We've all faced it at one time or another. You walk into the laundry room, fully weighted down with a bulging basket of dirty clothes, only to discover that every machine is being used ... and there's a queue of other baskets stacked up next to it. Skip the laundry room, head back to the comfort of your apartment and freshen your clothes with these portable washers and drying racks.
WASH
• The Laundry Pod is a manual table top washing machine. Think salad spinner for your socks. You can wash up to 10 garments at a time by placing them inside with a little detergent and water, cranking the handle, and spinning the clothes for a few minutes. Rinse and spin again and you've got clean clothes ready to be dried. Janel first saw it at the Housewares Show last year and now you can purchase it directly from the Laundry Pod website. $99.95
• Avanti Portable Top Load Washer is a small electric litter brother to the standard machine. The unit can be attached to a standard kitchen sink. Available from AJ Madison for $341.
• This Vintage HandyHot Portable Electric Washing Machine from Ebay proves that people have been trying to avoid the laundromat for years! This small electric washer was originally intended for use in an RV but it could be a lifesaver in an apartment. $155
• Panda Portable Compact Washer is another handcrank machine. Found on Amazon, this little washer has gotten overwhelmingly positive reviews from users. $99.99
• The Wonderwash Portable Hand Crank Washing Machine seems a bit smaller and a little more primitive than the others. But at $55 from Compact Appliance, it's worth the money if you're only planning occasional use.
DRY
• This Pegasus V Duo Landry Drying Rack from Leifheit fits over the bathtub,making it great for small spaces! $40
• The thing we love about this Window Clothes Drying Rack from Vermont Country Store is that the drying clothes get the added whitening power of sunlight, even when you can't get outside. $49.95
• If you're lucky enough to have outdoor space, The Laundry Dome from UrbanClothesline.com seems absolutely perfect. The plastic drying shelter allows you to use a drying line even in the rain. And on sunny days the heat created under the shelter would dry the clothes in a jiffy. $99.95
• The D-Rack Clothes Drying Rack, also from UrbanClothesline.com, is compact when you don't need it and expansive when you do. The unit can be attached to a wall or used freestanding. $89.95
• For small spaces, the coat tree shape of the Household Essentials Plastic Drying Rack may be a good fit. With its slender shape, the rack requires little floor real estate. You might even set it up in front of a window. Available from ClotheslineSource.com for $34.99.
• We're a bit obsessed with things that attach to the ceiling so of course we love LOFTi Laundry Drying System. A unique pulley system lowers the rack when you're ready to use it. The New Clothesline Company $79.99
• Moerman Laundry Drying System from Amazon is just your basic drying rack, but with a modern shape and skinny profile. $22.99
• The ANTONIUS Height adjustable clothes dryer from IKEA is a cheaper version of the ceiling mounted rack. $14.99
Images: 1. Shutterstock, All others: As linked above.
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I got the Panda for X-Mas, and I LOVE it. I only go to the laundry mat for blankets now.
For a drying rack I prefer to hang a shower curtain tension rod over the tub. I can easily take it down and stash it in a corner or closet when I'm not using it. So much more compact than actual racks!
I used to handwash nearly everything in the sink out of desperation back when I lived in an apartment where the nearest laundromat was a huge hike away and I had no car. I wish I'd known these existed then!
we actually bought a haier portable washer on amazon for around $189 I think. Its totally automated, and fills from our bathroom sink - drains into the tub. we do all our laundry in it and couldn't be happier. It came complete, didnt need any special fittings or mods to our rental, easy to hook up. We also installed a portable dryer and use the ikea antonius ceiling mounted drying rack over our tub. It feels awesome to have turned our bathroom into a laundry room as well and skipping the coin op laundry room in our building has saved us money even over the increase in our power bill:)
I've got Haier too and it's great. I thought I'd still need to go to the laundromat for towels and blankets but I can wash queen size sheets and a good size load of towels so the only time I have to make the trek is to wash the duvet and pillows (and actually in the summer I wash my pillows in my machine and dry in the hot sun). Highly recommended - it definitely saved this apartment for me, I have no need to move again for a while now.
