I love this thing. I live in a one-bedroom apartment with no washer. I found myself just buying more undergarments, so I could extend the time between schlepps to the laundromat. Now, I pop a week's handful of clothes in a 5-gallon bucket. Wash away and hang dry out on my porch. This washer makes me feel like a pioneer woman. My clothes are actually cleaner than when washed in machines. I save TONS of money. And unlike laundromat washers, clothes can actually soak--yes!
What's different is no spin rinse and manually powering the entire process. I manhandle a full 5-gallon bucket that sits in my bathtub, and there's no great way to rinse all the soap and then the water out (save hand-wringing, but I ain't got time nor the skin and nails to mess with that). Tip it over, let the water out, dam the clothes from flooding out, refill and repeat. My sweet spot is 1/4 c. detergent, 2 wash cycles, 1 water cycle, 1 softener cycle. All steps performed by moderately laborious swooshing, dumping and refilling. If performed straight through, those manual cycles could be 20 mins; I normally take hours (because I'm at home--not at the laundromat--and I can). Hang slopping wet clothes out on line. If I really want to avoid the laundromat, I stand straddling the sides of the tub and wash big loads in there. No longer a pioneer but an old-timey factory worker stirring something industrial-sized.
I thought I would really want an electric mini-washer. No way. I'm so glad to have saved the money and bulky object to store. But just as valuable, I really love how this washer makes me feel: old-timey, strong and self-reliant.
I live in a small 1 bedroom apartment with my husband and 2 kids. Finding time to do laundry with a 5 year old and 6 month old is impossible.
Throwing a small load of laundry in a 5 gallon bucket with some soap (2 bucket method works great) at night once they're asleep is amazing! I don't usually have the energy to go down to the laundry room once they're in bed.
The hardest part is squeezing the water out. I'd like to get a spin dryer eventually, but I'm just so glad I get more play time with my kids and less time doing laundry.
I'm also really impressed with how incredibly clean the clothes come out. Especially my daughters soccer uniform!
I bought this along with the freegrace 23 liter collapsible bucket to use to wash clothes on a trip I will be going on. I gave it a test run before I going on the trip and it met expectations. It was easy to use it got the clothes acceptably clean and it didn't take long. I was skeptical at first but I was pleasantly surprised with the results. Between the 2 items I spent about $40 which on the cruise I will be going on it could easily cost more than $100 to have the clothes cleaned because they have no self-serve washing facilities.
This is also called a "Breathing Mobile Washer"--there are videos of it in use if you search for them online.
Mine was a little bit less expensive to buy from the outside source I purchased it from (Amazon won't let me link it for you, but it was not hard to find online), but it did take a fair bit of time for them to process my order. Just be aware that this Amazon listing is probably a faster way to get this item if you are in a hurry (especially if you are eligible for the Prime shipping). It IS the same item, tho.
The Mobile Washer itself is a pretty amazing little contraption. Except for the loose handle issue (other reviewers used glue to solve this problem--I probably will do the same)--which is the only reason why I give it 4 and not 5 stars--it is really a great product. I am always amazed at how much dirt comes out of my clothes. I wash mine in a 10 gal plastic tub, but a 5 gallon sized one will work, too. The rinsing is a bit more of a pain than I anticipated when I bought my Mobile Washer, but that is not the fault of this item. Just be careful how full you fill your bucket, as a lot of clothes plus a lot of water is HEAVY and hard to drain. If you plan to wash clothes by hand I can't imagine too many better ways of doing that. I will say that you really do need some kind of way to ring out clothes, unless you are fine with them being totally dripping wet when you hang em to dry, because wringing by hand just really does not get much water out.
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Almost two years later, an edit to add some info about USING this item:
I was just reading some 3 star reviews and I noticed some folks just don't understand how to use this tool properly. After having used mine for almost two years now, I do have a few tips, so I will try and describe what I do in hopes it will help someone either use theirs or to decide the product may not be for them (it IS a lot of work to do laundry this way! It is a great money saver IMO, tho).
*This tool works like the agitator bar in a machine--and YOU are the machine ;) If you use it right, you can get your clothes cleaner than any electric machine can, but it takes ELBOW GREASE and a bit of common sense.
***First: FILL.
Use more water than clothes in your bucket so that the clothes can move freely when you agitate. Use whatever temperature water you like to use when using a machine (I prefer HOT). And don't forget to add laundry soap! I also usually let my clothes soak for a little while before moving on, but that is optional.
***Second: WASH.
You will have to plunge and plunge and plunge some more!! And don't keep the 'Mobile Washer' in the same spot--pull it out of the water and put it down somewhere else. Remember: you want the clothes to MOVE--a lot!--and you want to hear this thing make that sucking sound it makes so that you know it is pushing the water thru your clothes when it goes back down. (I usually also put my arm in the water and turn all the clothes around, from bottom to top, in between plunge sessions--move those clothes!).
