A compact dryer is a 24-inch machine bought for a space: a hallway closet, a bathroom alcove, a kitchen bay, usually stacked on a compact washer behind a door that was never meant to hide an appliance. Most of them are ventless, so they condense the water out of the air instead of blowing it outside, and most of those use a heat pump, which means a compressor running for the whole cycle. A heat pump cycle is long. The closet is close. That combination is what this guide is about.
Our main guide to the quietest dryers found that every dryer with a maker-published figure is a 24-inch compact, which makes this the one dryer category where a figure exists at all. The ranking there is by the number. The ranking here is by the closet: the figure first, then the cycle length, the chime, the compressor, the drain, the stacking kit, the door and the plug, all taken from the makers' own sheets and manuals.
Our picks are listed above, with full specifications for each.
Bosch prints "Silence level 62 dBA" on the spec sheets of both its heat pump compacts, the 500 Series WQB245B0UC and the 800 Series WQB245AXUC, dated 9/26. Its 300 Series condensation dryer, the WTG86403UC, prints "Silence level (dBA) 67" on a 9/20 sheet, and Bosch's page for it now says the product is no longer available. No cycle, distance or standard is named on any of the three.
ASKO prints "Noise level drying dB(A): 65" for the T411HS.W, the only compact figure that says which part of the cycle it covers. Its US and Canadian sites refused every request we made, so we read the sheet from a dealer's copy.
The Beko group, which publishes Beko and Blomberg sheets through Beko U.S., Inc., prints "Silence Level 66 dBA" for the Beko HPD24414W and HPD24414W2 on a sheet dated 04.25, and "Silence level dBA 66" for the Blomberg DHP24404W on a sheet dated 7/29/22. Beko's own US site returned 403 to us, and Blomberg's product pages rendered only templates, so these too come from dealer-hosted copies of Beko U.S., Inc. documents. Blomberg's 02.18.26 sheet for the DHP24404W3 revision drops the silence level row entirely.
Nobody else. Miele's specification sheet, data sheet and manual for the TXR860WP print no figure. LG's builder sheet for the DLHC1455W has a row that reads "LoDecibel Quiet Operation" followed by "No", and no decibel anywhere. Samsung's DV25B6900HW sheet, GE's GFT14ESSMWW quick specs, Electrolux's ELFE422CAW specifications and Summit's SLD242W sheet carry no figure at all; GE's and Summit's pages mark those models discontinued. Equator's dryers carry a 66 dB claim on retail listings only, and Equator's own site returned nothing for its dryer pages, so there is no maker figure to quote.
Three kinds of number, kept apart
Bosch prints dBA. ASKO prints dB(A). The Beko group prints dBA. They look like one list and they are not, because none of the three says whether the number is sound pressure at a distance or sound power, and the Beko group declares sound power in dB(A) re 1 pW on its European energy labels. A sound power figure runs higher than a sound pressure reading for the same machine, so Beko's 66 could describe a dryer no louder than Bosch's 62, or a louder one. We cannot tell, and neither can you. The mechanics are in our explainer on sound power vs sound pressure.
What we can say is that within one maker's documents the labels match. Bosch's 62 for its heat pumps and 67 for its condenser are the same kind of figure from the same company, and five decibels is a real gap: roughly every 10 dBA sounds twice as loud, so Bosch's condenser is about a third louder than its heat pumps on Bosch's own scale. ASKO's 65 stays on ASKO's list. The Beko group's 66 stays on its list. Our page on dBA explained covers the scale itself.
Heat pump, condenser, vented: as the maker labels them
We use the maker's own label for each dryer type. Bosch calls its 500 and 800 "Heat Pump" and its 300 "Condensing", and all three are ventless. ASKO writes "Condenser with heat pump". Beko writes "Heat Pump, Ventless". GE's GFT14ESSMWW is a "Ventless Condenser" with no heat pump. ASKO's T411VD.W is the vented twin of its heat pump, and our main dryer guide covers it, but a vented dryer needs a duct to the outside, which the closets in this guide rarely have.