We got a tiny washer-dryer combo unit (uses condensation to cool the dryer instead of a vent; the hose snaps on to the faucet in our half bath), and have loved it, though it broke down multiple times. It's such an unusual appliance that we got the extended warranty and it's really paid off!
Whenever you're using a compact or portable washer, you have to change your habits a bit to make it work: doing tiny loads more often. I try to do at least one load a day (4 people in our household).
I put a tension bar accross my balcony and hang plastic hangers from it. Total cost: $9. Bam! Take that expensive drying rack, bitches!
I believe this is about to change my little apartment life. Thank you AT!
I usually hand wash with a Wonderwash + spin dryer. Takes about 15 mins to do a load of laundry, plus drying time (which is slashed thanks to the spin dryer taking most of the water out). Here's how I do it: http://www.squidoo.com/doing-laundry-by-hand-in-an-rv I can even do sheets, towels, and jeans this way.
The laundry pod looks useful but also cute! Maybe, one day...
We also have the Haier portable washer on casters, connect it to the kitchen sink, and LOVE it. We even wash our jeans in it and usually hang everything to dry in our apartment. I place small tension shower rods in the doors of our apartment and along with three drying racks and everything dries very quickly. Larger loads go to the laundry room but all the small loads are done in the apartment and that saves $$$$$$.
I used to have a Haier too and it was awesome. I loved it! Just buy the washer thought- I tried to upgrade to the washer/dryer combo and that baby MELTED half of my clothes. And I was able to sell it when I moved into a place with a laundry room. I used it with the Ikea folding drying rack (it's around $20) and rarely had to make the trip to the coin machines.
I had a haier I got for $20 on CL--worked great, but was dirty in hard-to-clean places. Upgraded for a newer haier model... for $40 on CL. I also got a little ventless dryer (also designed for RVs, maybe?) which was also $40 on CL. Basically, CL is a magical wonderland.
Malienne, have you ever seen this?
I have a wonder washer that I used to use all the time when I lived alone. It was pretty fast and the clothes came out cleaner than hand washing in the sink. I put it in storage when I moved in with my boyfriend, but when we move into a bigger apartment I am going to grab it from the storage unit. Makes easy work out of washing stuff by hand and everything dried faster.
I'm in the midst of remodeling a small rowhouse, and don't want to shell out 2400 for a regular washer and dryer. I have a dedicated laundry space with the normal laundry hook up in it. Can these machines be hooked up like regular size machines are? If so, it sure would save me some cash for a while.
When the laundromat down the block burned down, we decided to buy the first of several portable washers that we used throughout our many years as renters. One load filled a large drying rack. We did end up with more lint on our clothes after a while, since dryers remove lint and we didn't have one. Also the towels were stiffer and scratchier than those dried in a drier. But, we didn't have clothes and towels shrinking, or elastic wearing out as often happens using a dryer, so our clothes lasted longer. Our last portable washer was hooked up by the landlord in the basement, and it fell off a wooden pedestal that was used to keep the appliances off the floor. It got unbalanced and just rolled off the pedestal, tipped over, and got smashed.
we hang-dry all out clothes using a two-tiered portable closet. It cost under $ 20 and can handle a full load of laundry. The pants and dresses can hang off the sides and the middle top and bottom can handle shirts, shorts, etc.
the nice thing is that in the winter, it adds a little extra moisture in the air as we heat by firewood.
The Ikea Frost Rack is great. Sturdy, collapsible, and fully expanded can hold a ton of clothes.
$100 for a large salad spinner??
"We've all faced it at one time or another. You walk into the laundry room, fully weighted down with a bulging basket of dirty clothes, only to discover that every machine is being used ... and there's a queue of other baskets stacked up next to it. "
I solved this problem by doing my laundry at less popular times, such as early Saturday or Sunday morning...before the college aged people with 6 loads of wash get out of bed.