***Third: RINSE.
Change the water--and PLUNGE SOME MORE!. (((Draining out the water is the HARDEST part of this step--some folks have suggested using a laundry basket that has the holes all thru it inside the bucket while washing, and then lifting it out so the water drains, and then dump the bucket. I haven't bought one yet, but I plan to, as this sounds pretty ingenious to me ;) Draining can be done with just your wash bucket, however, by using your hands to hold back your clothes and tipping the bucket on it's side in the bathtub [where I always do my washing with this tool] to let the water down the drain. Alternatively, you can have TWO buckets: fish the clothes out of the one you are washing in and put them into the waiting bucket, dump the water, and then put the clothes back in the first one. There may even be more good ways to drain, but I hope you get the idea! Drain as best you can in the way you choose, and then add more water to rinse.)))
IMPORTANT: Do this rinsing step until the clothes are as clean as you want! I keep doing it til my rinse water looks clean (then again I don't pay a separate water bill--mine is included with rent), but you decide how much dirt and soap residue you can live with. Really dirty clothes WILL take SEVERAL water changes to get clean!
***Fourth: DRY.
Drain your water one last time and dry your laundry. Hang your clothes to dry, wring them out if you like--just do whatever you are going to be doing to dry them. I use a drying rack I bought here on Amazon (this one: B005HH19D8 which I do like and can recommend) and just drape drippy wet clothes all over it and leave em til dry. My roommate (who likes and uses my Mobile Washer because it gets clothes so clean and saves money) prefers to carry clothes to the dryer to dry them, since they do get softer and (of course) dry faster in a machine. I would like to one day have this (or a similar) product: The Laundry Alternative Nina Dryer as I can see the great benefit of having it for use with my hand-washer-plunger-thing. But whatever--just dry your clothes! lol
*Ta-Da! THAT'S IT!! You are done :)
It is actually simple to get really clean clothes using this tool. Simple--but definitely WORK. It can save you a lot of money IMO, and would be GREAT for travel--but I am sure it is NOT perfect for everyone. I bought mine to save money when I was so broke that I didn't HAVE laundry quarters a lot of the time because I wanted to stop using the laundromat. I keep using it now when I COULD afford to use a machine because it can get my clothes so clean, and I don't have to leave the apartment in order to wash clothes. My roommate even borrows it and uses it, too, because it really does work!
Hopefully that information helps you make an informed purchase decision and/or get cleaner clothes!!
Hope you liked my review, my suggestions--or both!
THANKS!
After the laundry wars got so bad in my four-unit complex that a tenant knowingly and falsely called the police and said there was an armed intruder in the basement while I was doing laundry, I had to come up with laundry options fast. Being screamed at and having guns pointed at me was very traumatic. There was coin laundry, but I have no vehicle and weather was getting bad in Chicago. I could move but had only been in building a short while. In-unit washer/dryer too expensive. So, I settled on this low-tech option after reading positive reviews. Yes, it is very physical and I miss having a machine, but now I have clean laundry in the safety of my apartment. I re-purposed a Target bin and fill it in my bathtub. I am still over-estimating laundry detergent; takes very little. I don't have deeply soiled clothes but this device, which works like an agitator, does the job. I usually set a timer and plunge away for five minutes, let it soak for 5-15 minutes, plunge again for five minutes and then rinse/plunge for another five minutes. I would strongly suggest that you get a Nina Spin Dryer or something similar to get the water out of your clothes or you will be left with a soggy mess. However, with the combo, I am now safe from the laundry terrorists. In addition, I am getting a great upper body workout.
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Okay, look, don't even bother buying the one with the handle. Go get the other one that comes without the handle, then go to your local Lowe's and buy a Quickie Cobweb Remover. (They look like this one but I was able to take my Ball washer piece with me to test the fit. They had them in standing displays all over the store for $10.38. )
When I first got this washer, I could tell it was going to revolutionize my life, but I was infuriated that the handle (wooden with metal casing for the screw end) would not stay tightly screwed on and kept falling off. Also, the handle that comes with it is really too short to be able to do the washing without bending over. I mean, it really did suck. I started to glue it on with Gorilla glue so at least I could get some use out of it, but I'm so glad I didn't. Had I bought the cheaper version without the handle, then used the Quickie handle with it (saving the cobweb duster end for the handful of times a year I might use it), I'd have what I have now: a dependable, highly workable, color-coordinated handle and washer end that I can hang up when not in use. I can even telescope the handle if I want to, but I don't need to. The lowest setting makes for a good full-length handle that's easy to hold and wash with. Seriously, they should package that exact same handle with the Ball washer head.
I'm washing all kinds of things with this washer. I didn't think it was going to work trying to wash a full-sized microfiber comforter in the bathtub with it, thinking I'd need to put it in a ten-gallon bucket for the Ball washer to do the job, but it's fine. The million-dollar question is whether it's going to fit in my SUPERB Nina Soft Spin Dryer, but it looks like it might. I couldn't be happier now.
Oh, that million-dollar question was very easy to answer: NO. Don't even try!
