Washers & Dryers

Once you've decided on buying a set or separately, think about how you want to arrange the washer and dryer in your home. Side-by-side washers and dryers work well if you have a decent amount of space and like having storage above your washer and dryer. Stacked units, on the other hand, save space on the floor and can reduce the amount of bending over you have to do to complete a load. Keep in mind, however, that having the dryer on top can make it hard to read and reach the control panel on some models.

In the pursuit of saving space, there are also compact washer and dryer models and washer-dryer combos. Compact models are made to fit in cramped spaces, but make sure the capacity is up to your needs. Washer-dryer combos do everything in one unit -- both washing and drying -- which can lead to some serious space savings. But watch out: load times can be longer with combos, and capacities are generally smaller.