Apartment size washers and dryers - a review of the wonder washer

If you live in an apartment and do not have the hook up for a washer/dryer unit you still have some options besides going to the laundromat every time you want to wash clothes. The wonder washer is a 3 gallon bucket with a spinning mechanism that will allow you to wash a few items of clothing at a time. Typically, for one load, you can fit in either several pieces of underwear or 3 pairs of pants for example.

Below are some pros and cons for using the wonder washer. At the end of the day, I think the pros outweigh the cons and that the wonder washer is a good investment if you do not use it every time you need to wash. Only use it for small items and alternate this with going to the Laundromat.

Pros-

• Very economical. The wonder washer costs $50 on average when you comparison shop with multiple vendors. The typical apartment size washing machine will cost anywhere from $250- $700. After the actual purchase, the wonder washer will continue to be money saving. For example, if you are able to cut you family trips to the Laundromat just in half, you might save as much as $500 at the end of the year. Indeed the cost of washing ($1.50-2.00) and then drying ($1.50-2.00) a load of clothing at the Laundromat may cost up to $4.00 for each load.
• Lightweight and portable.
• Convenient.

Cons-

• The wonder washer offers no drainage so you will have to pick it up at the end of the soap cycle, pour the water out and refill for the rinse cycle. Then pour the water out once more, wring the clothing out by hand and place the clothes on a line or holder to dry. Alternatively you might have a dryer, purchases separately from a washing machine and you can use it. It might be best to make laundry day the same day as bathroom cleaning day. In the morning, you can do the laundry and pour the dirty water into your bathtub. In the afternoon, you can give your bathtub a good scrub down, cleaning it thoroughly with bleach.
• All the above makes washing with the wonder washer very time consuming. It takes a lot of time to wash very few clothing items.

With all the pros and cons in consideration, I definitely recommend the wonder washer to anyone who does not own a home with a washer/dryer and who does not rent an apartment with a washer/dryer hook up. Even if your home is conveniently located near a Laundromat, you might prefer using the wonder washer on some weekend days and save a few bucks while you're at it. If you have to travel a great distance to get to a Laundromat, the wonder washer would be all the more beneficial for you to use.