Best Portable Washing Machines

A portable washing machine is useful in a number of situations. Say you're traveling in a mobile home or other recreational vehicle. Or maybe you're a student in a dormitory, or renting an apartment: it's not exactly fun having to carry your laundry to a laundromat or share a washing machine with everyone else: you either have to babysit the thing, waiting for it to finish, or, if you leave it alone, you have to get your laundry out as soon as it finishes. On the other hand, a portable washer offers great versatility: it can get its water from just a kitchen or bathroom sink. The dirty, soapy water can drain out of the machine right into your sink. If you simply don't have access to a full-size washing machine, or it's too expensive for you at the moment, it's worth investigating the types of portable machines available. Here is a guide to some of the best portable washing machines on the market.  

• Front load: In this version, the drum that holds the clothes rotates around the horizontal axis. This has the following advantages:

• It uses less water, since it dunks the clothes in the water and takes them out on every revolution. That gets the clothes cleaner more quickly than the top-load version.

• They generally have a bigger capacity than the top-load version. You can get more clothes cleaned per load.

• They spin dry at a faster speed, so the clothes take less time to dry.

• Top-load: In this version, the drum spins along a vertical axis. (The "vertical axis" will be this cone-shaped pole in the middle of the drum. That takes up some space, so you are forced to wash smaller loads.) But there are also drums that rotate from an external pulsator, from outside the drum. That allows the size of the load to be comparable to that of the front-load machine. The Panda XPB45 Compact Washing Machine is a top-loading model which uses such an agitator—this allows it to wash a surprising amount of clothing at once.

• Water supply: We can also distinguish between how the machine gets water. Some (for example, the Haier HLP21N Pulsator) allow you to fill the machine with water by means of a pail, and will start as soon as there is enough water in the bin. Others will hook up to any faucet in your house.

• Power supply: Finally, there are two sources of power available: They can run on electricity, or they can be powered by footpedals, by means of which you spin the drum. The EasyGo Mobile Hand Powered washing machine has a hand crank that you turn, to rotate the drum. This way, you can wash your clothes even if you have no access to electricity!

Based on all the consumers' reviews we've scanned, these are the top things they mentioned about their new stuff:

• Easy installation: Some washing machines require only hooking up an inlet hose to your kitchen or bathroom sink. But if the machine doesn't heat the water itself, you might need a splitter that takes water from both the hot and cold water faucets. The Midea 1.6 Cubic Feet Portable Washing Machine is such a model.

• Quiet: Some models of portable washing machines are surprisingly quiet. The Midea Portable Washing Machine will not interfere with you watching TV or other activities. Some machines do rattle a bit when going through the spin-dry cycle.

• Rolls out of the way: There are some models of washing machines that are on wheels. Since they are rather compact, you can slide them into a cabinet when not in use, to save space.

• Typical controls: A portable washing machine will not offer a lot of washing programs. Typically there will be a timer for washing, and a spin-drying timer, and possibly a water-temperature control. You'll have to match the timings to the types of fabrics you intend to wash.

• Wash and spin-dry: Some washing machines are fully automatic, in that they'll do the wash and spin-dry in the same bin. However, you'll notice that some machines (like the Panda XPB45) have one bin for washing, and another bin for spin drying (and you still have to hang it up to dry). And you can't fit all the clothes that you just washed into the spin-dry bin. But they also have a fully automatic machine as well (for example, the Panda Portable Washer PAN70SW).

• Washer capacity: You should note what is the capacity of the washing machine. The Panda PAN70SW comes in three sizes: 3 kg, 5 kg, and 7 kg. The Midea 1.6 Cubic Feet Washing Machine can fit a normal sized basket of laundry. It's also not recommended to fill the machine to capacity, so that the clothes come out more clean.

Haier—is a Chinese multinational consumer electronics and home appliances company. They were founded in 1984, and their headquarters is located in Qingdao, China. They make refrigerators, freezers, air conditioners, TVs, washing machines, and more.

Giantex—are makers of sports and fitness goods, as well as home appliances such as heaters and washing machines, and office supplies.

Midea—was founded in 1968, and is a group of companies, including Midea Scott and English Electronics, and Midea Refrigeration. They make electric and electronic home appliances and air conditioners. They are based in Malaysia, but are expanding with production facilities in South America, the Middle East and Eastern Europe.

Panda—are makers of mini, compact and portable washers and dryers, as well as dishwashers. Their appliances are perfect for apartment buildings, condos, and dormitories, where there is limited space, or when traveling. They are located in Markham, Ontario.