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  • Introduction

  • Front

  • Controls

  • Interior

  • Sides

  • Back

  • Speed & Performance Overview

  • Normal Cycle Performance

  • Delicates Cycle Performance

  • Bulky Cycle Performance

  • Quick Dry Cycle Performance

  • Dry Cycles

  • Customization

  • Additional Drying Options

  • Controls

  • Door

  • Lint Trap

  • Conclusion

  • Introduction
  • Front
  • Controls
  • Interior
  • Sides
  • Back
  • Speed & Performance Overview
  • Normal Cycle Performance
  • Delicates Cycle Performance
  • Bulky Cycle Performance
  • Quick Dry Cycle Performance
  • Dry Cycles
  • Customization
  • Additional Drying Options
  • Controls
  • Door
  • Lint Trap
  • Conclusion

Introduction

Front

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This tiny dryer is meant to be mounted on a wall. It plugs into any outlet, but still requires outside venting -- so check with your landlord before you buy it.

Controls

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Interior

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The interior of the CDWT980VSS.

This is the most complex lint trap we've ever tested. It requires pulling a plastic cover from the rear of the dryer, removing a prefilter, and brushing the lint from the inside of a synthetic filter. Put it back in order, or you might start a fire.

Sides

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Olympus SZ-31MR iHS side views

Back

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Speed & Performance Overview

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"Speed" and "performance" are relative terms here. There's a reason most dryers require a 240v outlet, and that's because they just can't get enough power from a conventional 120v socket to dry clothes effectively. We weren't surprised to see just how long it took this Haier to get clothes dry, and you shouldn't be, either.

Ideally, if you decide on buying a compact dryer, you should plan laundry cycles ahead of time or risk waiting a long time for clothes to be done. If you can adjust your lifestyle around the dryer's limitations, the Haier HLP140E might work for you.

Normal Cycle Performance

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More than three and a half hours after it went to work, the {{product.name}} finally finished drying our test load. Clothes emerged still slightly damp, and with an odd skunky odor that went away as they aired out. The odor seemed to emanate from inside the dryer, and stayed through every test we did.

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Delicates Cycle Performance

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We gave up on the delicates cycle. Three hours in, it was still hard at work. After four hours, we'd had enough and pulled the test load. It was still 23 percent damp, and the hygrometer showed that time spent in the dryer did very little to remove water. With a peak temperature of just 83 degrees, we'd have waited days for the cycle to finish.

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Bulky Cycle Performance

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About the one bright spot was the bulky cycle, labeled "Heavy," which took around three hours to get damp clothes entirely dry.

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Quick Dry Cycle Performance

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After 30 minutes, clothes remained almost as wet as they'd been when we put them in the dryer. The Haier only had time to heat up to a few degrees above room temperature.

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Dry Cycles

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Four cycles are on offer: Normal, heavy, delicate and timed. The timed dryer allows for you to choose anywhere between 30 and 120 minutes, though you'll need twice that to get clothes dry.

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Customization

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There are no custom options available.

Additional Drying Options

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Aside from high or low temperature or air dry, your only options are hanging laundry out to dry on a clothesline or visiting a laundromat.

Controls

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Cycles are chosen by plastic membrane buttons. When a cycle is on, a nearby light glows. There's no LED timer or custom options here.

Door

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The door is made of flexible plastic and is easy to open and close.

The interior of the CDWT980VSS.

Lint Trap

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This is the most complex lint trap we've ever tested. It requires pulling a plastic cover from the rear of the dryer, removing a prefilter, and brushing the lint from the inside of a synthetic filter. Put it back in order, or you might start a fire.

Conclusion

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Despite its abysmal performance, it's hard to hate the Haier HLP140E. It's cheap, compact and even kind of gets clothes dry -- which is what you should expect from such a bare-bones unit. It's hamstrung by a low-wattage heating element, but that means it can be plugged into a conventional 120v outlet. It does, however, need an outside vent and therefore may not work for many apartment dwellers.

Meet the tester

Keith Barry

Keith Barry

Former Editor in Chief, Reviewed Home

@itskeithbarry

Keith was the Editor in Chief of Reviewed's appliance and automotive sites. His work has appeared in publications such as Wired, Car & Driver, and CityLab.

See all of Keith Barry's reviews

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