apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Love my Malber -- on my second one! (First also doubled as a dryer, but the dryer never worked well, so got a washer only for the replacement) BTW, my first one lasted over 10 years!

Whichever brand you get, get a front loader -- the littel top loaders are terrible. Had a Sanyo for a long time -- durable, but much harder on the clothes.

Before you invest in a washer you should ask your landlord if you can have a washer - most don't allow it and if they find you out they will insist you get rid of it or terminate your lease.

The problem with your apt is that its so old - I had a washer in my previous rental and though I lived in a 1950s bldg on the 5th flr, when I used the washer it would back up into the 1st flr tenant's sink as the plumbing would not allow for 20-30 gallons of water to be quickly rushed down into the drain pipe (major reason why landlords don't allow them). I had to get rid of it.

I now purchased a co-op and I've researched other small counter height washers - the combo which also dries - most of the European ones use less water and the speed in which it is dumped out is slower so this might not happen with them but I still haven't actually purchased one since their prices are 2 to 3 times more expensive than standard washing machines. Check out Asko, LG, Haier and Bosch just to name a few on the web. Good luck.

Yes, make sure you sink can handle it.
My friend bought one of these and hooked it up, began a load only to find the water rushing out a a rate faster than her drain, while she scurried to find pots and buckets to fill and dump into her shower drain. total disaster.

I have a wonder wash, and I love it. I don't use it for heavy things like jeans or sheets and towels, but for all of my other laundry uses it works pretty well. However - it leaves your clothes sopping wet, so I had to get a spin "dryer" too in order to wring my clothes out. it takes some elbow grease and a chunk of time every week, but I"m really happy to have the wonder wash!

I wrote up a review about it over at www.tinychoices.com recently:
http://tinychoices.com/?p=34

Mid-C-Frank:
I have been looking at the Malber washer/dryer combo and
the 2 separate units that I can stack. Which one do you have? Can you share more details about where you hook it up etc.

Thanks.

I bought one of these in 1999 and it's still going strong.

http://www.equatoronline.com

I am sure they must be a little different now though (mine is white and I had castors put on the bottom because I have to move it to the kitchen sink to use it).

Usually I don't use the dryer because it takes a while. Since this spins at 1000 RPMs in the spin cycle, the clothes are almost dry when they come out. So I put them on hangers in my shower, and drying racks.

I must have gotten the bigger of the two choices. Mine is ventless which means it does not need to be vented to the outside.


One time it did break down, my Martha Stewart bathmat's rubber backing disintegrated and clogged up the machine. The repairman drained the water and cleaned it out though. I only use cold water also, that is just my preference.

My downstairs neighbor prefers I do not run this late at night. This building is so old and he can hear my kitchen floor vibrating when it's in the spin cycle. Mostly that is because I have the castors on it. They're noisy. If I had it installed permanently (it can fit under a kitchen counter) that would not be a problem.

Also when the installer first brought it to my apartment, he hooked up the hoses to it - the one that goes from the back of the washer/dryer to the sink - and it turns out, it needed 2 washers not one! So, where the hose attaches to the machine - it needs 2 washers there. And also you need 2 washers for the spigot thing on the end of the hose, that snaps onto my kitchen faucet.

You can't go out while this is running. When the wash cycle ends you need to turn off your kitchen faucet. The pressure will really build up if you don't.

The exhaust hose is where the used water comes shooting out. I put that in my sink and duct tape it down - Scotch tape isn't enough - believe me ;-) The water comes shooting out so fast so your sink has to be deep enough. My kitchen sink is just a standard sink and it's fine. A bathroom sink would be too small I imagine.

Back when I bought this it was $950. A local appliance store let me buy it on layaway.

Right Angle -- I had the combo unit, but replaced it with a washer-only unit. The dryer does not work well -- the best dryers are vented and run on 220 volts (requiring a special outlet) -- the standard wall outlet 110 current just doesn't cut it for drying. So I hang most things to dry, or if desparate, use the dryers in our nasty basement laundry room.

My machine is hooked to the kitchen sink -- originally I rolled it about but later determined that I coudl give up a littel under-the-counter space next to the sink and put it there -- I run the hose through holes sut into the very old counters -- but still connect to the faucet.

You can barely see it in the last picture of my kitchen here:

http://kitchen.apartmenttherapy.com/food/small-cool-2007-entries/9-franks-colorful-collection-021510

I have a Haier XQBM22 which I'm very satisfied with. It's portable enough to move around if you don't have a permanent space for it near the sink. I can fit 2 pairs of jeans and about 4-5 tops in one load. Pretty convenient if you live alone and don't like to pile up dirty clothes until laundry day. I got it from Amazon w/free shipping a couple of years ago. You just hook it up to the faucet (either kitchen or bathroom) and there's a hose that you can hang over the edge of the sink or tub for the water to drain. Haier makes several different sizes and the reviews for the XQBM22 are pretty good at amazon. Funniest thing though, it uses Jingle Bells as a signal that the wash is done. Makes me laugh everytime.

