Wonderful little machine

OK first let me start off by saying that anyone with anything negative to say about this machine must either have a defective model or is using the machine improperly. It is what it is...a compact washing machine. If you are expecting the machine to wash a huge load of clothes the same as a full sized washer look elsewhere...otherwise if you are like me with limited space and are just looking for a few clean clothes this washing machine is a winner.

This little machine is fantastic. I don't know how I lived so long without this. I live in NYC and technically we are not permitted to have washing machines. However after years of schlepping heaps of dirty laundry downstairs to the community laundromat and seeing some nasty things down there (bugs in the washing machines....ewww, mildew inside the washing machine windows, etc) not to mention the loads of $$$ wasted I decided to bite the bullet and buy a small washing machine. I just had a baby and refused to wash her clothes down there and honestly I'm tired of fighting for washers, dryers and spending so much $$$. So I was able to find this fabulous little machine on Craigslist for a whopping $50!!!

I figured what the heck...if it doesn't work it's only $50 but to my surprise this machine is absolutey fantastic. Now with that said keep in mind this is a compact washing machine...DO NOT OVERLOAD! If you use the washing machine correctly you will get sparkling clean clothes in the comfort of your own home. Here are some suggestions:

I prefer to wash with the water set on the medium level. High makes the water rise too much and in my opinion the clothes do not wash as well. Although I have washed a few loads on high with decent results I have received the best results with clothes washed on the medium level.

First with that said do not overload. My husband is a big guy (XXL shirts and size 38 waist pants) I typically do one pair of his jeans and maybe 3 or 4 of his t-shirts at a time. Towels I do one or two medium sized towels and maybe 2 or 3 tshirts. Not a lot but pretty good for a small sized machine. Now with my baby's clothes I'm able to do pretty much 4 days worth of onesies, socks, pj's, clothes etc with no problem. With my clothes (size 12 women) I can fit considerably more than with my husbands...lets say 3 or 4 workpants and a shirt or a few shirts etc. Whites I can do a decent size like 5 tshirts and 4 pairs of socks. Not bad at all.

Second I use high efficiency detergent. A little goes a long way. If you use high sudsing detergent like Tide or Cheer use only a quarter of a cap full. If you use too much detergent it will create too many suds and cause the machine to overflow and not wash as well. Personally I prefer Method detergent. It's HE, Eco Friendly and smells wonderful. I use the regular Method for me and my Husband and the baby Method for my Daughter. I do use fabric softener (again Method softener) I put a little in the Downy ball and it works perfect.

Third this machine washes clothes very clean if you follow the instructions above. I have seen white socks with black bottoms come out looking like new not to mention some questionable stains come out fabulously.

This washing machine is extremely compact...about 17" wide by 17" deep by 2.5 feet high. I am constantly doing laundry so I pretty much keep it stationary in my small kitchen and it fits perfectly. You can purchase castors for it to move it around easily if you wish but for me I keep in one spot and use it about 1-2x a day depending.

I have never had any leaks on the machine. Inititally we had to purchase an extra adaptor piece for our faucet in order to make the hose fit snug enough since our faucet is ancient. Another plus with this machine is that it spins the clothes so well they come out basically damp. I hang them on a drying rack and within a few hours everything is pretty much dry. Jeans and towels of course take longer than t-shirts but that is a given. I make sure to take the wet clothes out as soon as I hear the beep so that they don't get too wrinkled...another benefit is that this machine has a bell type signal to let you know when the clothes are done. If you are concerned about noise don't be. On top of everything else this machine is extremely quiet even on the spin cycle.

Overall I give this machine 5 stars. Hands down this has been the best purchase I have made in a long time if ever. I reccomend this machine to everyone I know without laundry facilities. It's definitely worth it's weight in gold.