Take this duo for a spin
Earth Week inspired me to try out a new, eco-friendly way to wash clothes, courtesy of www.Laundry-Alternative.com. The idea behind the portable countertop Wonder Wash and its sidekick spin dryer is simple. They use little water and electricity, saving money and reducing your carbon footprint.
The washer, at $42.95, is little more than a plastic keg with a handle. It perches on a frame that allows the user to spin it using the handle.
The manufacturer says the little washing machine is perfect for apartment dwellers, boaters, campers, recreational vehicle owners, frugal people, singles, seniors, college students and many others. So, just about everybody.
Unless, that is, you’re a slob and spill lots of food on your clothes. My hubby and I decided to give the little wash-bot a real challenge. We stained a white T-shirt with squirts of ketchup and mustard and a spill of Hawaiian Punch. Then we rubbed it on the tire of my car.
To be fair, before washing, we treated the stains with Shout.
The instructions are simple: Place the clothes in the washer with about 2 quarts of water and a tablespoon of detergent, tighten the lid and spin for a couple of minutes. Then, attach the drain pipe, let the water drain, rinse and presto! Your clothes are ready for the dryer.
After a couple of minutes of spinning, most of the tire marks and all the punch spill came clean, but the ketchup and mustard stains remained.
Then, we put the shirt in the spin dryer. It is a bit larger than the washer, and it plugs in. We clamped the lid closed, and the dryer instantly went to work. It features a spout at the bottom, and we soon learned it’s a drain spout for moisture. Water started dripping out immediately as the dryer spun like crazy.
After several minutes of spinning, it stopped dripping, and the T-shirt was almost dry. Not bad, considering the unit uses no heat, just centrifugal force.
Overall, the Laundry Alternative Wonder Wash and spin dryer performed about as expected. Don’t sell your full-size set, but for an RV, campers with access to electricity or for small daily loads such as cloth diapers or kitchen towels, it could be a cost- and time-saving option.
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Would like to have seen a baseline control using normal washer/dryer with normal agitation using an equally stained T-shirt.