Product reliability: Laundry & cleaning
Our annual reliability survey reveals which laundry and cleaning appliances are most reliable.
Join us now to unlock this content
Unlock all of Consumer from just $7 for 7 days
- Heaps of buying advice so you can choose with confidence
- Independent reviews of thousands of products and services
- Personal advice an email or phone call away on our advice line (members only)
About our survey
We asked our members about products they’d bought new since 1 January 2013. We wanted to know the brand, the year it was bought and whether it had ever needed repair. We also asked respondents if they were satisfied with their product. Our thanks to all who participated.
We only analyse brands that got 30 or more responses in a category. For each brand, we calculate our reliability score as the percentage of its products that have never needed repair. Satisfaction is the percent of owners who were “very satisfied” with their product (scored 8, 9 or 10 on a 0-10 scale).
Where we haven’t re-surveyed a particular product, we’ve included the reliability data from our 2016 and 2017 surveys.
Clothes dryers
Total number surveyed: 1238
Reliability by brand
| Brand | Reliability[width=medium] | Satisfaction |
|---|---|---|
| Simpson (104) | 98% | 78% |
| Samsung (50) | 98% | 82% |
| Miele (88) | 96% | 93% |
| Bosch (188) | 95% | 77% |
| AVERAGE | 94% | 78% |
| Fisher & Paykel (471) | 93% | 79% |
| Electrolux (92) | 93% | 73% |
| Haier (94) | 90% | 66% |
| LG (31) | 89% | 87% |
Reliability by type
| Type | Reliability[width=medium] | Satisfaction |
|---|---|---|
| Vented (677) | 95% | 76% |
| Heat pump (115) | 93% | 82% |
| Condenser (378) | 90% | 79% |
Top problems
| Problem | Occurrence |
|---|---|
| Electronic | 22% |
| Clothes not dry at end of cycle | 20% |
| Noisy operation | 19% |
| Cylinder not tumbling | 16% |
| Not enough/no heat | 14% |
For more on finding the best clothes dryer, see our buying guide.
Steam mops
Data is from our 2017 survey
Total number surveyed: 913
Reliability by brand
| Brand | Reliability[width=medium] | Satisfaction |
|---|---|---|
| Shark (132) | 95% | 52% |
| H2O Mop (30) | 94% | 27% |
| Homemaker (34) | 93% | 68% |
| Other (136) | 93% | 42% |
| Monster (36) | 92% | 64% |
| Zip (40) | 91% | 40% |
| Hoover (92) | 90% | 46% |
| AVERAGE | 88% | 43% |
| Bissell (179) | 87% | 40% |
| Aqua Lazer (161) | 84% | 36% |
| Black & Decker (36) | 78% | 39% |
| Vax (37) | 77% | 38% |
For more on finding the best steam mop, see our buying guide.
Vacuum cleaners
Data is from our 2017 survey
Total number surveyed: 3513
Reliability by brand
| Brand | Reliability[width=medium] | Satisfaction |
|---|---|---|
| Kambrook (41) | 96% | 46% |
| Miele (979) | 96% | 87% |
| Bosch (62) | 95% | 69% |
| Sebo (37) | 95% | 73% |
| Zip (46) | 92% | 46% |
| Other (283) | 91% | 63% |
| AVERAGE | 90% | 69% |
| Nilfisk (269) | 89% | 64% |
| Philips (64) | 89% | 59% |
| Dyson (534) | 88% | 76% |
| Electrolux (582) | 87% | 63% |
| Panasonic (50) | 86% | 50% |
| Shark (113) | 84% | 67% |
| Bissell (60) | 82% | 50% |
| Russell Hobbs (31) | 82% | 42% |
| Hoover (293) | 81% | 47% |
| Sauber (39) | 80% | 62% |
| Wertheim (30) | 80% | 40% |
Reliability by type
| Type | Reliability[width=medium] | Satisfaction |
|---|---|---|
| Hand-held (168) | 93% | 67% |
| Canister (2503) | 90% | 69% |
| AVERAGE | 90% | 69% |
| Upright (359) | 88% | 70% |
| Stick/cordless (456) | 87% | 71% |
For more on finding the best vacuum, see our buying guide.
Washing machines
Total number surveyed: 2690
Reliability by brand
| Brand | Reliability[width=medium] | Satisfaction |
|---|---|---|
| Miele (146) | 96% | 95% |
| LG (329) | 94% | 87% |
| AEG (36) | 93% | 78% |
| Bosch (375) | 91% | 84% |
| Electrolux (106) | 89% | 75% |
| Fisher & Paykel (1014) | 89% | 78% |
| AVERAGE | 88% | 78% |
| Westinghouse (36) | 86% | 56% |
| Samsung (275) | 85% | 75% |
| Haier (79) | 80% | 51% |
| Simpson (61) | 80% | 57% |
| Beko (57) | 78% | 63% |
| Panasonic (90) | 72% | 71% |
Reliability by type
| Type | Reliability[width=medium] | Satisfaction |
|---|---|---|
| Front loader (1637) | 89% | 81% |
| Top loader (1052) | 88% | 73% |
Top problems
| Problem | Occurrence |
|---|---|
| Electronic circuits | 25% |
| Pump not draining | 21% |
| Controls not working | 14% |
| Noisy operation | 12% |
| Not spinning | 12% |
| Out of balance | 11% |
For more on finding the best washing machine, see our buying guide.
More from our survey
See which other products and brands our members rated as being reliable and satisfying to own.
