9 Best Clothes Dryers of 2023, According to 120+ Hours of Research

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If you don’t have the time or space to let your clothes air-dry, a dryer can sap the moisture from your clothes in about an hour. As convenient as they are, not all clothes dryers are built the same. Some remove moisture better than others, they vary in the number of cycles they can dry, and some even get too hot, which can damage fabrics. The best dryers have stainless steel drums, sensors to prevent overdrying and conserve energy, and a delay cycle, so your loads are finished when you want them to be.

Best Clothes Dryers of 2022

If price isn't an issue, premium features like steam generators to lessen wrinkles, downloadable custom cycles, and Wi-Fi connectivity are useful optional additions worth considering. Here are the most important factors you should consider when it’s time to buy a new clothes dryer.

What to Consider

Size

It may seem like a given, but the most important thing to consider when buying a new dryer is its size. Typically, a full-sized dryer is 27 inches wide, but you’ll want to make sure you measure the location where the new dryer will go so you know it’ll fit. You should also be mindful of the space required for the dryer door to swing open and which way the dryer door opens since some of them aren’t reversible.

Of course, you’ll also want to ensure the doorways in your home are wide enough for the clothes dryer to fit through during delivery. If you’re putting the dryer next to your washing machine, you should also leave a 1-inch gap between the two appliances. Our product reviews below list the dimensions of our recommended dryer picks as width by height by depth.

Gas or Electric

Next, you’ll need to decide whether the dryer runs on gas or electricity. Gas clothes dryers require a gas line hookup and a 120-volt outlet, while electric dryers need a 240-volt connection. If you have the choice between the two, our colleagues at Popular Mechanics recommend gas dryers over their electricity-powered counterparts since they are less expensive to run and dryer faster.

Capacity

You’ve probably realized that a clothes dryer’s drum capacity is larger than the capacity of its matching washing machine. Full-size clothes dryers’ capacities range from about 7.3 to 8.3 cubic feet. Compact models offer between 3 and 4 cubic feet of room. The largest models have 9 cubic feet drums.

We recommend opting for a 1:2 ratio in order to determine the best clothes dryer size for your space. For example, if your washer has a 3.5 cubic feet capacity, opt for a dryer with a 7 cubic feet capacity. For large families, or for those who want to dry a full set of bedding in just one load, you should consider buying a mega-capacity offering so you can dry more clothes in fewer loads.

Venting

Most clothes dryers require proper venting so that moisture and heat can be safely removed from your home. For those who don’t have the proper venting, make sure you shop for a ventless dryer — which are dryers that collect excess water in a chamber that you empty after the cycles are finished.

If your home has the necessary ductwork for venting, you should definitely opt for a vented dryer, as ventless models take significantly longer to dry a load of clothes (typically over 2 hours.) Also, make sure you have 6 inches of clearance between your clothes dryer and the wall to allow space for the hookups and venting.

How We Chose

We’ve tumbled through the specs and features of more than 50 different clothes dryers and have done hundreds of hours' worth of research to help you discover which one is best for your needs, budget, and setup. Not only that, our colleagues at Good Housekeeping have tested a number of dryers in-house over the years. They take into account dryers’ performance, capacity, total footprint, and ease of use.

Besides that, We also looked at repair and reliability data from Yale Appliance and Consumer Reports, in addition to J.D. Power's annual Laundry Appliance Satisfaction Study and the ACSI Household Appliance and Electronics Report when making our top picks.

If you’re looking for a top-rated dryer that’ll get the job done and leave you with clean towels, soft sheets, and fresh clothes that you'll want to bury your face in, these are the best clothes dryers money can buy.

Best Overall

If you're overhauling your laundry room, the LG True Steam is the best clothes dryer you can buy. The LG packs 12 dry cycles and five drying temperatures to select from. If you hate ironing as much as I do, you’ll be pleased to learn that it has a built-in steamer and a useful Wrinkle Care feature that’ll tumble your clothes without heat until you remove them from the dryer. And since the dryer is outfitted with sensors that measure moisture levels, you can ensure that your clothes are dry every time. The sensor also measures temperature levels, so your clothes won't get overdried, either.

The dryer runs quietly, it’s durable, and is equipped with a scratch-resistant tempered glass door. We also appreciate its smart features. It syncs with your Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant speaker so you can check the status of the job and turn the dryer off and on remotely. It’ll even remind you when it’s time to clean the ducts and lint filter.

The dryer comes in white or black steel finishes, and it offers a spacious 7.4-cubic-foot capacity. That's enough room for 18 towels, a king-sized comforter, or about three baskets of laundry.

