Update! (My original review is below)
After using this washer for several months now, I wanted to update my review. I use this little thing almost daily, and it is still working like a champ! It was absolutely worth every penny. The only issues I've had have been 100% operator errors. If you pay attention to the size of load that you try to wash, and if you don't try to make this machine do more than it was designed to do, it should work great and last a good long while.
The one "major problem" I had turned out to be total user error. I squashed way too much into the spin side, and a sock fell out of the spinner into the cabinet under it. That is where water drains to before it goes into the drain hose. The sock blocked the opening to the drain hose, but I thought the whole machine had just stopped draining. Nope. Once I realized what had happened, I was able to nudge the spinner over just enough to reach down inside the cabinet and get the sock. Then it worked perfectly again.
I am currently washing probably my millionth load in this washing machine, and it works exactly as it did when I first got it. Without a full size washing machine, this little gem has been a total life saver.
Big take-aways: Keep in mind that this is a COMPACT washer. It was not designed to wash full-size load. Not even close. It is only able to handle VERY small loads, and you may have to experiment with that to know exactly how much it can wash at one time. Your idea of "small" and the machine's idea of "small" might be very different. It will wash small loads very well if you don't over-fill it.
It can handle AT MOST about two pairs of adult jeans OR two big bath towels OR a few T shirts OR a couple of hoodies. After filling the wash side, watch it as it agitates. If the clothes don't move around freely in the water, you have over-loaded it. Take some of the clothes out and try again. Also, the spin side won't necessarily handle everything that the wash side will. When I wash two pairs of jeans, I always have to spin them separately, one at a time.
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(Tips at the bottom of this review)
MY INITIAL EXPERIENCE:
First, be easy on this machine. It is not a typical residential washer. Just because you can stuff the wash tub and spin tub to capacity doesn’t mean that won’t break the machine. This takes some patience and some getting used to. If you overload it, it’s going to break. If the clothes don’t move and agitate freely in the wash tub, it’s overloaded. If the spin tub knocks, it’s off balance. Any washer does this when a load is off balance.
CHECK YOUR MACHINE before you use it just to be sure the wash tub and spin tub are clean inside. I believe my machine was either a return from another buyer, or else it had dampness inside the wash tub for some other reason. There was a LOT of mildew inside the wash tub around the top when I unboxed it. If I wasn't so big on inspecting things, I would not have seen it until probably much later, and I would have assumed it was from dampness after my own use.
I cleaned off the mildew using a disinfectant cleaner and a sponge, and it came off completely. I was OK with that, even though I remain a bit annoyed at having to clean up a mess before I could use what I had assumed that I bought new. I don't know for a fact that my machine was a return. All I know is that there was mildew inside. It could theoretically have come from being stored in a humid environment, I suppose.
WHAT TO EXPECT FROM ITS PERFORMANCE:
This is a LIGHT-duty washing machine, and it works perfectly fine for what it is. Although it says that it dries, what they really mean is that it spins. This is NOT a washer dryer combination machine, but I knew that when I bought it. It spins shockingly well. Clothes come out very much like they do with a full size machine. I'm super happy about that. Wringing out wet clothes sucks, and I don't have to do that. Because I am a fusser, I did lift the lid while it was spinning. I was happy to learn that the spin cycle shuts off if you lift the lid. If it's unbalanced, you can lift the lid and adjust the clothes.
This machine does spin, but not in the wash tub. When you drain the wash tub you will need gravity. The spin tub is separate -- the washing side of the machine where most of the water is does not spin.
If you put the machine inside a bathtub, you'll want to elevate it with something. That will keep water from running under the machine and risking electric shock or ruining the machine. I set mine on a platform beside the bathtub and dropped the drain hose over into the tub. It works fine that way.
If you have ordinary loads, this machine will handle them. If you wash a lot of jeans and sweatshirts, plan to spend a lot of time babysitting your laundry. You'll have to do them in multiple VERY small loads (one or two pieces per load) or else you'll burn up the motor and your clothes will not come clean because the machine won't be able to agitate them. Even if the amount of clothes will fit, the machine won't clean them if you add several heavy pieces. I'm looking at you, Levis and hoodies.