I like the idea of having a little washer, does anyone have a dishwasher that you can hook up to your sink??

I'm curious too- does a dishwasher use less water than a very efficient washing machine? Our building doesn't allow washing machines, but they do allow dishwashers. (the pipes ARE old, but I'd love to get around this some way...)

Sears and Whirlpool sell an apartment sized top loader washer. The washer comes with casters and a faucet coupling. I used mine for 17 years until I gave it to my neice and purchased a Whirlpool duet front loader washer. The machine is now 23 years old and still operating. The washer and dryer are sold separately, so you'll need to make space for the dryer if you want one.

The machine measures about 30 inches wide by 24 or so inches deep by 30 inches tall. For many years I kept the washer next to my kitchen range which with a butcher block on top of it, gave me more counter space. The hoses, which hook on the back of the machine, were just long enough to reach over to the nearby sink without moving the machine. I kept the dryer in a closet in my dining area.

The machines were large enough to handle most loads except comforters. Yet small enough to be tucked away somewhere. Today there are single washer dryer units made by LG and some other manufacturers. I'm told they have higher capacities while being similarly compact.

Good luck with your search.

Regarding washer waste water discharge. The top loader Kenmore washer I noted, uses substantially more water than my current Whirlpool Duet. However, its discharge rate is not so fast and huge that most sinks would overflow. Just make sure that when you are washing, there are no dishes, washcloths or other items in the sink. The water discharge has a tendency to float items and then land them in the sink drain, blocking the sink for the next drain cycle and potentially causing a flood. Been there, done that.

Also use low suds detergent, this will prevent issues of soap bubbles invading other sinks in your building's plumbing system. A lint strainer on your discharge hose will prevent lint from potentially creating clogs in your drain lines.

I've been using an Avanti W797 washer for about 2 months and I love it. It holds up to a 12-pound load, which is perfect for just two people.

Two tips for using it: it defaults to two rinse cycles, which uses a LOT of water. I recently started setting it to one rinse cycle and that seems to work fine, cutting the machine's total water use by 1/3. (It fills once to wash then twice to rinse.)

My other tip is to make sure you put the foot down when it's running, otherwise the spin cycle will make it stroll across the floor, pulling the drainage hose out and causing a major flood when it drains. Ask me how I know about this tip.

I also bought a small GE dryer on casters. It's a vented dryer, which is supposed to dry better than a non-vented condensation dryer. Our apartment has no dryer vent, but I picked up a $30 indoor vent thing that works suprisingly well.

I bet a full size dishwasher uses the same amount of

..oops sorry I guess I hit the submit button... I think these water-saving washers use the same amount of water as a dishwasher. These building rules about dishwashers being OK to have but not clothes washers are out of date. Maybe they are afraid some people will get gigantic washing machines that use 45 gallons of water.


It's easy to find the right kind of powdered soap these days, because so many people have front-loading machines now. Back in 1999 I had to get my detergent at Sears.

The Equator company used to make a small dishwasher that was about the size of a microwave and sat on the counter. It hooked up to the kitchen sink like my washer. It was $250. I didn't buy one, now it's no longer shown on their site. I wish I had it now.

I have a wonder wash and love it! I do towels and jeans in it too (several pairs at a time). It cleans well, but not so much for really dirty stuff (as you might expect), and uses very little water. I wring stuff out lightly and hang up to dry. I would do sheets in it, but they don't dry fast enough in my apartment so I still have to dry them.

Wonder wash (aka wonder clean: http://www.lehmans.com/jump.jsp?itemID=1600&itemType=PRODUCT&path=1%2C2%2C127%2C284&KickerID=77&KICKER)
also uses very little soap (and you could use other soaps than just laundry). It's not electric or anything more than a big plastic drum that has a pressure type cap on it (how it claims to clean).

DO NOT BUY ANYTHING FROM THE LAUNDRY ALTERNATIVE INC. This is the absolute worst company to purchase items online from. They have awful customer service representatives who are so rude and unhelpful. I simply emailed them to ask them how long my order would take to arrive, and I was called difficult and unfriendly. I’m not sure what I did wrong… it was just a question. The wonderwash doesn’t do much more than what you could do in a bucket or in the sink, and it is just as much work. The spin dryer really doesn’t cut down on drying time enough to spend $150 on it. Also, this company has no interest whatsoever in being environmentally friendly. They are simply trying to make money by overcharging for very simple items. Please research the company before doing business with them. MANY OTHER CUSTOMERS HAVE HAD SIMILAR PROBLEMS AND WORSE.