Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

This review is for the 2-tub, aqua blue & white unit. My apartment building has a laundry room, but it is disgusting and expensive ($1.75 to wash, $1.50 to dry). I’ve had quarters eaten, clothes destroyed by the machines & by debris within the machines, clothes stained by other users’ laundry products, and clothes stolen. The machines smell and don’t agitate very well, and I never felt like my clothes were getting clean. After paying $20-$50 month to do my laundry for 2 years, I finally decided this purchase would be worth the risk even if it breaks within a few months. I paid about $65 and $12 in shipping. I received my washer & spin dryer unit today, and already, I am thrilled with the purchase. It was on my doorstep within 6 days of placing my order (shipped from California to Pennsylvania) and was packaged very well. There was no damage to the box or unit. I spent all day doing laundry, and it’s so easy! I only use the machine in my bathtub to make sure there won’t be a disaster if it ever leaks. I was worried that the slight downward slant in my tub would make it difficult to use, but it’s not a problem. Before use, I vacuumed out the bits of styrofoam from shipping. The unit did have a slightly strong plastic smell when I first opened it, so I ran a wash cycle with water, white vinegar, and a few drops of blue Dawn dish soap before using it; this helped get rid of the smell a bit. I use Tide HE detergent and Clorox2 stain remover/color booster (the free & clear versions of both). I tried my first load with 1 Tablespoon of detergent, and it was way too much. I recommend using 1 to 1.5 teaspoon for a full load, or even less if you want to rinse faster. Towels get REALLY sudsy and require multiple rinses. You should only use cold water in this machine. If you’re worried that you can’t use hot water “to kill germs”, don’t be. A normal full-size washer definitely doesn’t have water hot enough to kill germs either. Think about it - is your washing machine boiling hot? No. The only step of the laundry process that kills germs is using a high heat dryer. But you have an immune system; you’ll be fine with this. I purchased a Rinseroo (another product on Amazon that I randomly found) to fill the washer via my shower head. It is awesome! It has a stretchy end that fits almost any fixture, including shower heads, tub faucets, bathroom sink faucets, and kitchen sink faucets. This was so much easier than trying to find the perfect converter to hook up the provided hose to only one fixture in my apartment. Although it was $20, I highly recommend this accessory for your unit. You can also use it to clean your shower, clean your dog, or fill buckets that won’t fit in your sink. It is quick and easy to attach & take off. It also perfectly matches the blue color on this unit! The unit is fairly light... for a washing machine. If you are elderly or have mobility issues, it may be difficult to move the unit, especially since there are no wheels. The 3-prong cord is pretty short; you will almost definitely need an extension cord. Each of the following were a good-sized load in my many uses today: - 5 women’s blouses - 3 knee-length dresses - 5 bras (they tangle easily) - 1 pair of jeans (could have added a pair of leggings) - A ton of socks - 3 light tops, 1 pair of athletic shorts, 5 pairs of underwear - A light beach towel, 3 washcloths - 2 kitchen towels, 10 washcloths/cleaning cloths The washer got my clothes very clean (no smelly pits). Be aware that this washer will draw dye out of newer dark-colored garments. I washed a pair of jeans that had been washed at least 5 times in a regular washer already, and the drained water was still dark blue. The spin dryer works well, but I feel like some reviewers exaggerate how dry it gets the clothes. They are certainly not sopping wet after use, but they are definitely still damp. You will need to air dry a blouse for 3-4 hours before you could wear it. Add a fan pointed at your drying rack, and then dry time would be about an hour. Lint may become a problem... I have a fine mesh drain cover, which I had to clean out after each load. I’m worried there’s a lot getting through, though, and that it will clog my drain. When I attached pantyhose to the drain pipe, it took way too long to drain, and I removed them. Still looking for a solution to this problem... This unit is almost certainly not allowed by my lease, but desperate times call for desperate measures. The unit operates fairly quietly, and I cover up the small amount of noise by keeping the bathroom fan on during use (probably a good idea anyway). -------------------------------- 8-MONTH UPDATE - I purchased my washing machine in April 2019. It is now December 2019, and it still works great! I have a few updates and additions to my review... 1) Storage - When I'm not using the machine, I usually leave it in my bedroom with the lids open for about a day, and then I store it in a closet. Over the summer, I left the machine in the closet of my college apartment, where the indoor temperature regularly exceeded 80F. I was concerned that mold may grow or that the heat would wear out components, but the machine was totally fine when I returned for the fall semester. 