Steam is nothing more than a gimmick in washers. Just get a good machine with an on-board heater and ignore all the steam gimmicks. In a dryer, steam may help with relaxing wrinkles. But then again, you can do the same in a non-steam dryer by lightly spraying your clothes with water and putting them into the dryer on low heat setting.

I have an LG set with steam on both the washer and drier. Honestly, I haven't used them beyond the initial "trial" run. I just didn't notice a difference.

I wouldn't NOT buy a set because they have a steam option, but I also wouldn't spend more to get the option.

I think Consumer Reports said that steam only boosted cleaning performance insignificantly - in both washing machines and dishwashers.

If you look at service documentation from Whirlpool, for example, you will find that the Steam Sanitize function uses the heater to raise the water temp to 153°F and then the steam generator kicks in to heat to the final 155°F - big deal.

I honestly think that, if washers have perfectly cleaned laundry for decades without steam, then I don't see why I should spend money on such a feature. The only practical application for steam is used by dry cleaners, where a powerful jet of steam is aimed straight at stains to actually blast dirt particles away from the fibres. That is not what happens in a washer, though. All the machines do is fill the drum with steam - kinda like hanging your clothes in a hot shower and waiting for the lingering steam to clean them...

In the dryer, steam can help to remove odors and, to a lesser extend, wrinkles - it works better with synthetic fibres.

A good detergent and proper cycle selection is far more important than steam, in my opinon.

Alex