Will this machine change the way we do laundry forever?

Regularly washing clothes can reduce how long they last. There are all kinds of measures to try to freshen up garments without washing them, such as hanging them in the shower room, using air freshener sprays or giving them an iron, but Samsung has come up with an innovative new alternative.

We paid a visit to Samsung KX to take a look at the Samsung AirDresser. It's a machine that dusts, steam cleans, dries, sanitises and deodorises your clothes, with the aim of removing the need for regular wash or dry cycles.

Prefer to clean and dry your clothes the old-fashioned way? Check out our washer-dryer reviews.

What is the Samsung AirDresser?

It looks like a futuristic fridge. The door to it doubles up as a mirror and there's an attractive touchscreen control panel located at eye level.

You pop items in for less than an a couple of hours and they come out clean, dry and with creases relaxed. Although not completely ironed, thanks to the weight kit which you clip on the bottom of clothes, Samsung says the AirDresser will remove 100% of the creases in woollen clothes and 70% in rayon clothes. Say goodbye to hanging up your shirts in the shower.

It comes in two sizes - able to fit three hangers and five hangers, respectively - although only the three-hanger size will be available in the UK.

If it's made out of fabric, it can go in. Suits, shirts and dresses get the same refreshing treatments as cushions and teddy bears.

It's not a tough stain remover, so for washing out things like ink, blood, or coffee, you'll still need to turn to your trusty washing machine. But for delicate items not suited to a wash cycle, the AirDresser could be a real problem solver. 

It doesn't need plumbing in, so if you'd rather keep it in your actual wardrobe, it can be located inside it and the power cable fed out.

It's not on sale yet and prices are to be confirmed, but it's estimated to be around £2,000.

Looking for an appliance that will get rid of the toughest stains? Compare our washing machine reviews.

How does it work?

There are two things you need to do before you're ready to go with the AirDresser: put your clothes in and fill up the water. The two compartments at the bottom, which resemble vegetable drawers, are water tanks: one for filling up before the cycle, and one for emptying afterwards.

Once they're filled up, you make your cycle selection on the touch panel or on your phone using Samsung's SmartThings app, and the AirDresser sets to work.

Jets of air flow upwards and downwards to loosen and remove dust, before steam is mixed in to sanitise the clothes and relax creases.

The air and steam passes through a deodorising filter, which we were told captures and removes 99% of odours caused by sweat, tobacco, food and dry-cleaning.

Heat pump technology, which features in modern heat pump tumble dryers, gently circulates warm air to dry the clothes evenly without damaging or shrinking them.

There are plenty of cycles to choose from, and via Samsung's SmartThings app you can select the clothes that you've put in the AirDresser and have a certain cycle recommended.

Cycle times range from 20 minutes up to two hours, which, given that a standard washing machine cottons cycle takes just under three hours on average, is very speedy.

Besides refreshing your clothes, Samsung told us its AirDresser has other uses: leaving the door open will have it dehumidify your room, and it even cleans itself.

Every 40 cycles it'll prompt you to empty out your clothes and set it to run a 39-minute self-clean, where it'll pretty much do to itself what it does to your clothes. There's no need for any harsh detergents, either.

If dehumidifying your home is high on your priority list, check out our guide for buying the best dehumidifier.

Any downsides?

The price and the capacity. For an appliance that seeks to take the sting out of laundry day, handling three items of clothing at a time would likely mean laundry was day every day (or every hour if you have lots to wash).

Amazing alternatives

We've tested more than 300 washing machines from the leading brands, and have sorted the super spinners from the woeful washers. Take a look at our top five washing machines for 2019 to find the best ones.

In the cold winter months a good tumble dryer can be a life-saver. Find out which dryers top the lot and won't cost too much to run by comparing our tumble dryers reviews.