“The Miele Heat-Pump dryer is easy to install, but it struggles to dry clothes as it should.”
- Steams clothes
- Innovative drying method
- Straightforward menu
- Eco-friendly
- Doesn’t get clothes completely dry
- Mobile controls are a bit wonky
- Small loads
When looking to buy a washer and dryer for a small space, there are more options than you might think. The Miele Heat Pump Dryer is certainly one compact choice with an interesting, eco-friendly approach to steaming clothes. A dryer vent isn’t necessary to use this appliance, meaning that all you do is plug it in. That’s pretty convenient for those without the traditional washer/dryer hookups, but how does it perform? We took our clothes for a spin or two in it to find out.
Looking for this dryer’s companion washer? Check out our Miele WWH860 review.
Looking sharp
Positioned next to its sibling the white Miele WWH860 washing machine, the dryer looks like something you’d find in a high-end flat in Europe. Looks aside, this isn’t a particularly large dryer, so you can’t dry more than, say, a few items at once. The dryer measures 33.5 inches high, by 23.5 inches wide, and by 25.31 inches deep, and sits a bit shy of a standard countertop. The washer/dryer pair are ideal for a small space (tiny homes? small apartments?) and for people who don’t typically have large loads of laundry to do at a time.
We particularly appreciated the intuitiveness of the digitized control panel and program selector—no need to break out the manual to dry some clothes. There is a plethora of drying programs, including Normal, Wrinkle-free, Delicates, Smooth, Dress Shirts, Express, Denims, Outdoor, Sportwear, Soft Steam, Table Linens/Drapes, and Bed Linens. You can also adjust drying times in increments of 10 minutes and select additional settings for Gentle, Freshen up, Anti-crease, and Buzzer. The digital display pad shows the current cycle details, illuminating relevant icons, and estimated time the load will take to complete.
As is the case with so many appliances, there is a mobile app available for Android and iOS phones. Luckily, you do not need to use the app to start the dryer. Connecting to our Wi-Fi network was a breeze, but ultimately we preferred to use the manual controls.
Environmentally friendly
Miele has an eye on being eco-friendly, which is particularly evident in this dryer. The dryer uses heat-pump technology, meaning it reuses the heat it generates. Another feature Miele dryers have is a condensation efficiency rating of A, so less moisture escapes into the air, ultimately reducing the humidity in the room where the dryer is located.
Stylish, compact, and innovative, Miele presents an interesting solution for drying clothes.
The real showstopper is how the dryer collects water from the clothes. It siphons moisture from clothing into a compartment and then uses it for steaming clothes. On the front, top left corner of the machine there’s a handle that resembles something you would use to add detergent. Instead, this is where you find the clear condensed water container. That’s right, you can literally see how much water is extracted from your wet clothes. It’s a nifty, innovative feature that we’ve never seen on a dryer before. When you’re done with a load, you can remove the container and empty it in the sink. Don’t worry, it’s not heavy or unwieldly.
The petite Miele dryer doesn’t dry a lot of items at once (think maybe three towels), but it does steam your clothes. Simply leave the water in the container and set the items to Soft Steam to produce clothes with less wrinkles. In our tests, we found that you’ll still need to iron dress shirts, so it doesn’t work perfectly. That said, the results are far better than simply pulling a dress shirt out of a completed drying cycle. If you want to use the Soft Steam feature, but don’t have any collected water, the manufacturer recommends filling the container with condensed water (ironing water).
Selective drying
As noted, the Miele dryer is easy to operate. Simply select the program you want to run, and then use the touch up/down arrows on the display to make any selection final. The machine even takes care of the fabric softener via its FragranceDos feature, which automatically scents and fluffs your laundry. Choose from three scents: Aqua, Cocoon, and Nature. Insert the flacon on the machine close to the lint screen, each one should last for up to 50 cycles.
We used the Miele TWI180 to dry a variety of loads over a month, and the results were definitely hit and miss. Typically, one item would come out completely dry, but other items would have spots of moisture on them. It usually took another 20 minutes to dry the remaining items. One person in our office who tried to dry a sweater in the machine had to run the cycle twice before she had a completely dry piece of clothing.
While we admire the innovation put into this dryer, spotty performance with drying as well as a steep price tag ($1,500-$2,000, depending on where you buy it) prevents us from giving this machine a recommended award.
Warranty information
This Miele TWI180 dryer comes with a limited one-year warranty however, some retailers will provide a longer warranty.
Our Take
The Miele dryer is easy to use, we just wish it did a better job of drying items in a single cycle. The Soft Steam feature really is quite innovative and also means you don’t need an additional water hookup for steaming. But the point of having a dryer is to dry clothes, and this one could do a better job.
Is there a better alternative?
There are a variety of 24-inch dryers available, including models from Whirlpool and Blomberg that offer similar features and cost at least a third less.
How long will it last?
According to the experts, a dryer should last between 10 to 13 years. Miele has been around for quite a while, so you can expect robust support.
Should you buy it?
If you’re already planning on purchasing the Miele WWH860 compact washer and live in a small space without a dryer vent, this could work as an option for you. But if you have an installed dryer vent and don’t need premium technology, you can find a machine that does a better job of drying clothes for cheaper.