The difference you hear in a closet is the compressor. A condenser dryer without a heat pump has a heater and a fan. A heat pump dryer adds a sealed refrigerant circuit and a compressor that hums for the whole cycle. Bosch's troubleshooting table lists "Humming noise", gives the cause as "Compressor active", and calls it normal operating noise. Miele's safety section says "The humming noises caused by the heat pump during the drying process are normal", and its troubleshooting page adds that the condensed water pump makes the same kind of buzzing. Neither maker puts a number on the hum. Both are telling you it is there.
The long cycle is the noise you live with
A washer's loud minute is the spin. A dryer has no loud minute; it has a long, even one. Beko's consumption chart for the HPD24414W is the only compact document we found that prints cycle lengths, and the numbers are worth sitting with: 145 minutes for Cottons at 18 lb, 135 for Cottons Eco, 175 for Mix at 9 lb, 130 for Jeans, 200 for SaniDry, and 240 minutes for the Silent program at 18 lb. Beko US Inc.'s 2017 Blomberg sheet claims an 8.45 lb load dries in less than one hour, which is a different load and a different claim.
That Silent program is the setting a closet buyer should read first. Beko describes it as the program in which "the level of noise emitted to the environment will be the lowest", and it is also the longest program on the chart, 95 minutes longer than Cottons. The trade is explicit: quieter, for four hours. Beko publishes no figure for the Silent program, only the one 66 dBA for the dryer, so we cannot say how much quieter it is. We can say it is the one program a maker built for the room this guide is about.
Bosch and Miele print no durations. Both say what lengthens them. Bosch's energy section says that if air exchange is impeded, this extends the program duration, and its closet drawing says to expect long drying times when the closet doors are closed. Miele says the hot air from the heat exchanger warms the room, asks for ventilation, and says that under a counter "Drying durations may increase slightly." Miele also says spinning at 1,600 rpm instead of 1,000 saves about 20 percent of the energy, which is to say the washer's spin speed sets the dryer's run time. Our guide to the quietest compact washers covers the other half of that trade, because a slower, quieter spin on the washer means a longer, humming cycle on the dryer above it.
Drain hose or tank
A ventless dryer has to put the water somewhere, and the choice changes the closet. Bosch's manual says condensation "is drained by default into the waste water system using the water outlet hose", and the condensation container is the alternative you connect if there is no drain. Miele does it the other way round: water is pumped into a 1.27 gallon container, or out through a drain hose that is 5.2 feet long as supplied, can be extended to 13 feet, and can lift the water 3.3 feet. ASKO lists a 0.9 gallon tank. GE's sheet offers both, a removable tank in the dryer or the included hose into a standpipe, and says not to push either hose more than 4 inches into the standpipe. Beko says the drain hose should be attached no higher than 80 cm.
For a closet, the hose is the quieter life. A tank fills every load or two, and the dryer tells you: Miele's display says to empty the container, and Bosch's lights a symbol that reads, in the manual, "Empty and insert the condensation container." A hose into the washer's standpipe never asks. Bosch's spec sheet gives a 78 inch drain hose, Beko's 63 1/2 inches, so the standpipe needs to sit behind or beside the stack.
Stacking kits, and the two rules nobody reads
Every pick stacks, and every maker ties stacking to its own kit. Bosch names its kits on the sheet, WTZ27500UC and WTZ27510UC for the 500 Series and WTZ2750XUC and WTZ2751XUC for the 800, and gives a minimum stack height of 67 3/4 inches. Beko includes kit 2974640200 and prints 67 3/4 inches stacked. ASKO's quick reference sheet says the stack kit is included. Miele's WTV502 and WTV512 are optional accessories. GE's GFA24KITL is not included and its stacked height is 66 1/2 inches. Samsung lists an SK-DH kit, Electrolux a STACKIT24A.