My first load was several small pieces. It washed totally fine. I washed several pairs of socks, several pairs of underwear, three basic T shirts, one short nightgown, and a couple of small hand towels together. The machine handled this load with ease.
On my second load, I washed two pairs of size 12 (American) women's Levis, and that is all. The machine did not like this load one little bit. It struggled HARD to agitate them. I added more water than I should have just to free up the clothes a bit and take some of the burden off of the motor, and I watched the machine like a hawk the whole time. I will wash jeans one-at-a-time from here on out. The spin cycle was fine spinning out one pair of jeans at a time.
This machine will not handle adult blankets and other similar heavy things. The wash cycle won't agitate them, and you'll burn up the motor trying. It should work fine for a basic set of full size sheets. I'll be finding out later today. :)
Spinning the clothes is interesting. If you wash what this machine considers a full load, which is much smaller than a full load in a big machine, you can wash them all together. But when you spin them, you'll need to spin a few pieces at a time. I broke up my first load into three groups. The spin tub is about half the size of the wash tub.
HOW TO USE IT:
The instruction booklet will give you the most basic of basic information, but it will not really tell you how to use the machine. You will want to watch some review videos (videos are priceless, trust me) and read reviews if you really want to know how to make it work in the real world. I would have made a video, but my bathroom is too small. I watched several videos before I used it the first time, so I had a basic understanding of the machine. This is definitely a participation-required kind of laundry experience. But that works for me because I've always been fussy about washing clothes anyway.
This machine is a twin tub. It has one tub for washing, and a separate tub for spinning. The instructions do not really explain exactly how to do this. I developed my own method.
First, I fill the wash tub using the fill hose (it worked for me), and add detergent. I only used about 1/4 of the amount of detergent that I'd use in a big machine. I fill the tub to the "H" level marked inside the tub and add my clothes. Close the lid, turn the "Select Switch" dial (the one that says Soft, Standard, and Drain). Soft is for a gentle wash. Then turn the "Wash Timer" dial for anywhere from a 1 to 15 minute wash. The instructions tell you to turn on the machine before you begin. There is no power switch. Trust me, I looked. Turning the Wash Timer dial starts the machine. Only turn the dial clockwise, and don't try to force the timer back or ahead once it has started.
The machine will NOT automatically drain when the cycle ends. The cycle will stop, then you'll need to manually turn the "Select Switch" to the Drain settling. Water will come pouring out of the drain hose. I have my machine sitting on a platform beside the bathtub so gravity helps the water drain out.
After those steps are done, move some of the clothes over into the spin tub. Put the little plastic cover over the clothes and press down on it a little. The cover is the loose plastic piece with perforations through it. Then close the machine lid. Switch the "Spin Timer" dial to however many minutes you like. I tend to go for the five minute spin.
After you've spun out all of the clothes in that load, move everything back over to the wash tub and repeat the steps for washing, except this time you're rinsing. This is where you can add fabric softener, if you like. Then repeat the steps for spinning like before.
ABOUT USING THE FILL HOSE:
I have seen many, many reviews showing that the fill hose won't fit any faucet. I must have lucked out. I unscrewed the aerator at the end of my bathroom sink faucet and removed it, and the end of the fill hose fit over it perfectly fine. No leaks whatsoever. My sink faucet is a high arc style and it's narrow. Your mileage will probably vary. I use one of the water inlets on the machine, because I don't really know what will happen if I use both. The instructions give you zero to go on with that. I just drop the end of the fill hose into the tub and turn on the sink faucet.
If the hose won't fit any of your faucets, you'll need a bucket to fill the machine, or, as I've seen some users do, you could use a shower sprayer or a kitchen sink sprayer.
The instructions say not to use the machine in any damp area, such as a bathroom or kitchen. Really? I would like someone to explain to me how to use a portable washing machine anywhere besides a bathroom or kitchen. I suppose if you have a washing machine hookup, you could use it there. But if you had that, you could probably buy a full size machine from a used appliance store for about the price of this portable one.
All in all, I am happy. The mildew inside my machine was gross, but it didn't ruin my whole day. I'm washing clothes like mad, and I don't have to load up laundry baskets and take them to my mom's house or to a laundromat. It's fussy and it's not a heavy duty machine. But that's OK. My clothes are clean, and that's the whole point.
