 Wonderfully Convenient |
| Review Date: August 8, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Sunkissed, Miami Beach |
Wonderwash is perfect for small places and for doing small laundry loads between laundromat visits. Can do almost all your laundry if single and just don't want to use community washers. See You Tube Video. Cost is reasonable at $50 including shipping.
Bought Wonderwash a while ago and this plastic barrel machine works well. It holds up to 2-3 outfits depending on garment materials & size. Ex: 1 dress, 2 pants, 2 shirts + a few undergarments all at once. Or 1 winter heavy knit sweater + 2 jeans or so. Maybe 1 full/Qn bed linen piece + 1 towel at a time, etc --while mindful not to mix whites with colors & to pre-treat heavily soiled pieces. I recommend filling up machine with laundry below 1/2 it's mark to then add enough hot (or warm water) + a couple spoons of detergent to the allow all to swoosh around. Gently spin handle for 4 mins, drain dirty water with tube attachment according to instructions. Pour clean hot or warm water to rinse. Close pressure lid. Spin handle. Repeat drainage + water pouring with softener, etc as desired. Voila. Pretty clean clothes & a workout to shape & tone arm muscles too. Use wrist weights for greater arm workout results!
I bought Ecover brand scented detergent & softener plus Maggie's Soap Nuts (to make a water softening rinse) prior to getting the Wonderwash. These are safer & gentler on sensitive hands & skin as I was doing simple small laundry loads by hand. But as soon as that Ecover set is done and if I get the Laundry Alternative's Spin Dryer, I'll be wonderwashing with a spoonful of Tide or Cheers & rinsing off with another spoonful of good ol' Downy or Snuggle! Surely these laundry products work better in getting clothes clean-er with lasting scent in less Wonderwashing spin sessions!
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Have Used my Wonder Washer 5 months now GREAT
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| Review Date: January 9, 2010 |
| Reviewer: Elizabeth Bennett, Seattle, WA |
I bought a Wonder Washer from Laundry Alternatives, actually I have purchased two. One for a friend who also loves hers.
Regarding the SPUTNIK 3 label - there may be some grounds for confusion over the labeling, but the machine is the exact same, I had them side by side and there is no difference. When the manufacturer changes labels it does cause some confusion.
Now: You put this little machine together, and the idea is for it to spin with the crank handle using warm to hot water and a pressure-sealed top that creates pressure inside, forcing the small about of detergent into the fabric of the clothing. To me, the handle was a bit "iffy," mine came with a screw to be driven into a plastic plug instead of a metal cotter pin. Judging the weight of water plus clothing and the flexibility of the stand, I just took it right back off. If you wash very small loads with no more than one-and-a-half quarts of water, you'll be just fine with the handle. But, I still didn't mark it down for that. I fill the machine about half-full of water, temperature depending on the clothing items, state of soil, etcetera. Then, I have my uppare workout. After the machine is properly loaded and sealed, I put on my 1-pound wrist weights and turn the machine by hand for a count of about 120 - 150 complete rotations, take off the weights, insert the drain and let it drain. Once the water has mainly run out, I remove the top and turn the tub to empty the contents. Quick double rinse in cold water and the wash part it done.
**Here's where the difference comes in. This machine does EXACTLY what it says it will do, clean your clothing and fabric items quickly and simply. They never said it would wring (please - get the spelling right, we don't "ring" clothes) the items for you. I use a SPIN DRYER - makes all the difference!
The soaking, dripping items are plopped right into my "Charming Spinner," spun for a couple of minutes until the water has stopped coming from the spout and then they are ready to be hung up to dry. That's it.
CAPACITY: In my Wonder Washer, I can get one flannel queen-sized bed sheet and one pillow case at a time, meaning my bed clothing takes two cycles to get done.
OR - I can get one pair of flannel lined jeans, two underwear, and a pair of socks.
OR - Regular jeans, one pair plus 3 or 4 men shirts.
OR - One large bath towel plus two T-shirts
Any way, all this to say, I have used the Wonder Washer SOLELY for the last five months to process laundry for two people, only once using the pay washer-dryer for a comforter which is too large to wash by hand and also to large to go into the spin dryer. It has worked for me, and by my nearest calculations my initial out for the Wonder Washer washer and the spin dryer were recouped in 10 weeks.
Now I am shopping for a portable washing machine, electric-style since my new job requires me to commute and I won't have the time to do laundry by hand.
