Four manufacturers produce the clothes dryers that account for 80% of dryer sales in America. Those four primary brands are: GE, Maytag, Kenmore (a Sears brand), and Whirlpool.

There are other generic brand names that are sold in the marketplace, and most of those are subsidiaries of the major manufacturing companies. Maytag makes Amana. Electrolux makes Frigidaire, Westinghouse, and White-Westinghouse appliances. GE makes Hotpoint. And, both KitchenAid and Roper are made by Whirlpool.

There are really only five choices to make when choosing your next clothes dryer:

1. Size of Tub

2. Gas or Electric

3. Thermostat or Moisture Sensor Shutoff

4. Quiet Dry

5. Other Gadgets

SIZE OF TUB

There are three basic size designations in washers and dryers. There is Extra Large Capacity, Super Capacity and Super Capacity Plus, or a variation thereof. The actual volume difference between each of these size designations is really quite small on the grand scheme of things. Usually, we are talking an extra pair or two of blue jeans for each size increase.

When selecting the size capacity of a machine, it might be all right (though not recommended) to mix up your machine purchases, but you do not want to have your dryer size smaller than your washer size. It would be a real pain to fill your washer, wash your clothes, and then not be able to get all of your clothes into the dryer!

If there are one or two people in your household, then the Extra Large Capacity could make sense. But, if you have a house full of children, you should go ahead and spend the extra money to get a larger-sized machine. If your wife has one of the smaller machines, she will certainly have to run more loads in order to wash everyone's laundry.

Generally, if you have four people in your home, you will have to do two extra loads of laundry using the Extra Large Capacity, instead of the Super Capacity Plus machine. More loads of laundry equates to more water usage, more heating fuel usage (electric or gas), and a grumpier wife, since she spends an extra two to three hours a week doing laundry. That $80-$120 you are saving now, may cost you well over that amount over the life of your washer and dryer.

GAS OR ELECTRIC

The person who built your house usually makes the gas or electric decision for you, whether you like it or not. Most homes have either a 240-volt plug or a gas connector in the laundry room. Few, if any, builders put in both options.

If your home is equipped with the 240-volt plug, I highly recommend that you look to see if your plug is a three- or four-prong plug, prior to going to the store. Appliance manufacturers sell the actual dryer cords separate from the dryer. So, the retailer will ask you which plug you need with your machine.

If you want to save the ten dollars or so, you can use the dryer cord that is on the clothes dryer you are replacing. If the dryer cord that is currently on your machine is flimsy or brittle, I would strongly suggest buying the new cord. To do otherwise leaves your home vulnerable to a fire hazard.

If you have the choice between gas and electricity for your clothes dryer, gas machines will generally run another $50 or so. If you have to change your laundry configuration from gas to electric, you may very well spend that much on the electrician alone. Additionally, it is a well-known fact that gas dryers use less energy than electric dryers. So, over the long haul, your gas dryer will be more economical than your electric dryer --- even Consumer Reports recommends that you buy the gas dryer for this very reason.

THERMOSTAT OR MOISTURE SENSOR SHUTOFF

Thermostat controlled dryers are the dryers that only give you an option for timed drying.

More expensive dryers give you the option for timed drying or Moisture Sensor Shutoffs. Each manufacturer describes the Moisture Sensor Shutoff in different ways. Whirlpool calls it AccuDry. Some manufacturers refer to it as Energy Saver. Whatever they call it, the concept is the same. It has a moisture-sensor in the tub, and when the humidity level drops below a certain level, the machine will decide that the clothes are dry, and the dryer will shut off on its own.

Consumer Reports deems this an essential feature on any dryer that you might buy. The reasons are many:

1. Overdrying can damage or shrink fabrics, and moisture sensors will minimize this risk.

2. By shutting itself off when the clothes are done drying, you are no longer forced to waste gas or electricity drying "already dry" fabrics.

