Zalmen Pollak: The first step in making the right purchase for a washer and dryer is a little advanced planning. Know your needs. For example, how much time do you spend doing laundry? Do you have a large family requiring daily clothes laundering, or are you a single person or a couple with no children? If you have a multilevel home, space is probably still an issue, but more from a sense of location within your home and how far you have to go to change a load.