Bottom Line: To me, clothing is personal and processing laundry by hand is very satisfying. The Wonder Washer will be put away for use on weekends when I don't have a daily commute that takes time away from home where I do enjoy housework style working at home. I highly recommend it, treat it gingerly as it is a small hand powered laundry machine, and you'll get good use of it. |
Meets its claims
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| Review Date: February 4, 2010 |
| Reviewer: Bradley E. Larsen, |
My wife bought the Wonder Wash and took it camping in the Colorado mountains. It lived up to its claim. Our family consists of a husband, wife, and two sons. Each evening we did laundry duty. It took 30 - 45 minutes to wash 3 - 4 loads and line dry them. Not bad considering the local laundromat costs us $5 per load!
The only draw-back is that the stand is less sturdy than I'd like. (The youtube video mentions this too.) Luckily I'm a handy person. It wouldn't be too difficult to build a new stand if (or when) this one breaks.
The actual cylinder works quite well. Very good alternative if you find yourself without power and in need of a set of clean clothes. |
This Thing Isn't Bad At All--It Does What It Says It Will Do
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| Review Date: August 4, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Katherine of Amazon, New England, USA |
I decided to buy this product because I needed a way to wash clothes at a vacation camp that was a step up from using the sink and a washboard. This fills the bill.
I went to YOUTUBE, and found a video of a fellow demonstrating the item, [...] and that was enough for me--I ordered the thing.
It's Idiot-Easy to use. Throw in a few litres of warm to hot water (the warm water helps create the vacuum, and pulls the water through the clothes) with a teaspoon of detergent (you don't need much at all), give it a quick swish, then toss in the clothes--a few pounds worth. I was able to do a few tee shirts and not-terribly-heavy trousers in one go with no sweat. Then you screw on the top, making sure you have a tight seal, and start turning the handle-thing. You can either use the little handle and get it going at a fast clip, or simply bat the thing round and round using the screw-down flidget at the top and the little connector to the 'bayonet drain' at the bottom. You do this for two minutes or so. Then, making sure you've got the thing near a sink, you attach the jazzy bayonet device to the bottom and the soapy water drains out. Throw in another few litres of water, screw the top on, repeat the process, and your clothes are nicely rinsed. And they look and smell CLEAN.
For the terminally lazy, yep, you have to either SQUEEZE those clothes or let them drip dry. I recommend squeezing, otherwise you'll be waiting forever for them to dry, if you don't live in the desert. I'd also advise you to do a little pretreating if you've got some profoundly nasty dirt on your clothes--it's not a miracle worker!
For a situation where you're on holiday and need to wash clothing infrequently, but you don't want to run around in stinky clothes or spend a precious hour or two of vacation time at the laundromat, this is just the thing. The clothes come out CLEAN--not like you've moved them around in funky water and hung them out. It's not real big, you can stash it in a closet when you aren't using it, and you can set it up by the kitchen sink and get two loads of laundry done inside of ten minutes once you get a rhythm going. Then all you need to do is peg it out on the line outdoors, or hang it over the bathtub to dry.
Watch a news program review the thing, here: [...](In my opinion, the reporter uses too much detergent in her demo--less is more!) |
Not the most sturdy machine, but does what it says it will do.
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| Review Date: September 23, 2009 |
| Reviewer: D. McGee, New York, NY |
I bought the Wonder Wash basically because I'm lazy when it comes to doing laundry, I hate going to the laundry mat and I like gadgets. I came across this item while searching for something else. I had no intention of buying anything like this nor knew it even existed until I discovered it. I read the reviews positive and negative. Most of the reviews I read on other sites complained more about the company's customer service rather than the product itself. But after doing my research, I bit the bullet and decided to give it a try.
I live on the 4th floor of a 4 floor walk up in NYC. We have laundry facilities in the basement of the building and a few laundry mats near by, but like I said I'm lazy and hate doing laundry. I've had this unit for over a month and have done many loads. To make a long story short, this machine works for me. Here's my take:
Pros:
* Inexpensive: for what it does, its a fairly good buy at $40. As for detergents, bleach and fabric softener, I only have to use 1 - 2 tbsps. depending on the size of the load or less if the detergent is 2x concentrated. My building laundry costs about $3 a load, I average 3 loads a session, so I figure with the savings on quarters and detergent, this machine will pay for itself in no time.