3. By running the dryer for a shorter period of time, you can wash more clothes in less time. Your wife will thank you.

QUIET DRY

Some machines have an extra quiet motor. It made a big difference in my home, since our laundry room is less than twenty feet from our living room. With our old, cheap dryer, we would need to turn our television up, if we were running laundry while we were in the living room. Just the very experience of drying clothes was enough to give me a headache. With our new quiet dry machine, we are not even aware that the dryer is running, until the buzzer goes off telling us that it is done. Awesome.

OTHER GADGETS

Clothes dryers cannot really get that technical. The additional options that are available on some machines are: heat level and special fabric settings. Really, they are the same thing, but the fabric settings take a lot of the guesswork out of figuring out what temperature you can run for each your fabric types.

Some machines have a buzzer to let you know when the dryer is finished. This one is nice sometimes, especially if you are trying to do as much laundry as you can in a short time span.

Lights inside the drum are a nice addition, though not always necessary.

TIPS TO EXTEND THE LIFE OF YOUR DRYER

Keeping good airflow in your machine is the one, essential step you can take to get the most life out of your clothes dryer. There are several factors that can affect airflow, and we will cover those factors here.

Any reduction in airflow creates several problems.

1. A clogged dryer is less efficient and uses more gas or electric to dry clothes.

2. It puts additional wear-and-tear on the machine's motor.

3. And, most importantly, it creates a fire hazard.

EXHAUST VENTILATION:

All of the manufacturers and Consumer Reports recommend using either rigid or flexible metal ducting for exhaust ventilation tubing. They strongly recommend against using the plastic or foil exhaust ventilation tubes. The reasons are many.

1. They are notorious collectors of lint, and can get clogged easily.

2. The can be stepped on and crushed, preventing good airflow.

3. They can sag, also preventing proper airflow.

4. They can easily be torn and damaged.

Anytime the ventilation tube gets clogged or blocked, it can force lint to back up into your dryer causing additional blockages.

Even with metal ducting, you should clean out your ventilation tube once a year.

LINT FILTER:

Some appliance manufacturers put the lint filter in the door, while others put it on top of the machine. For ease of cleaning, it is a matter of personal preference.

It is very important that you should clean your lint filter between each use. If you fail to clean it between each load, you run the risk of having the lint fall back into the internal components of the machine.

Any accumulations of lint are always a fire hazard.

Excess lint in your dryer can ignite and catch fire. This could easily destroy your dryer, and very possibly catch your house on fire.

In fact, the Wall Street Journal suggested that dryer lint is the perfect companion for camping or hiking trips, since it is light and easy-to-carry, and it makes excellent kindling for your campfire.

For more fire prevention and safety tips in connection with your clothes dryer, visit the Consumer Product Safety Commission website at: http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/pubs/5022.html

THE ODD AND UNKNOWN BYPRODUCT OF DRYER SHEETS:

If you use dryer sheets when you dry your clothes, then you need to pay special attention to this tip.

Dryer sheets can reduce static and add a nice scent to your laundry, because they have chemicals in them. What few people realize is that these chemicals are released from the dryer sheet when they are heated, and they fill the hot air inside of your dryer.

As the machine is running, and after the cycle is finished, these chemicals settle on the various components inside your dryer, including the lint filters. After a period of time, these chemicals can create a clear, unseen barrier to your dryer's airflow.

Test this idea. Pull your lint filter from your machine and run it under water. Where the water pools and does not flow through, those chemicals have created an impenetrable barrier to your dryer's airflow.

Every few months, you should wash out your lint filter using soap, water and a sponge, to keep airflow at its optimum.

IN CONCLUSION...

Finding the right clothes dryer, for your own needs, does not have to be a difficult process. With a little knowledge, you can make a good decision. I hope this report has given you the information that you will need to make your decision easier.

Using the additional tips provided in this report, you should be able to keep your utility bills lower and to extend the life of your clothes dryers by another several years. If you take good care of your clothes dryer, your clothes dryer will take really good care of you for many years to come.