Beko DPHR8PB561W Heat Pump Tumble Dryer Review

When we moved into our home three years ago, we inherited a loud old tumble dryer that a member of the family was about to throw out.

It sounded a lot like a small plane taking off, the door at one point had to be taped shut and it was probably the least efficient white good in the house.

So when it seemed to get noisier, I knew it was only a matter of time before it would come grinding to a complete halt.  Lo and behold, it did just that halfway through drying a load of sheets.



I did a little research on the internet to try and find something to replace my old one. Usefully, having no vent built into the utility room (thanks architects!) it needed to be a condenser or heat pump drier and these are usually a little more expensive.

Consequently, I consider myself really rather lucky to have been sent one to review by the folk over at AO.com, the Beko DPHR8PB561W Heat Pump Tumble Dryer.

This dryer not only has a sleek, modern design but also has plenty of great features; the highlight being the internal light, which means you can hunt down that rogue sock hiding at the back of the drum on darker days. It is also quite amusing to watch the washing going round like circus tumblers under a spotlight. 

The sensor drying is a little sensitive and once or twice I've had to add an extra few minutes to finish the drying completely, but this isn’t a big problem for me and I prefer that it stops the cycle sooner rather than over-drying and wasting energy.

The functions are operated via a super-easy-to-understand dial and the water tank and lint filter are easy to empty also. It is quiet (well anything is compared to my old one) and has plenty of functions rather than being just warm or hot, which means I can dry all of the clothes and not just sheets and towels like I would do before. 

With a 24 hour timer, it is great for setting ready to come on first thing in the morning or whilst I am out at work ready for when I get back.

Overall, I love this dryer and would consider it well worth the extra outlay over a standard model.

We were sent this item in return for our opinion on the dryer, all words and images are my own.

How to be an Allergenius with AO.com

Earlier this summer, we were invited by AO to meet with them and learn about allergies and how to combat them in the home, I was at work so I sent my hubby and the kids to find out more. 

The event took place at the Think Tank science centre in Birmingham, an ideal location to learn about these biological threats. As many as 1 in 4 of us suffer from some form of allergy, with the most common being to pollen, dust mites and mould. The ladies from AO had first organised a treasure hunt for the children to find cartoon allergies hidden around a typical home, once they found them, these had hints or tips on how to limit the impact of bugs around the home. The kids loved this and the adults found it informative too, even if some of the tips sounded like hard work!

Once we had learned about the allergies and what we could do to fight against the cause of them, we hopped over to speak with a Hotpoint representative about the new features they are adding to their products to help. These include, additional anti-allergy cycles on washing machines at 60ºc  with extra rinses as well to kill bugs, anti-allergy cycles on tumble dryers and also a new range of vacuum cleaners with washable HEPA 13 filters to help contain as many allergens as possible.

After the informative part, we spent some time crafting and made some flowers from pipe cleaners and tissue paper, with a little help from the AO life team.

To finish of the day, we spent a few hours discovering what the Think Tank has to offer. Everything from an outdoor science play area, complete with water experiments, a human sized hamster wheel and a cart with a square wheel (it really worked!), to some enormous steam trains and a model of a spitfire with WWII dressing up. The children particularly loved the Kids City, which had a doctors, dentist, cafe and even a TV studio, they really enjoyed role playing in the various areas.

Thanks to AO for inviting us to this informative and fun day out.