2) Lint catcher - In my first month of owning the machine, the mesh fabric on the lint catcher frayed and came apart. I initially contacted the seller when this happened, and they said that if I could send a photo of the lint catcher, they would send a replacement for free. Well, life happened, and I didn't get around to sending the photo until 3 months later. But still, the seller quickly shipped me a replacement lint catcher, which has held up better. Great customer service! 3) Detergent & additives - It got annoying trying to measure out small quantities from big detergent bottles, so I bought a few plastic hand soap dispensers from Target (Room Essentials Ombre Soap Pump). I have one for detergent (I use 20 pumps in wash cycle), one for Clorox2 (10 pumps in wash cycle), and one for Lysol laundry sanitizer (10-15 pumps in rinse cycle). I also add a big scoop (~1/4 cup) of baking soda and 3 drops of Dawn dish soap to each wash cycle (for odor reasons detailed in #4). I keep all of these things in a small caddy I got at Dollar Tree. 4) Water temperature & smelly pits - I've been having odor issues with many of my shirts; no matter how many times I wash them, the armpits still smell. This was also a problem for me over the summer when I was using a full-size, top-loading washing machine with an agitator - so the problem isn't the mini washing machine. I think the source of the problem is the synthetic materials that many women's clothes are made from nowadays; they hold odors more than cotton. To combat this, I started adding baking soda and dish soap to my wash cycles. I also use very warm water to wash and cold water to rinse now. I think the warm water helps to loosen up body oils that are clinging to the fabric and causing odors. This has helped the problem, and the machine has tolerated the warm water just fine. It acted a little "on the fritz" once or twice, but after I unplugged it and let it rest for a few minutes, I plugged it back in and it continued working as normal. Maybe the motor got a little overheated? 5) Times for washing, rinsing, & spinning - For washing, I fill the wash-side completely with clothes & water and turn the dial to 15. Then, I move the clothes to the spinner and spin them (dial turned to 1) while I drain and refill the wash-side with clean water. I transfer the clothes back to the wash-side and rinse, dial turned to 15. Sometimes I do a second rinse by draining and then refilling the wash-side with clean water. Finally, I transfer the clothes back to the spinner, dial turned to 2. 6) Twin-sized sheets & duvet cover - To allow room for agitation, I do a twin fitted sheet as one load and a twin flat sheet as another load. A twin duvet cover (NOT the insert/comforter) is a little too big to fit, so I put half the duvet cover in (leaving the other half hanging in the spinner), wash as normal, switch the sides around, wash as normal again, spin, rinse in the same half & half way, and spin again. 7) Washer balls - I got a set of 10 washer agitator balls on Amazon (Homstek Washing Ball, Solid Colorful Laundry Ball, 10-Pcs) to help get my clothes extra clean. They did get stained by some dark colored clothes, but they work really well (and haven't stained any other clothes). I'd recommend 2 sets if possible (20 balls total). 8) Rinseroo - I know the Rinseroo has mediocre reviews on Amazon now, but mine still works great attached to my shower head (Amazon: WASSA High Pressure Shower Head - 3 Inch Anti-leak Fixed Chrome Showerhead - Adjustable Metal Swivel Ball Joint). It does have a tiiiiny hole in the stretchy attachment, but it doesn't leak or cause water to shoot out. Overall, I'd still recommend the Rinseroo as an addition to this machine. 9) Shower drain lint catcher - I use a fine mesh cover over my shower drain to catch lint, and it works really well. I haven't had any problems with my drain clogging. However, make sure you clean out the lint from it FREQUENTLY. If too much lint accumulates, water can back up in the bathtub, and the machine will be left sitting in a deep puddle (which could be catastrophic & very dangerous). 10) Convenience - This is probably obvious but... this machine is a lot more work than a full-size washing machine. (But hey, most of us here aren't able to have one of those.) It can get a little tedious to use - put clothes in, fill with water, wash; come back, drain, switch clothes, spin, refill, switch clothes, rinse; come back, drain, switch clothes, spin... Repeat. Still, I'm happy with the purchase and feel that it was worth the money. If this doesn't sound doable for you, consider a mini washing machine that connects to a water source, washes, rinses, and spins automatically (all in one tub), but be aware that these are considerably more expensive. 11) Satisfaction - Overall, I'm still very satisfied with my purchase and would recommend this washing machine. It has held up very well for 8 months, and it has certainly paid for itself by now. Also, all my friends that come over and see it are super intrigued! I would also like to add that this entire review (original and update) contains only my own opinions. I purchased my washing machine at full price with my own money.