Based on our extensive evaluation, we determined that LG is one of the most reliable appliance brands money can buy. LG has consecutively held the number-one spot in both product and service quality in the American Customer Satisfaction Index rankings and it has more J.D. Power Customer Satisfaction Awards for appliances than any other manufacturer for 3 years running,

Best Budget Clothes Dryer

This dryer from GE is an excellent pick for those on a budget if you’re willing to put up with an outdated design and forfeit steam functionality. It’s easy to use, features a large 7.2-cubic-foot capacity, and performs well, which is what really matters. It’s equipped with a moisture sensor, offers users four heat selections, and has a reversible door.

With this dryer, you get six cycles, ranging from normal, delicates, cottons, an 80-minute timed dry, and an air-fluff cycle. While it lacks a steam-cycle feature, it has a wrinkle care option that uses 15 minutes of extra no-heat tumbling after your cycle ends to eliminate wrinkles. Our only complaint about this dryer is that it's backed by just a 1-year warranty — most brands cover parts like the dryer and drum for a few extra years, but not GE.

We were happy to see that it has an interior drum light, so socks don't get lost in the abyss. Overall, we think this clothes dryer should meet the needs of most users who'll appreciate its attractive price and its effectiveness at drying clothes.

For the Largest Capacity

For those with deep pockets who want an equally deep dryer, the LG TurboSteam dryer has it all — and then some. With its 9-cubic-foot capacity, it's one of the largest clothes dryers you can buy. If you're the type of person who just wants to dump a damp, heaping basket of clothes in it and press a button (no judgment here), you'll love it — that is, if you can fit it in your laundry room.

A small laundry closet just won't cut it for this mammoth machine. A dryer this large requires more than 23 cubic feet to install and to open its door fully, you'll need 56 inches of space. Its large capacity will definitely come in handy, though, so you can spend less time swapping loads and more time tending to other things. If space is tight, you’ll be happy to know that it's stackable with its matching washer.

The clothes dryer sports an attractive black stainless steel exterior with a gorgeous glass portal that'll go perfectly in any laundry room. Plus, it has a fingerprint-proof finish, which keeps it looking sleek and smudge-free at all times. Not only does the dryer look great, but it performs well, too. Its TurboSteam technology penetrates fabrics to remove odors and eliminate wrinkles in just 10 minutes flat. It also integrates fantastically with your smartphone. You can download a free app to monitor your laundry remotely and stop or check the status of the running cycle.

If you have a big family and need a big dryer or just hate doing laundry, this LG dryer is packed with all the bells and whistles you need to make your laundry less of a chore. It's packed with over a dozen cycles, a child lock, and a bright drum light. Plus, it's backed by a 1-year parts-and-labor warranty, and its DirectDrive motor is covered for an additional 9 years.

Best Design

The GE GFD85ESPNRS front-load dryer comes in a stunning sapphire blue finish that’ll make it the focal point of any laundry room — but we know looks aren’t everything. Our colleagues at Good Housekeeping said that this dryer demonstrated stellar drying power for clothing and towels and that it dried small loads in just 23 minutes. So not only does it look great, it performs fantastically, as well.

Key features include an oversized stainless steel drum, a Powersteam cycle that helps resist wrinkles, and Wi-Fi connectivity for monitoring your laundry from afar or starting and stopping cycles remotely. If you purchase the matching washing machine, the washer wirelessly sends ideal dry settings to your dryer, so all you have to do is hit the start button after you transfer your clothes to the dryer.

For the Fastest Cycles

For those times when you accidentally spill a glass of water on your pants before you go out, this dryer will have your back. It features a quick cycle that'll get your clothes dry in just 15 minutes. You'll also appreciate the dryer's stainless steel exterior, which comes in either white or black. Its controls are straightforward and aren't cluttered and confusing, and it only has 10 cycles — compared to other models that can have from 12 to 20 cycles.

If you have lots of delicates, you don't have to worry about this dryer damaging them, either. It boasts Instant Refresh, Perfect Steam, and Wrinkle Release cycles for keeping your clothes like new. Its allergen cycle even gets hot enough to kill dust mites. Plus, its large 8-cubic-foot drum ensures you can tackle large loads. When it’s time to take your clothes out, you won't leave anything behind because its drum is illuminated.

This dryer does an exceptionally good job at removing moisture from clothes and comes with a 10-year warranty on its drive motor, a lifetime warranty on the tub, and 1 year of parts-and-labor coverage. For those looking for an attractive dryer that's quick and easy to use, you can't go wrong.

