The directions it comes with are sort of vague so I've come up with a neat four step system to get a load done:
1. Wash: Fill the Panda washer with water to a little over the halfway mark, making sure the drainage hose (on the right of the machine) is UP and *securely* connected to the side of the washer unit. To fill the washer easily, I added a diverter+hose attachment to my shower head to fill the washer (RapidBath Deluxe Dog Bathing System). Add soap and clothing, keeping in mind "less is more" here - once you've set the timer and see how it is going, you can always add more water, soap, and/or clothing. To turn the unit on, turn the timer from 1-15 minutes depending on how long you want to pre-soak or wash the load.
Presoaking helps; I tend to load it at night with what I've used/worn for the day, set for 3-5 minutes, leave it soaking then continue the load in the morning. Everything comes out very clean, fresh smelling and uses very little detergent.
2. Rinse: If your clothes were only lightly soiled and you want to re-use the soapy water just remove the clothes from the Panda and rinse in the tub - a large colander style basket and a hose helps here. If you will *not* be reusing the soapy water you can simply rinse the clothes by adding fresh water to the Panda washer while the hose is still in the tub for continuous drainage. This action is low tech/gravity driven - the hose must drain to a spot lower than its base.
3. Wring - or Not: If you don't want to hand wring, let the clothes sit in either the washer (drained), or tub for 5-10 minutes or more.
4. Dry: I use a Centrifugal Clothes Portable Spin Dryer to remove as much water as possible and then hang to dry.
For me, each load can hold about 2 days worth of clothes, except in the case of jeans or heavy bath towels which I have been doing in very small loads which means those articles pretty much wash by themselves. After a run through the spin dryer I hang the clothes on a Minky X-Wing Indoor Drying Rack, 45-Feet Total Drying Space, White and everything is always is dry in just a few hours time.
I have only had this washer for a couple of weeks but at this rate it will have paid for itself within 3-4 months. It seems pretty sturdy though and as you can see from how well the agitator moves it can do a really good job at cleaning the clothes as long as it is loaded properly. My only slight hesitation in recommending this unit is the unknown factor as far as how long it will last but I'm happy having saved so many trips to the laundromat already and would definitely purchase again if for some reason it fails outside the six month warranty.
For how well it functions, ease of use, and the price point I'll say I am VERY pleased with this purchase and easily give the Panda Compact Washer five stars.
I thought I posted a review, I must not have submitted it properly. I like the machine. I have not had some of the mechanical problems that others have had. My unit does not leak, and I have used it daily at least twice -- straight, and it is still going strong.
Some issues I have had that others have complained about is that it is hard on clothes. After reading reviews where some people were jumped on for overloading it - and that being the reason their clothes where ripped up, I was careful not to overload it. The photo of the knot is one tank top, one thin pair of leggings and one long sleeve t-shirt that I had to detangle before drying them. So -- I thought perhaps a laundry bag would be better, but when the load was done there was a hole ripped in it. I thought they where just old bags since I had them for a very long time. I bought a new bag - same thing. A hole. Therefore- in my little world - it is, indeed, hard on clothes.
I find it is easier on my clothes if I wash them ONE at a time, but fill to factory specs as if the unit were full of clothes. This seems to be the fix. My leggings came out very nice. Overall I am happy with it for the price, but my time to do laundry just went up since I can only effectively do one item at a time.
Bye bye laundry room that steals my quarters and is never available! I read the reviews and bought the Panda Mini Waher. I admit I kept the box for a week or so in case it was all hype. Box is now in the trash and don't even THINK about touching my mini! I have done many loads now and can't say enough about this gem.
1) super quiet machine.
2) I can do a load consisting of the following items: 5 t shirts, 5 undergarments, one pair of light leggings, 3 pair of lightweight bike type shorts.
3) operation is simple, put it in your tub or shower, it has a 5ft cord. Fill it with a hand held shower or bucket, the hose it comes with is useless, add liquid soap and clothes. In 15 mins your clothes are clean. Drain and refill for the rinse cycle and add liquid softener if desired.
4) jeans are heavy so just do one or two pairs by themselves at a time.
5) wring and hang them up to dry.
