Korean Job Discussion Forums

[kimiki]

so is it true that there are no tumble dryers available in south korea? or maybe available but only for those living in new, luxury, urban apartments....? (i'm pretty sure i saw some ads on tv for dryers at one point.) but for the average person in an average villa in an average town-- there's no laundromats to which one can take one's laundry and pay for their clothes to be dried, right? a significant portion of my wardrobe just doesn't quite fit or look right to me in the absence of machine drying.

anyway i think i know the answer but can't put it to bed til i hear it for sure from some of the old timers here. thanks in advance.


(forgive me if this has been covered before-- i don't even try to use the search function anymore... in the past it's always been more or less useful as i recall.)

[nathanrutledge]

Nope, no dryers. They consume insane amounts of energy and you won't find them here.

[Cerulean]

They do exist here. I had one provided by my employer many years ago and I've seen them come up for sale either on here or Craigslist. Can't remember which.

I'm sorry I can't point you in the right direction to get one though.

[goreality]

건조기? Try a search, you can buy them online or at many stores that would also sell washing machines. They don't come as standard appliances. Check out this bad boy: http://www.e-himart.co.kr/store/prditm.jsp?prdid=1002&prditmid=40399

셀프빨래방? Although not common, a quick search on naver maps turns up dozens in Seoul. They are great for washing (and drying) the bigger things. Here's one http://www.coinwash.kr/

None in your area? Here is a business idea:
코인타입 상업용 건조기
TD-VN133E
코인타입 상업용 세탁기
WD-EN132S

[tardisrider]

You can take your dirty laundry to almost any dry cleaning place and they will wash and dry your clothes--they do have dryers, but it's not a coin-op self-service deal. Look around your neighborhood and see if you don't have a mom-and-pop place that will do it for a reasonable price. I've done that for years.

[Chokse]

They most certainly do sell them in Korea. In fact, you can get either the standard side-by-side style or the stacking style washer/dryer. They sell them online at Danawa or Enuri, or you can find several shops in the Itaewon area that sell new and used units.

I know because I have a Whirlpool washer and dryer in my place (bought from one of the places in Itaewon). I bought both of them about 7 years ago, and both are still going strong. The dryer is a gas dryer, so it doesn't use too much electricity. Don't know how I'd live without it.

I think in the typical Korean apartment or one-room officetel, a stacking unit may be the only way to go. Also, you'll need to find a way to vent it to the outside of the building. I live in a villa and it has a western style laundry room (large) with more than enough space for a side-by-side washer and dryer, and the laundry room has a vent in the wall for the dryer.

If you don't plan to stay in Korea for very long, then Tardisrider's advice is on the money. Take your stuff to the dry cleaners and have them wash and dry it. It will be cheaper than buying a dryer. However, if you plan to be here for several years, then it might be worth looking into a tumble dryer if you can get it hooked up properly in your place.

[TheresaTheresa]

[kimiki]

great info, i appreciate it. i have tried to find a cleaners that has one & will wash & dry for me-- but their options seemed to be either dry cleaning or wet wash and then air dry. probably i'm not saying the right thing-- can anyone tell me the right hangul phrase to use for requesting machine wash & dry?

[interestedinhanguk]

Tumble dryers exist. There's a coin-op laundromat near me with American machines.

[taobenli]

I moved into an unfurnished apartment (not an English teacher) and bought a Samsung Hauzen washer/dryer combo (purchased at E-mart). It's a front load washer that also has a dry setting (it spins the clothes and then dries them). It was about 400,000 won, but you could probably find cheaper ones used. I can't lie and say I don't have complaints about it- you have to do pretty light loads and if you load it too much the clothes don't get all that dry. (The problem is that unlike an American-style dryer, there's no place for the steam to go). It also takes a long time and like others mentioned, uses up a lot of energy. In the summer we tend to hang clothes outside, but machine-dry them in the other seasons. Even if the clothes don't get completely dry all the time I still find they fit me better and look better than when I dry them completely on the rack. I just let damp clothes from the dryer hang on the rack a bit in the summer, or place them on the ondol heated floor in the winter and they dry quickly. I do miss American-style dryers that get the job done fast, but you do have some options here.

[The Grumpy Senator]

Bought one in November and have not hung a piece of clothing to dry all winter!!! Power bill spiked a bit, but well worth not having half-dried, half frozen clothes in December. Throw your work-clothes in for 5 minutes while you shower and everything is toasty warm!!!

[JSC]

I have the luxury of two dryers in my apt. One is a Samsung Hauzen washer/dryer combo and the other is a dedicated LG electric dryer. The LG is not as common, but they are out there. It's a condenser type unit that uses a reservoir to collect the moisture from your clothes, which you have to dump out in the sink after every 1 or 2 loads.

The dryer function of the Samsung is okay. It's not powerful enough to dry a very full load of washed clothes in a reasonable amount of time, but the LG can handle it with no problem. The main reason why I have both is because I tend to wash multiple loads in one "sitting". With only one Samsung combo unit it would take forever to do 3 loads in a day. With the LG, I can pop the clean clothes over to dry and start another load in the Samsung, then be done in less than half the time.

[Dazed and Confused]

I have a proper western sized Whirlpool dryer. The main complaint I've had is that there is no vent in the house and I have to run the hose out the window. It does run up the electricity bill but I've found if I hang up my laundry first and then toss it in the dryer for 15 minutes my clothes seem like they've been in the dryer the whole time.
From what I've heard many of the Korean dryers are condensation dryers-ie no vent. They can take many hours just to dry a single load.

[Milwaukiedave]

As someone said you can buy dryers here, most Koreans don't buy them. In most neighborhoods, especially around universities you can find a laundry-mat that is coin operated and has dryers.

[Died By Bear]

They have plenty of dryers in Korea, they just don't have any BOUNCE sheets.