect job. As mentioned in another review, the lint filter is at the back of the drum, which isn’t terribly convenient. It also has to be taken apart to be cleared of lint. A rigid filter just inside the door like many dryers have would be better. When just the dryer is running, it’s very quiet and shouldn’t be a problem to sleep right next to. The end-of-cycle signal is a loud and obnoxious buzzer that should be turned off and left that way.

I must talk about price. At typically over $1,000 new, the Thin Twin is a bad deal. $1,000 would buy a huge and decked-out pair of top loaders from any brand you choose, and would come close to a basic pair of front-loaders. That is much too high. I’ve seen them on sale for as low as $775 recently, which is still a little high, but more reasonable. That price isn’t common, and is probably just because the little mom-n-pop appliance store where I buy parts has had it too long. I know it’s produced in smaller numbers than most machines, but Whirlpool has been making this with no meaningful changes for a long time. I feel like the price they charge is too high, and is meant to take advantage of the small and captive market for laundry machines this size. I’ve seen them used for $200 or so on Craigslist, which is an incredible bargain if it’s not too old or roughly used.

The best summary I can give is that the Thin Twin is a good 24″ wash pair, if that’s what you must have. It does a good job of washing and drying clothes, it’s easy to use and repair, and fits in the (rare) allotted space for a 24″ washer set. Obviously, you should buy something else if you have room for anything else. That said, aside from price and size, there’s nothing to too bad about this washer pair. It’s as small as the space requires, but does a fine job with little trouble for years. It’s small, but it’s a basic direct drive Whirlpool and basic dryer. That’s served many American families well for years. You’ll be doing a lot of loads, but it should last for a long time.

I use it about once or twice a week and do two to three loads each use. I had put castors but found that I didn’t like that it wasn’t sturdy enough during the spin cycles so I switched to those moving furniture/sliding pads under each corner and while it requires a little more effort to move, the machine is a lot sturdier when its not resting on wheels. I bought a lawn hose divider and a male/female converter I bought from lowes/home depot and hook the machine up to my bathroom sink since both cold and hot come from one faucet. The divider really only “tricks” the machine since the machine has a hot and cold water inlet. Therefore, if you want hot water, just turn on hot; cold, just turn on cold; warm, both. If you’re lucky enough to have two faucets, you won’t need the divider but may possibly need the male/female connectors. There are sites that will sell the “portability kits” with castors and the connectors for about $50-$70.00. I did not purchase those and figured I could get a better deal getting them individuallly at a place like Lowes or Home Depot. The castors and converters, I paid about $25.00 but it took a while because most people are not familiar with portability kits for washer/dryers. You may find that if you ask someone specifically for the connectors to hook a portable dishwasher, you’ll get looks of recognition and it’s the same thing. You will need two parts–I believe one is called the Snap nipple 27 dual thread dishwasher fitting and the other is the female part. They also come as a Snap coupling x 3/4″ male hose thread with built-in snap nipple 27-thread female set. When snapped together, it may leak a little into the sink, which is a tad annoying but that may be my fault or the sink’s fault or the coupling parts.

When I am not using it, I put it away in a nook in the bathroom. It’s bulky and while the measurements are accurate, the front loading door sticks out about half an inch beyond the manufacturer meaurements and there are side handles that also stick out about 3/4 of an inch and appear to be removable but I haven’t figured out how so plan for a little extra space. The output water hose, I just stick it in the sink and put a lint trap over the drain because lots of lint comes out. The first couple times I drained it into the tub without a lint trap, I noticed I had to clean out the drain with (aha!) lint so preventative is better than clogging the tub.

I’ve found that HE detergent (while slightly more expensive) is the best type of detergent to use and my clothes come out clean and fresh. I had used regular powder detergent and found that the water didn’t get soapy enough to get the clothes clean. It only takes a little detergent. I fill the drum about 3/4 of the way for the wash and find that this way there’s enough air space for the dryer to dry sufficiently. If the machine is too full during the dryer phase, it won’t dry sufficiently. If you have the option of air-drying after the wash cycle, filling the entire drum is not a problem at all. With my loads, I try not to stick in more than 2-3 thick items such as jeans and towels when I plan on using the dry cycle. I find I have found the most success drying when I wash “regular” thickness items like underwear, and socks and one towel and/or one pair of jeans.

The instructions booklet is HORRIBLE and vague. When I purchased the machine, I read a lot of negative reviews and was worried it would poop out on me and not wash/dry suficiently. As for the wash part, keep the desired temperature of your wash portion on the entire time of your wash. The machine will suck in water when it needs it. I use the shortest cycle with one wash cycle and the clothes come out clean. The spin cycle is mostly fine and has a 600-1000 rpm option. HOWEVER, depending on the length of your cycle and the rpm you’ve chosen, the last 5-10 minutes can be REALLY LOUD. I’ve found the 600 does not spin the water out sufficiently enough but 800 rpm is only really loud for about 2-3 minutes. I always set the drying function from the washing function separately instead of setting it all at the beginning. There’s no real reason for doing this–sometimes I want to remove something between cycles and want an opportunity to do so.

If you are going to use it as a portable machine instead of a more permanent hook-up, YOU NEED TO KEEP THE COLD WATER RUNNING DURING THE DRY CYCLE!!!!! The first time I used the machine, I failed to do this and it would not dry. There are about two other reviews online that mention this and I decided to give it a try. However, ever since then, while the dry cycle is long (it’s advertised this way), my clothes (even towels and jeans) come out dry and hot when the cold water is left on during the dry cycle.

The machine does not use very much water but you can change the water setting depending on how dirty the clothes are. I am not certain if it uses a lot of electricity as my electricity is included in my condo fees. It’s 115 so I imagine it does not.

I have noticed that if you are doing more than 2 loads of washing AND drying, by the third dry cycle, the machine shuts off about half way during the third dry cycle because I think it detects near overheat. This may be something wrong with the machine or a safety feature–I am not sure but the machine does get very hot after that many cycles. That’s basically 6-7 hours of continuous operation so be careful.

It’s a great machine for 1-2 people. You can’t expect too much from it like washing 3 pairs of jeans and 2 towels. You have to pick and choose the types of things you wash with each load. It can wash/dry everything but you have to balance out thickness.

Overall, I got a good deal on it at an appliance site online. I paid approx. $600, shipping and tax inclusive. It has made my life more convenient and while it takes time and has quirks, this is a LOT better than quarters and laundromat.