TIPS:
The drain setting on the Select Switch is only for the wash tub. Any water in the spin tub will always drain automatically. There is no way to prevent the spin tub from draining, even when the wash side of the machine is washing.
When you're at the end of one wash load and spinning out your final rinse water, you can go ahead and start the next load in the wash tub. Just turn the wash dial to your setting so the wash tub will stop draining. The spin tub will still spin and drain while you're washing the next load.
I do not use the fill inlet on the wash side of the tub. I drop the hose into the tub to fill it.
If you can use the fill hose (if it fits your faucet), you can do something kind of cool that big washers do. Connect the loose end of the hose to the water inlet for the spin tub. Start your spin cycle. Then turn on the water for a few seconds at a time. That pours water into the spin tub to flush fresh water through the clothes as they spin. If you leave the water on for too long, it can spray out the top, so be careful about that. I tend to pulse it on and off for a few seconds at a time during the first minute or two of the spin.
If you are concerned about conserving water, you can use this machine like the old twin tubs were designed to be used. REUSE YOUR WASH WATER! :) You'll need to have a laundry basket handy to do this, but it works great for loads that aren't super dirty. Here's how you do it. Wash your first load. When it's done, do not turn the dial to "Drain." Leave it where it is. Pick up some of the clothes from the wash tub and squeeze out some of the water into the wash tub. Just enough to keep from dragging tons of water across the machine. Put those clothes into the spin tub and spin them out. When those are done, put them into a laundry basket to get them out of your way. Put your next load into the same wash water as before and turn on the wash timer dial.
If you don't use fabric softener (I use softener for clothes. I do not use softener for towels, because it makes them less absorbent) and if you can use your fill hose, you can do this another way. Wash your load, move it to the spin tub, then connect the hose to the water inlet on the spin tub. Add water as it spins. That way, you can rinse out the wash water as the clothes spin. Once that spin cycle is done, those clothes are washed AND rinsed, so they're completely done. No need to move them back to the wash tub for a full-tub rinse cycle.
If you're lucky and can use the fill hose like I can, you'll want to be careful. It is not sturdy in ANY way. I can already tell that there will be a time before too long when the hose begins to crack at the ends. I'm already looking around for some replacement hose and connectors that I will be able to use when that happens.
FILL HOSE WORK-AROUND:
Not using a fill hose makes this machine a lot less convenient. If the hose will not work for you at all, but you do have a bathroom or kitchen faucet or shower head that's threaded (meaning you can screw on or unscrew to remove the faucet aerator or shower head), you can easily make a hose that will fit.
Unscrew either the faucet aerator (the little tip at the end of the faucet) or remove the shower head. Take the aerator or shower head with you to your local hardware store or big box home improvement store. Talk to someone in plumbing. Most shower heads are universal, but you might want to take it with you just in case. Tell them what you're trying to do. Tell them that you need a connector to fit that size and style of connection so you can connect a standard garden hose to it. If you already know some plumbing, you can do this yourself. If not, they will be able to help you. If you don't know plumbing and grab any connector that you see, you might not get the right size.
At home, you'll twist the connector that they gave you onto the faucet or the shower. Then you'll twist on the end of your garden hose to that connector. A cheap garden hose is probably best. They are smaller in diameter, and will fit the water inlet valves better. Cut off the other end of the hose to shorten the hose and to remove the metal or plastic connector at that end. If the hose is narrow enough, it might fit the water inlet valves on the machine. If not, it will still be a lot more convenient than using a bucket to fill the machine.
| Brand Name | SUPER DEAL |
|---|---|
| Model Info | SD2304 |
| Item Weight | 26.4 pounds |
| Product Dimensions | 13.5 x 23 x 26 inches |
| Item model number | SD2304 |
| Is Discontinued By Manufacturer | No |
| Efficiency | Energy Efficiency |
| Capacity | 13 Pounds |
| Max Spin Speed | 1300 RPM |
| Installation Type | built in |
| Part Number | SD2304 |
| Special Features | Portable, Lightweight |
| Color | White |
| Control Console | Knob |
| Standard Cycles | 2 |
| Access Location | Top Load |
| Material Type | Plastic |
| Batteries Included? | No |
| Batteries Required? | No |