Two rules matter for a closet. The first is Bosch's: "Do not install a washer-dryer stack on a platform; the appliances may tip over", and only stack on a washer from the same maker with the same depth and width. The second is about the floor. Beko says the stacking kit should be installed by the authorized service provider, that the dryer goes on a solid floor, and that a full washer and dryer together "may reach 397 lbs (180 kg)". Beko's manual also says the dryer runs "more silently and vibration-free" when it stands level on its feet, and Bosch says the same: to reduce noise and vibrations, align the appliance and check it with a spirit level. A heat pump dryer also wants time before its first cycle. Bosch says to let it rest for two hours after transport; Miele says to wait at least one hour after setting it up.
What the closet door needs
A ventless dryer still breathes. Every maker asks for openings in the closet door, and the sizes differ enough to check before buying a door. Bosch's drawing gives 6 1/4 inches of clearance above the stack, 3 inches behind, 1/2 inch each side, and a door undercut of 1 1/4 inches at the top and 1 1/4 at the bottom across 24 inches, or louvers of equal total area split between the upper and lower parts of the door. Beko asks for two openings, 16 square inches 3.2 inches from the bottom of the door and 46 square inches 3 inches from the top. GE asks for 60 square inches for a dryer alone and 120 for a washer and dryer. Samsung asks for two openings totalling 72 square inches. Miele says to insert sufficiently large ventilation openings or open the closet door slightly, and in a floor-to-ceiling closet to leave the air free to circulate at the top.
Those openings are also the holes the sound comes through, and no maker publishes a figure with the door closed or open. LG's sheet is the one that says why clearances matter for noise: "Additional clearances should be considered on all sides of the dryer to reduce noise transfer", and a little space between the washer and dryer stops vibration passing from one to the other and making them touch. A louvered door is still a better barrier than an open one. Plan the louvers to the maker's numbers rather than leaving the door open, which Bosch recommends only for the shortest drying time.
120 V or 240 V: the outlet decides
Every compact dryer with a published figure needs 208 to 240 volts. Bosch's compacts run on a 15 A circuit with a NEMA 6-15 plug and ship with an adapter for a standard 30 A, four-prong dryer receptacle, so a closet wired for a full-size dryer works. Beko's HPD24414W2 draws 4 A on 208/240 V with a 15 A minimum breaker, and its sheet says the matching washer can plug into the dryer on one 30 A circuit. ASKO wants a 30 A circuit and a NEMA 14-30R. Samsung's sheet says 240 V at 30 A, GE's a 30 A breaker, Summit's a 15 A connection at 208 to 240 V. LG's sheet puts it in capitals: do not connect the dryer to a 110, 115 or 120 volt circuit.
The one 120 V heat pump compact we found is the Miele TXR860WP, "110 V / 120 V, 60 Hz, 15 Amps" on a NEMA 5-15 plug, with no published figure. So the closet with only a wall outlet gets Miele's manual and no number, and the closet with a dryer receptacle gets the figures. Our apartment washer guide hit the same wall from the washer side.
The chime, the tumble after it, and the lights
The figure describes drying. The sounds that wake people are the ones after it. Every pick lets you deal with the end-of-cycle signal, and the manuals are specific. Bosch sets the tone "that is emitted when the program ends" from 0, which is off, to 4, very loud, and the button tones separately on the same scale. Miele's Volume setting covers a Finish tone, a Keypad tone and a Welcome tone, each to one of 7 levels or off. Beko's manual says to press the Audible Warning button if you do not want the warning, and that you can do it before or after the program starts. ASKO lists "Beep indicating that program is ended" as a setting. Electrolux prints "Chime On / Chime Off". LG lists an End of Cycle Signal and Samsung an Alarm option, without saying how far down they go.
