Police find suspect in dryer after bungled burglary

Dryer capacities have increased in recent years to keep up with washer capacities so large that they held 17 to 24 pounds of laundry in Consumer Reports' tests. The idea is that you can do more laundry less frequently, or as one burglary suspect saw it, the dryer was big enough to hide in as police officers charged into a house in New Rochelle, New York, yesterday.

This rough-and-tumble tale was first reported by Lohud.com. The suspect hid in a dryer as police stormed inside the house, according to the website, which added that his loot was piled near a window through which he planned to escape. But when he saw the police officers, the 19-year-old retreated and climbed inside the dryer. There was no report of cycle selected. Police took the suspect into custody.

We've noticed in our tests that laundry equipment is getting bigger and bigger. The LG WM8000H[V]A front-loader, $1,350, is the largest capacity washing machine we've ever tested. It was superb overall and is a recommended model. It's mate, the equally hefty LG DLEX8000[V] electric dryer, also $1,350, offers excellent drying, is relatively quiet and made our list of top dryer picks. As you might imagine, both the washer and dryer take up slightly more space than the typical twosome. Each machine is two inches wider.

Our tests of dryers include capacity, convenience, noise, and of course, drying performance. See our Ratings of dozens of dryers to find one that fits your needs, if not an intruder's.

—Kimberly Janeway