Most Innovative Dryer

This clothes dryer has a combined capacity of 7.5 cubic feet, and it's a great choice for folks with several delicates to dry because it’s equipped with dual dryers. There's a top, standstill dryer where you lay undergarments, sweaters, and other delicates that shouldn’t be tumbled to dry, in addition to a large drum for everything else. You can use the dryers separately or together.

The appliance is absolutely stunning and comes in a sharp black stainless-steel finish. Its large touch display is inviting and easy to use, and you'll appreciate that the Samsung has a built-in dome light so you won't leave any clothes behind.

It's packed with several sensors, including a vent sensor that detects duct blockages, so it can remind you when it's time to clean your dryer's vent. Like others, it also has a sensor that optimizes the time and temperature to dry clothes completely and prevent heat damage. It features a built-in steamer to minimize wrinkling, odors, germs, and static. We like that you don't have to constantly refill a water reservoir after each load, too. It's packed with 12 drying cycles and five temperature settings, and, despite its large size, the dryer is surprisingly energy efficient.

Samsung clothes dryers rank second in customer satisfaction, according to J.D. Power's laundry appliance satisfaction study, and Samsung was named a most reliable brand by Yale Appliances, as well, so you know this one will last.

Best Top-Load Dryer

Most clothes dryers just have a front-loading reversible door that swings open up to the left or the right — requiring you to squat or bend to load clothes. With this LG model, you can open its door two ways and load it from its top while standing, making it a great choice to complement your existing top-load washer. If you’re transferring wet clothes from the washer, just press a button and pull the dryer’s door down like an oven so you can keep clothes from hitting the floor. The door locks in place at a 40-degree angle and serves as a chute for your freshly washed clothes.

Or, if you're removing the dry clothes, you can swing the door to the side to make room for your laundry basket underneath. We also appreciate that the door has a large viewing window, so you can see it working its magic without interrupting the cycle.

The dryer offers a quiet operation, eight cycles, and five temperature settings. Its 7.3-cubic-foot capacity is plenty large enough for your bedding or a heaping hamper full of clothes. You have the choice of white or black stainless steel. The dryer is backed by LG's 1-year parts-and-labor warranty, and its motor is covered for an additional 9 years on top of that.

Best Portable Dryer

If you're renting your place and your landlord won't pay to have a washer and dryer installed (or you don't have enough room for a full-sized one or even the right hookups), this dryer will serve as a great temporary solution. It's a small but powerful pick that's perfect for those who want to avoid the laundromat at all costs.

The BLACK+DECKER checks all the boxes for what a portable dryer should be. It’s reasonably priced but doesn’t feel cheap. It looks great and has a nice see-through window, so you can check up on your clothes without interrupting the cycle. Most importantly, it features a humidity sensor, which will save you time and money since it’ll stop drying as soon as your clothes are dry — that way, you can start another load ASAP.

This clothes dryer features a 3.5-cubic-foot capacity, which is enough space for 13 pounds of clothes which roughly translates to three pairs of pants, three shirts, a few socks, and a couple of pairs of underwear. It plugs into a standard-size, 120-volt outlet and has five cycles and three air temperatures.

Measuring at about 28 inches tall, it can be stacked on top of a portable washing machine, but unfortunately cannot be wall-mounted. It comes with a vent hose and exhaust connector to allow for proper venting. The dryer is affordable and energy-efficient, and it doesn't require any special electrical or water hookups — you can fit it practically anywhere, even on a countertop!

Best Ventless Heat-Pump Dryer

Whether electricity is expensive in your area, you don’t have gas hookups, you live in a condominium that doesn’t allow vented dryers, or you’re just unable to vent your dryer — a ventless dryer is the solution you’re looking for. Whirlpool makes the best one!

If you’ve already begun shopping for a ventless dryer, you probably quickly realized how tiny they are. Most have 4-cubic foot capacities. In case you were unaware, a load of laundry shouldn’t exceed half of a dryer drum’s capacity because it could damage its suspension. So, most ventless dryers can only dry about half the amount of clothes as what you’re likely used to (assuming you have a 4.5 cubic-foot washer).

The Whirlpool washer packs a 7.4 cubic foot capacity — so it’s nearly twice as large as competing ventless dryers. It uses a heat pump to dry your clothes (my colleagues at Popular Mechanics did a fantastic job breaking down how they work) so it’s incredibly energy-efficient and will save you around $100 each year on your utility bills.

It’s worth mentioning again that ventless clothes dryers take much longer to dry your clothes than an electric or gas dryer would. This one takes about 1.5 hours to dry a medium-sized load. Regardless, it has intuitive controls, features a useful Wrinkle Shield option that’ll tumble your clothes after the cycle is finished before creases set in, and it’ll save you money on your energy bills.

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