Awesome little machine! Well worth it's weight in gold!

First if you are hesitant about buying this machine.....don't be! I'm the research queen...I research everything from appliances to diapers. So needless to say I did a lot of research before deciding to buy this machine.

Like many other people looking at portable washers I live in an apartment with no washer/dryer hook up. Technically we are not permitted to have washing machines but I just had a baby 4 months ago and refused to wash her clothes in the community laundromat. Trust me in the past 9 years I have been washing clothes in the laundromat I have seen some nasty looking things put in those washing machines. I wash my clothes and my Husbands clothes in the laundromat but wouldn't chance it for a baby. So for the past 4 months my Mom was schlepping my daughters clothes back and forth washing them at her house. It became inconvenient when there were outfits I needed that were dirty and I had to wait for my Mom to finish washing her clothes not to mention that I felt bad having my Mom do extra work. Also the laundromat can add up. On average we spend $10-15 a week washing laundry. This is on the low end of laundromat prices but still adds up.

I was a little hesitant at first because some of the reviews were mixed but lucky me I happened to find someone selling this machine used on Craigslist for $50. I couldn't pass up that deal so I snatched it right up and figured....what they hey...if it doesn't work out its only $50. I think so far this is the best $50 I have ever spent.

First...installation was a breeze. I have an ancient faucet in my kitchen so my Husband went to Home Depot and found an attachment that would accomodate the water hose. After that he hooked it up to my sink and plugged it in. It was as simple as that. I was a little scared because I read some reviews on overflowing, noise, etc. and was worried that I would flood the machine and wake up my neighbors but I was sorely mistaken.

This little machine is extremely silent. For the first load I did my Husbands lab coat, 3 XXL white t-shirts and 2 pairs of white sweat socks. I set the water level to medium added in a half a cap full of Method HE detergent and let it rip. I stood next to the machine waiting for the inevitable but it never happened. My Husband was 20 feet away in the living room with my daughter and I asked him to let me know if he heard the machine during the wash and spin. He heard nothing. 40 minutes later the wash was done and the white clothes were sparkling...I added no bleach. For the second load I did one pair of mens jeans size 38 and two bath towels (thick towels significantly sized). I set the water level to high and everything washed fine. I did notice however when you set the water level to high the clothes rise and in my opinion didn't was as good as the first load but still came out pretty clean. For the second load I did my daughters snow suit, her thick chenille blanket, a velour hat and 4 bibs. I tried the quick wash for this and it came out perfect. Personally unless your loads are extremely soiled I don't see why you would need to use anything other than quickwash. My daughters snowsuit had a little stain of formula on it and when I checked it after it washed the stain was gone. No pre-treating and if you have kids you know how formula can stain. I also decided to get a little brave and add some softener in the Downy ball and it worked like a charm.

My suggestions would be to not overload. It's a small machine not a full size machine so don't over stuff and don't expect it to wash a huge load. Also use HE detergent. Method is an awesome little detergent that cleans very well, can be found at Target and is eco-friendly. Also if possible keep the water level at medium.

Personally if you are a small family say 3 or less and keep on top of your laundry (a load or two a day) or every other day this is perfect. My Husband and I already decided that this is perfect and when another little one comes along we will probably upgrade to the 8lb version of this but for now this is a lifesaver. It's extremely small (17" wide, 17" deep, 29" tall)...it almost looks like a play toy and it's also pretty light. My Husband carried it down 4 flights of stairs himself and it fit in the back of my Nissan Murano standing up.