Amazon’s Mini Washer-Dryer Frees Apartment Dwellers from Laundromat Letdowns
If you’ve ever had to lug your laundry to the local laundromat every week for an extended period of time, you know what it’s like to fantasize about having your own washer and dryer. The hassle of sitting for hours watching your clothes clean or trying to score an open washer or dryer is enough to drive any apartment dweller crazy. It’s no surprise then that a video of an affordable mini washer and dryer combo went viral on TikTok early last month.
Poster @katallen8 uploaded 43 seconds of video reviewing her new Super Deal Portable Washer-Dryer from Amazon, and it quickly garnered 3.7 million views. It’s compact nature, ability to be used in a bathroom, and under-$200 price point caught the attention of laundromat-weary consumers all over the world.
Here are the specs that make this machine so attractive:
Size
The Super Deal Portable Washer-Dryer is small enough to be tucked into a coat closet at just 23 inches long by 13.5 inches wide by 26 inches tall. And weighing just 26 pounds, it can easily be moved around an apartment, or even carried around on a long-distance RV trip.
Capacity
The washer drum has a 13-pound clothing capacity, which according to @katallen means one load can hold “six pillowcases, two sets of scrubs, and socks.” While that’s certainly not a full traditional load, when you don’t have to leave the comfort of your own home, doing several small loads suddenly seems like much less of a hassle.
The dryer, however, only holds a five-pound load, so some clothes may need to hang on the shower bar or similarly be split up into multiple loads. Some reviewers do warn that the dryer really doesn’t get clothes completely dry – rather, they come out just slightly damp and often still need to hang for a few hours to fully dry out.
Ease of Use
Another plus for this unit is how easy it is to use in any space with waterlines. You don’t even need any kind of insulation. Just connect the hose to a sink, fill the machine with water, and let the rinse water drain into a bathtub, sink, or bucket at the end of the cycle. The controls are also super straightforward, allowing users to choose washer times up to 15 minutes with a five-minute spin cycler timer.
Cost
@katallen told the world she bought the washer-dryer for $196, but interested buyers are in even more luck, as Amazon has since dropped the price to just $154. That makes it a super affordable option for both college students and apartment dwellers across the U.S.
Of course, some of the comments on TikTok reveal that this type of machine has been standard fare for people around the world for many years now.
“It’s so funny seeing people buy this now a days [because] I remember seeing this in my grandma’s house in the Dominican Republic in the countryside,” laughed one commenter. Another said, “Imagine them being ‘in wow’ when that’s what we use in the Caribbean,” while another still added: “Do Americans not know that twin tubs like these are the standard washing machines in most of Africa?”
Even if the U.S. is a little slow to the portable, affordable washer-dryer party, we’ve caught on now and people are excited. One Amazon reviewer raved, “I didn’t believe this machine could do so much. I love it!” and another gushed “We LOVE it! Sure beats sitting in a laundromat and I can get a couple of loads in before I begin my day!” The Super Deal Portable Washer-Dryer is available here for those eager to ditch the laundromat for good.
