The Best Portable Washing Machines (Because the Laundromat Is Pricey)

Living in the city definitely has its perks. You can eat at all those trendy restaurants with nearly impossible-to-get reservations (Carbone!) just by showing up early, people-watch with reckless abandon, and rage all night until the sun comes up every weekend. That all sounds fabulous, until you discover the only way to live in these metropolitan wonderlands is to spend an arm and a leg on a miniscule cave in the Lower East Side (unless you’re Patrick Bateman). And when it comes to your home’s amenities, chances are, you won’t even have an in-building laundry room (to say nothing of in-unit options) to boot.

Our offices are based in New York, and out here, the walk-ups notoriously never have a laundry room. The public laundromat comes with its own set of problems, such as having your clothes mysteriously disappear, bizarre characters staring you down, and—the worst part in our opinion—having to put in the effort to actually go there. It’s a pain in the ass, to say the least, and the whole ordeal makes us want to wash our clothes once per financial quarter. Enough is enough, and the people of TikTok have spoken, because portable washing machines have gone viral in an effort to make city living more bearable when it comes to our not-so-fun responsibilities. We want to get in on all the commotion, because we mean, just look at them???

There are more and more models hitting the market that get the job done without requiring any crazy wiring or landlord intervention—and for many apartment-dwellers, they’re a godsend.

How do portable washing machines work?

It depends which model you choose, but most just need to be plugged into an outlet, filled with water either manually or through a water inlet (basically a hose) attached to a sink, and then drained through its hose. It’s really that simple—just add your detergent and follow the instructions on how to use the wash cycle depending on the model.

Obviously, not every model is the same, so we rounded up a few portable washing machines that we feel deserve a spot in your shoebox apartment mini habitat.

The Black + Decker Portable Washer

Black + Decker is already known to be a home goods legend, so naturally it makes a portable washer (in addition to its popular coffee makers and power tools). While being a bit on the thicc side at 70 pounds, this model can wash up to 11 pounds of laundry with the choice of six cycles: normal, heavy, delicate, quick, bulky, and spin only. With its stainless steel tub, it can operate on three different water levels and offers hot, warm, and cold temperature settings that can even have a delayed start of up to 24 hours. Prone to fall sleeping as your laundry is spinning? That’s fine, because it also has an auto-shutoff feature.

Giantex Portable Twin Tub Washing Machine

An upside of this washing machine by Giantex is its cheaper price point. It has a washing and spinner side (which rids excess water out of clothes) with pre-programmed settings, a water inlet (for filing the washer), and drain hose for when it comes time to empty it. The wash timer can be set to 15 minutes, while the spin timer can be set to five minutes per load. It’s extremely light, weighing just 28 pounds, and can hold up to 17.6 pounds worth of water and clothes. With a 4.2-star average rating and over 13,000 reviews on Amazon, it’s become a popular model for good reason.

Super Deal Twin Tub Washing Machine

With a 13-pound capacity, this model by Super Deal gets the job done. The wash timer can be set to up to 15 minutes, while the spin timer can be set up to five minutes per load. We also just really like the straightforward description: “Hit the start button, go and sip your coffee, take it out.” The whole machine overall weighs just under 27 pounds and is an Amazon bestseller.

Comfee Portable Washing Machine

This washer by Comfee has a 4.4-star average on Amazon and is 15% off—a deal and clean clothes equals a win. It includes six programs to wash clothes: normal, quick, heavy, bulky, delicate, and spin only. Other features include extra rinse, three water temperatures, the ability to hold 11 pounds of clothes, a child lock, and delayed start. “I am so proud of this machine,” one Amazon reviewer said.

Nictemaw Portable Washer

This fully loaded model by Nictemaw has a LED display, making it  *tech savvy*. Other features include eight water level selections, 10 control functions, and a faucet adapter to make attaching it to a water function easier. It can hold almost 18 pounds of clothes and is equipped with a drain pump to help rid the washer of water when finished.

Adios, laundromat.

The Rec Room staff independently selected all of the stuff featured in this story. Want more reviews, recommendations, and red-hot deals? Sign up for our newsletter.