* Convenient: I can wash a load in my apartment anytime day or night during the weeknight or on the weekend. My clothes don't pile up as much anymore. I find that I wash my clothes more often because of the convenience.
* Small: The unit only weights 6lbs when empty and is very portable. I live in a tiny one bedroom with little extra space. I can just put this away in my closet when not in use.
* Sanitary: I can wash my clothes without worrying about whatever kind of nastiness has been washed previously in the community washer. My building's machines are always dirty and usually need to be wiped down.
* Quick: Although you can technically "wash" a load in 2 minutes, you also need to factor in the draining and rinsing time. So I would say to wash a full load of laundry takes about 5 minutes. Which is still very quick compared to a conventional washer.
* Effective: I don't expect miracles from this machine. I still pre-treat my clothes if necessary and I still use bleach in my wash loads when need. I have to say with some hot water and 2 - 5 minutes of labor, my clothes come out very clean.
* Manually Powered: I'm a gadget person, so I love to push buttons and make cool things happen, however, a lot has to be said for going old school. I like the fact that I don't have to worry about where to plug the unit in or that a motor burning out. A little arm workout doesn't hurt either.
Cons:
* The machine is basically made of plastic. The manufacture says that it's made of the highest, most durable plastic, but at times the brackets do seem a bit wobbly. The washer itself seems sturdy. The base is questionable. Some of the small screw caps did not stay in place, but they are not essential to the unit staying together or washing properly.
* Can be messy: Washing clothes in this unit is not the tidiest of processes. I initially tried it in my kitchen, but I spilled more water than I used, so I eventually move the unit to my bathtub and found that it fits perfectly and I don't have a problem with water being everywhere.
* No assembly instructions: The unit does not come with a lot of instructions on how to put it together, but it's not that difficult to figure out. You are really only assembling the base not the tub. You really can look at the pieces laid out and see how it all fits together. It took me less than 10 minutes to unbox and assemble.
* Where the suction?: The unit does have suction cups for stability, but I have to say they stick the best when you don't need them to. When the water splashes, the suction cups tend to not stay in place. However, I've found when using the unit in the bathtub, this wasn't an issue. The unit did still slide around a bit but not enough to disrupt the washing process.
* Bait and Switch: When I received my Wonder Wash I was surprised to find they sent me a Sputnik 3 that looks exactly like a Wonder Wash, but was renamed. I hadn't seen anything on their site claiming they renamed the units, so I was a little suspicious. However, the unit seems to do what the Wonder Wash claims to do, so I kept the unit. I can, however, see how other reviewers see this as a bait and switch and question the quality of the Sputnik 3 compared to the Wonder Wash. I can only speak for my unit and say that so far I haven't had any problems. I do think the manufacturer should really clear this up or stop sending out the Sputnik 3s as Wonder Wash.
* Hard to Crank: When I first started using the unit, it was at times hard to crank. But, through trial and error, I found that the amount of water you use for the size of the load is every important. The instructions say that the smaller the load less water is needed, but I didn't necessarily find that to be the case all the time. I eventually found that over time you will be able to determine what the right clothes to water ratio is to make it crank smoothly. The right amount of water in the unit can make the cranking action effortless.
* The Tricky Lid: The lid for the machine can be a little tricky. It's almost like working with a child-proof cap to get the right fit. The trick is to unscrew the lid all the way until you almost take the screw out. Place the lid on the unit and lock the lid in the groves around the unit. Hold the lid in place around the groves and then tighten screw back all the way down. By doing this, you get the tightest fit and therefore the most pressure and fewer leaks. When you loosen the lid after a wash, you should hear a hissing sound of the air releasing, then you know you had a good tight fit.
* No Spin Cycle: Since this is not your typical washing machine with a spin cycle you will need to either ring your clothes dry by hand or do like I did and buy an Spin Dryer Centrifugal Clothes Portable Spin Dryer. As stated before I'm lazy when it comes to laundry, so wring out the clothes after washing would have been deal breaker in buying a Wonder Wash. The Spin Dryer completes the Wonder Wash.
Overall, I like the machine. Yes, I can see areas of improvement, but so far, so good. That's not to say that if given the choice I wouldn't buy a regular washer, but for my current situation it works. Especially now that the cold weather is on it's way, the thought of staying in my warm apartment and getting a couple of loads of laundry done in about 30 mins. makes the Wonder Wash a really good buy for me.
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