Does exactly what it says. Takes a little elbow grease but I enjoy it- uses only a few inches of water above the level of the bottom lip- you can tell when it's right-to force soapy solution through the fabrics, instead of you pushing with your hands. Too much water is hard to push, too little won't give you the sucking up and down motion the washer uses to push water through. Cleans quick and pretty well, great for camping and people who want to save some money. I use it for hand wash only items, and to get me through longer til my next wash day. You have to very slightly twist in the right direction as you pull to keep the thing together- or glue it if you aren't taking it anywhere and need it to come apart!
I bought this washer 5 years ago as a backup for my failing washing machine. It works great in my laundry room sink or in a bucket. I do not need to immerse my hands into the water and use much less strenght to agitate the clothes in the wash water. It does not take much time to wash and rinse my clothes with this gadget. My washing machine has since been replaced, but I still use this a few times a week for handwash items. After 5 years it is still going strong.
Pros:
No electricity required, all you need is a 5 gallon bucket.
Cons (insignificant):
It does unscrew from handle now and then, like others noted. You can nail it to the handle permanently with a small screw, I didn't bother.
It is sucking - literally. Grabs clothes like a sink-cleaning plunger, I almost lift the bucket off the floor every time I pull the handle. Makes me work harder. Solutions - don't know. More holes, less water, bigger basin than 5 gal bucket?
Handle is a bit short, I'm not tall, 5ft 6", still have to bend down every time the handle goes down. Solutions - put it on some sturdy low stool. They sell one with 3ft long handle now, with T-handle to work both hands.
Other notes:
Don't expect a real laundromat result. But, if you soak heavily soiled clothes before working this plunger, it will get "close" to laundromat.
They make 3 versions:
1) without handle - main reason for 1-star reviews - manufacturer, take a note and make this clear in item description. The other half of 1-star reviews is for missing "instructions" :), no kidding.
2) few bucks more with a short handle,
3) with 3ft long T-handle.
There are some Chinese knock-offs, all of inferior quality, with hollow plastic handle that snaps in half.
After several years of going to the laundramat after both washer and dryer stopped working, I decided to investigate doing laundry at home, at least the delicates and dress blouses, etc. It was a chore doing even those things by hand and scrubbing them with my hands. Looking for an alternative, I read reviews about this "breathing mobile washer". It sounded kinda like a gimmick and too good to be true but decided with the low cost of it, why not give it a try. Wow, it really works, the process using the method is very, very effective (and simple), it pushes oxygen and the washing solution through the clothes while pushing out the dirt. Unbelievable how quickly the wash water changes from clear to really dirty. It's amazingly easy to use, I put clothes in a 5 gal. bucket with hot water, my washing detergent and boosters, then use the breathing washer to agitate the clothes. I leave them to soak, then come back and agitate for several minutes, sometimes leaving for more soaking and then back for the final agitation---easy to do, moves the water and clothes around so well. I rinse twice, also using this washer, and hang them out to dry. Between the detergent (using Zote, my washing boosters -- Borax and Washing Soda), my clothes have NEVER been cleaner--they are even cleaner than they were using the washing solution and hand scrubbing. There are very few items that need additional scrubbing on a small washboard. I train dogs, using leashes and long lines that drag through grass, dirt and mud,not counting the numerous paw marks from happy dogs; my daily clothes get VERY dirty. I'm nothing short of amazed how well this works. I hated (with a passion) going to the public laundramat, I hated the way my clothes smelled after drying (that heated hot dryer smell). My clothes smelled of everyone else's detergents and scents they used prior to my using the public washers. A number of times the washer weren't agitating as well as others in the laundramat (of course you never knew until you had put your clothes, laundry products and money in the washer so it was too late to change them out to another washer). My clothes still had stains and dirt on the front especially where the long lines and leashes caught me in front. Even with the inconvenience of driving 20 miles to the public facility, then waiting for at least an hour and a half or longer for the clothes to wash and dry, the worst for me was literally getting everything ready to drive the 20 mile trip to the local public washing facility--gathering up the clothes, loading them in my vehicle, taking loads into the laundry, finding working units (washers and dryers), then repeating the loadup and driving home. It was absolutely one of my worst experiences. As a result, I delayed until I had no clean clothes left. This product, along with my homemade detergent, hanging my clothes out to dry and seeing such CLEAN whites and no dirt on my clean clothes has totally transformed my laundry experience. I look forward to washing my "work clothes", my jeans, my tee shirts, I actually LOVE it. Old stains have been removed, my whites are so white and smell so fresh. Never, ever thought I would enjoy doing laundry but I do. It takes so little time to wash the clothes, I look forward to getting my work clothes done with the satisfaction of having such sparkling clean clothes; no more waiting until I'm on my last clean tee and jeans. This washer is worth every cent. Now if someone would tell me how to keep the handle from loosing from the washer head after several agitations, I would be totally grateful and even happier. Even with that problem, I am very pleased with the breathing mobile washer, great product.
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