Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Our apartment doesn't have the room, or the plumbing for a standard clothes washer, so we were delighted to find this compact little unit that could be rolled out when needed, and put back in the closet and out of the way when it's not. SETUP IS EASY! Setting it up after purchase literally takes just a couple of minutes. You just screw on a base plate, add the caster wheels, stick on the hose and tap connector, and you're ready to go! You don't need to be handy to handle this machine at all. HOW BIG IS THE TUB INSIDE? DOES IT CLEAN WELL? I was unsure how well such a small machine would clean, but I was really surprised at what a good job it does. Don't be fooled by how small, or how simple it looks. It may not appear to be doing much during the wash and rinse cycles, but it really is. Clothes come out great! It has a plate in the bottom of the tub that twists and spins rather than a centre agitator like many machines, so it is much gentler on clothes. You can also fit more clothes in it than in a machine with a centre agitator. It seems tiny, but it can wash a queen-size flat sheet, a fitted sheet and two pillow cases at the same time easily. I wash queen-size polar fleece blankets in the machine with no problems. Recently I washed a puffy fuzzy bath mat with a rubber backing and found the machine did a great job. The last bath mat I tried to wash in a machine with a centre agitator ripped the rubber off the back of the mat in tiny pieces (what a mess to clean up in the washer!), but this machine is gentle enough to leave the rubber intact while thoroughly cleaning it. Needless to say I was very impressed. DETERGENTS, FABRIC SOFTENERS, ETC. You can also use any detergent you wish, though low-sudsing is best. Tide Pods are super in this little machine, but liquid and powder cleaning agents also work well. Crystal or bead scent products such as Downy Unstoppables are also safe to use in this machine. Fabric softeners can be put into something like a Downy Ball, as there is no automatic fabric softener dispenser, or you can add fabric softener during the rinse cycle yourself. IS IT NOISY? DOES THE SPIN CYCLE WORK WELL? The washer is very quiet during the wash and rinse cycles, but can be a bit more noisy during the spin cycle. No worries though - the spin cycle is short and very effective. There are no clanks or bangs, just more of a loud whirring sound for a minute or two. The spin cycle on this little machine is amazing! Clothes are powerfully spun and can either be hung to dry (without any fear of water dripping out of them, as they're alreay half dry), or placed in a dryer with absolutely no additional wringing needed. It's every bit as good as a full-size washing machine. IT'S STURDY! This machine is quite sturdy and doesn't move around when in use. It's on caster wheels that have little "brakes" on them if needed, but we've never applied the brakes and use ours on smooth lino where it stays put on its own. The only time it seems to have ever moved was during a spin cycle where the clothes in the tub became off-balance. It moved about an inch, and then beeped at me to open the machine and rebalance the load before continuing its cycle. HOW DOES IT COMPARE TO A "TWIN TUB" WASHER? Before buying this washer I looked at a twin tub portable version from another company. It was cheaper, but clothes are washed in one tub and have to be manually moved over to the other tub for spinning. A special piece of plastic is put on top of it all and set to spin. Having to move the clothes over was an extra step I thought unnecessary and a time-waster. I wanted a machine I could put my clothes into and walk away, knowing it was doing all the washing, rinsing and spinning on its own. It's well worth the few extra dollars for a single-tub machine. I also prefer the electronic controls on this washer over the manual dials that many of the twin-tub machines have. IT IS GOING TO FIT IN MY KITCHEN OR BATHROOM? The compact size of this washer is wonderful. We have a galley kitchen with less than a 3.5 foot pathway between both sides. This machine sits nicely in front of the kitchen sink and still has plenty of room to get past it, so you can go about your business in the kitchen and wash clothes at the same time. GREAT FOR YOUR OWN USE OR AS A GIFT TO A NEWLYWED COUPLE OR NEW MOM OR DAD I highly recommend this portable washer, as it's good value for the price, and fits into our little apartment with ease. They also make good wedding and baby gifts to those like us who have limited space and/or can't hook up full-size appliances. This washer would also be good for a cabin, RV, or college dorm. We bought the Haier HLP140E 2-3/5-Cubic-Foot Compact Tumble Vented Dryer to go with this washer and love it too! (Please note that I did not purchase my machine through Amazon as a big-box home improvement store was offering free delivery on this product at the time of purchase, however I would be very confident purchasing through Amazon and feel the delivery cost is actually worth the price for this great product.)