How to pick the right washer and dryer for your Airbnb

Top loader or front loader?

It comes down to personal preference, but each type has clear strengths:

• Front loaders clean more thoroughly and are gentler on fabric. They use the least water, about 10 gallons a load, and spin out more water, so drying goes faster. Their normal cycles tend to be longer.
• Top loaders with an agitator (the tall post in the middle) have shorter cycles, but use about 20 gallons a load and are rougher on fabric. In my experience, sheets also bundle up around the post.
• High-efficiency top loaders (a low disc at the bottom instead of a post) clean well, but their low water and fast spinning tend to tangle laundry. That’s a problem with sheets.

Why rebalancing slows you down

Most modern washers sense when a load is off balance before or during the spin. That usually happens because a fitted sheet or duvet cover has balled up with everything else inside it. The washer then stops, refills or tumbles to spread the load out, and tries again. Each attempt adds time, and the countdown on the display keeps jumping. If it can’t fix the balance, it may spin slowly and leave the laundry soaking wet, so the dryer takes longer too.

On a relaxed laundry day, that’s a minor annoyance. On a 3-hour turnover, it can cost you the check-in.

Every washer has an off-balance safety switch, so none will spin a badly lopsided load at full speed. What you want to avoid is the automatic rebalancing routine that stops, refills and retries. Look for a washer built to finish the cycle on its own, like the two below. The loading habits in my laundry guide keep loads even on any machine.

Features worth having

• Large capacity, so a king set fits in one load.
• Short, hot cycles. Most modern washers have them, but check.
• A way to add items mid-cycle, for the forgotten pillowcase. Some top loaders, like the Speed Queen TC5, don’t lock the lid at all.
• Simple controls your cleaner, and your guests, understand at a glance.

Gas or electric dryer?

Both are fine. Gas dryers usually cost less to run. One estimate puts an electric dryer at about $100 a year, twice the cost of gas.

The bigger factor is your hookup. An electric dryer needs a 240-volt outlet. A gas dryer needs a gas line plus a regular outlet, and adding a gas line can cost $400 to $1,000. Buy the kind you already have a hookup for. If you have both, pick gas.

Skip all-in-one washer-dryer combos

An all-in-one combo washes and dries in the same drum. It saves space, but Consumer Reports calls its drying times “exceedingly long,” and it handles smaller loads. For turnovers, a separate washer and dryer is much faster.

The washers I recommend

Most washers, including Maytag, Amana and Whirlpool, refill and rotate to fix an off-balance load before they spin. Speed Queen says its washers run every cycle to completion, even badly off-balance loads, so these are the two I’d buy.

Speed Queen FF7 (front loader)

This is my top pick for a rental. It’s a front loader, so there’s no agitator for sheets to wrap around, and it tumbles bedding instead.

• Good Housekeeping timed a typical load at just 39 minutes, which is fast for a front loader.
• It has Bedding and Speed cycles, a 3.5 cubic foot drum and a 1,200 RPM spin, so sheets go into the dryer less wet.
• It uses less water than a top loader and comes with a 5-year parts and labor warranty.
• It costs about $2,200 to $2,550 depending on the store.

Speed Queen TC5 (lower-cost top loader)

If the FF7 is more than you want to spend, the TC5 is the one I’d pick. It does have an agitator, so load sheets loosely around it.

• Basic cycles run about 30 to 40 minutes, and it has a Bulky/Sheets cycle.
• The lid never locks, so you can add a forgotten pillowcase at any point.
• It has the same 5-year parts and labor warranty and costs about $1,500.

Prices were checked in October 2026 and change often.

The matching dryers

Dryers don’t rebalance, but a matching set looks neat side by side and has the same warranty.

• The Speed Queen DF7 pairs with the FF7. It’s a 7.0 cubic foot dryer in gas or electric, for about $2,200 to $2,550.
• The Speed Queen DC5 pairs with the TC5, in gas or electric, for about $1,600 to $1,750.

Leave the laundry room guest-ready

If you can, let guests use the washer and dryer. It’s a commonly requested feature. Make sure your cleaners know that guests use it, and that they leave the laundry room, the washer and the dryer clean after every turnover: empty the lint trap, wipe the detergent drawer, and leave the washer lid open so it can dry.