The sound after the chime is the anti-crease tumble, and it is the one buyers forget. Bosch's Wrinkle Block moves the drum "at regular intervals for 120 minutes" after the program ends. Beko's wrinkle prevention runs for 2 hours. Blomberg's sheet says the drum keeps rotating periodically for up to two hours. On a closet beside a bedroom, a dryer that finished at 10 pm can still be turning at midnight unless that option is off, and the Bosch 800's app notification, which the sheet says arrives when a cycle is complete, is the better way to know it finished.
Lights are a smaller matter. Bosch's drum light is LED and its display brightness sets from 1 to 4. Miele's display and sensor buttons go out after 10 minutes and the Start/Stop button flashes slowly, which you can also change. Beko's control is a white LED display. None of them is bright enough to matter behind a closed door, which is one more reason to close it.
A closet beside a bedroom
Put the pieces together for the room. A bedroom at night sits near silence, and the dryer behind the closet door runs for two and a half hours at a steady hum with no quiet minute. The published figure, 62 to 66 dBA, describes that hum without a distance or a door in the way, so treat it as a rank within each maker's list and not as what reaches the pillow. The choices that change the night are documented: the Beko Silent program at 240 minutes, the chime set to off on any pick, the anti-crease tumble switched off, a drain hose so nobody has to empty a tank, and a delay timer so the cycle ends before bedtime rather than after it. Bosch's Finish in sets the end time up to 24 hours ahead; Beko's end time function does the same up to 24 hours; Miele's delay start runs up to 24 hours. Our page on setting up a quiet bedroom puts the laundry closet beside the other machines that share the wall, and our page on keeping an apartment quiet covers the hours and the neighbors below.
If the closet is in a kitchen or a hallway instead, the figure matters more and the chime less, because someone is standing near it during the long part of the cycle rather than sleeping through it. That is the case for the Bosch figure over the Beko one, as far as the lists allow, and for a bigger drum, where ASKO's 5.1 cu ft means fewer cycles.
Combos are not the answer to the closet
Buyers who cannot vent and cannot stack sometimes look at an all-in-one washer dryer instead. Our guide to the quietest washer dryer combos found that no combo sold in the US publishes a figure for a normal wash, spin or dry, which leaves it behind even this thinly documented category. A compact washer and a compact dryer with figures, stacked on the dryer maker's kit, is the better-documented closet.
Mistakes compact dryer buyers make
Reading "Silent" as a figure. Beko and Blomberg publish a Silent program, and it is real, but neither publishes a number for it. The only figure is the one for the dryer.
Comparing Bosch's dBA with Beko's dBA. Same letters, no stated quantity. Our explainer on comparing decibel ratings across brands covers what a maker has to state before two numbers belong on one list.
Buying a 240 V dryer for a 120 V closet. Every compact with a figure is 208 to 240 V. Miele's is the 120 V option and has no figure.
Leaving the anti-crease tumble on at night. Two hours of intermittent drum turns after the chime.
Using the tank in a closet with a standpipe. The hose is there for a reason.
Stacking on a platform or across brands. Bosch says the pair may tip over.
Closing a solid door. Every maker asks for openings, and Bosch says a closed door means long drying times.
How we chose
We started from the ten compact dryers with figures in our main dryer guide and reopened every maker we could reach: Bosch, Miele, Beko, Blomberg, ASKO, Electrolux, GE, Samsung, LG, Summit and Equator. Where a maker's site refused us, which happened at Beko, Blomberg, ASKO and Miele, we read the maker's own specification sheets and manuals from dealer-hosted copies and say so against each figure. We recorded each noise figure in the maker's words, with its unit and whatever condition the maker attached, and we compared Bosch only with Bosch, ASKO only with ASKO, and the Beko group only with itself.
We ranked a published figure first. Below that we chose on what a closet stack needs and makers state: a documented stack height and kit, closet door openings, a drain option, a Silent program, a chime that switches off, and the voltage the closet has. Prices are the makers' list prices on the date we checked, and where a maker publishes none or blocked us, we say so.
We did not measure any of these dryers. Every figure here comes from the maker's own documents, and where a maker publishes no figure, or its site refused to show us one, we say that rather than guess.