I drip dry a LOT of my clothes, anything with a bit of stretch and all by my cheapest cotton knitwear. I picked up a wooden collapsible drying rack at a discount store and set it up in my spare room. I find that the spare room works better as there is more circulation than in the bathroom and I have larger windows to open, as well.
Hmmmm wonder if you could use an old ice cream maker for same purpose??
these are pretty great. i used to just drop my wash off at the laundry it's not that expensive.
I also have a Haier, and I love it, although mine comes unbalanced all the time (possibly because the floor is very slanted). I strongly recommend getting a shower valve diverter (like for adding a handheld shower), and then screwing a shower-thread (I think 1/2 inch?) to hose-thread (3/4") adapter into that to attach the hose. That way, you can switch from washer to shower just by turning the valve lever. We leave ours hooked up all the time.
Oh, and for drying-- I screwed an old shoe rack into the ceiling over the bathtub. I painted it white to blend in and most of the time, no one even knows it's there!
I noticed the comment on here a few days ago about small washers and got really excited. I'm thinking about doing it, but there is no way I am getting a hand crank one. At that point you might as well be hand washing them.
I got a LOFTi and DUO from the New Clothesline Company for Christmas and I absolutely LOVE it. It works great in my small laundry room because Its out of the way being mounted on the ceiling. I used to have a drying rack that was on the floor and It was always in the way and taking up much needed space in my tiny apartment. The colors are really fun and colorful!!
Also I'm looking forward to a drop in my electric bill.
This is what I lust after: http://www.amazon.com/Danby-DTT420-Portable-Washing-Machine/dp/B000N29VGY . Little portable twin tub washing machine. One tub to wash and rinse, one tub to spin dry so my clothes aren't heavy and dripping when I hang them to dry. It seems generally equivalent to having a mini washer and separate spin dryer, but in a more convenient package. Though the cleaning mechanism of the wonder washer, pressuring the water through the clothes, seems more efficient for cleaning than just agitation, and two separate machines would be better for replacement if things break. Just thinking aloud; I don't have my own place, yet, but I obviously spend a lot of time daydreaming about it.
I wish I had known about these options when I was a renter!! I loathed my rental's laundry facility (in my building, just one washer and dryer) and the charge to use the machine was outrageous. Once my husband (boyfriend at the time) bought his own house, I used to come over on the weekends to do my laundry. I LOVE doing laundry, so it was always frustrating to have to deal with the rental machines.
The worst was when my clothes came out smelling like beer -- evidently someone had poured beer into the washer before I used it. Or, perhaps they were angry I was using the machine when they wanted to use it, so they poured it in while it was washing!
I'd like to correct one thing in this very informative article. The Panda countertop washing machine IS NOT a hand-crank machine like the other countertop models. It runs on electricity and has a dial to adjust the washing time from 0 to 15 minutes.
I think there are (at least) two Pandas.
The one shown in this post < http://www.amazon.com/Panda-Portable-Compact-Washing-Capacity/dp/B005GM942C
> is the hand-crank machine.
There is also an electric washer-dryer combo Panda < http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00AW04ZMM/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=AAYRN0Q0DC498
>, which Amazon says just launched in Jan 2013 ... sadly, it has no reviews yet!
It looks like it MIGHT be the answer to all my woes, or it might be a box of frustration.
If anybody has any personal experience with the electric Panda, I would be so thankful for your input!!!
Ah! I'm wrong, and Furniture Painted on the Walls is right!
The Panda IS NOT a hand-crank machine.
I have the Haier portable washer and recently also just purchased the dryer. Both are fantastic and I'm able to wash everything at home except for duvets!
I am trying to find a way to organize my apartment with these portable units. The bathroom is too small to permanently house the washing machine and dryer. Anyone have any suggestions?