Total time 35 mins to do a load. Worth every penny.
Next purchase will be the laundry spinner.
UPDATE:
I have now had this machine since June and it continues to be my go to for small loads. It is so quiet I can use it at night in the bathroom without disturbing anyone else in my apartment. I think the key to longevity it to not overload the machine. I have had zero issues with it. I would definitely recommend this unit to anyone short in space, (like an RV, dorm or tiny apt)
First off, I have to preface this by saying I have purchased the Wonder Washer and was greatly disappointed. This thing is a 100x better than the Wonder Washer. I own both and could not believe I wasted my money on the other washer. My needs were simple - a small washer that could wash normal items like jeans, sheets, pillow cases, bath towels... you name it. This is the washer that can do it. If you are living in a small apartment or are on a budget and are tired of schlepping clothes to the laundry every week or the endless hunt for quarters - this is for you.
The washer is the perfect size to sit on a counter top. I put mine on my kitchen counter next to the sink when I need to do the laundry. The washer is actually fairly lightweight and comes with an easy carry handle, so moving it is not difficult. It also has a top fill hole with a hose. I strongly recommend swapping the hose it comes with with a REAL hose. Go to your local aquarium supply or hardware store and purchase one. I think it takes a standard 1/2" hose. Any high quality flexible rubber hose or PVC hose should do. You will also want a faucet adapter or something to fit snug into your faucet. For me, the aquarium hose I had worked perfect and was able to wedge into my faucet spigot tight enough to allow easy filling. The drain works fine. You can see it hanging on the right of the stock photo of the unit. I didn't even realize the unit had a fill hose and drain until it arrived. I guess I missed it in the description, but it works great.
The washer itself is just the right size. The motor is amazingly strong. You can easily throw a beach towel or something like a queen size duvet sheet in there and wash it. It pulls through like a champ. Jeans work great too. To give you an idea, the 5.5lb capacity is about a regular men's pair of jeans or a single queen size duvet sheet or about two queen size flat sheets or two regular bath towels. It is more about wet water weight than anything. So if it absorbs a lot of water and gets heavy quickly, it may slow down some. A large sheet can be done, but you will need to fill the tank to 3/4 capacity with water before you add the sheet. Then push it under water so that it is covered. The key on larger items is to make sure there is enough water so that it always spins freely. So keep that in mind. Anything smaller like shirts, khakis or anything else will be a breeze.
You will have to do multiple loads or get used to doing loads daily. But the convenience to me is worth it. My apartment was smaller and did not come with any hookups. The nearest laundry is about 3 miles away and closed early. I was always needing rolls of quarters and the local store was out or didn't have enough to spare. So things just never seemed to work out right for anything laundry related being convenient. This was the perfect solution.
Also do yourself a favor and purchase the matching spin dryer. It is totally worth it. If you have to choose one, buy the dryer first. The dryer will not get your clothes 100% dry, but it eliminates a good 80-90% of the water to the point things are slightly damp. So a quick 10 minute air dry can usually dry your clothes after that (besides jeans that is).
Very Handy for small items of clothing! We received our Panda MIni Portable Washing Machine a few days ago and began the getting acquainted process this morning. We have 3 children in the house under 7, lots of small-sized underwear, socks, shirts, and face towels for drying tushies after using the bidet: each child has his own color. We set the Panda on a small table inside the tub, which has both an overhead and handheld shower fixture, plugged in the machine after giving it a quick warm water rinse, and began filling it, a little less than half full, with three hearty squirts of liquid detergent, 5 briefs, 6 face cloths, and a shirt. Yes, the timer knob is next to useless; we'll just have to learn how it works using a watch and marking the machine at 5 minute intervals. The machine came on, started juggling for a couple of minutes and then stopped . And then started again. And then stopped. And then started again and then...well, you get the picture. None of the reviews I read mentioned this starting/stopping action. Is that normal? We checked that nothing was tangled, that the machine was level and stable...I will have to call the company about it. After 10 minutes of agitated washing, we stopped it, put the run-off hose attached on the right side face down, and let most of the water run out right into the tub.. We rinsed the clothes twice using the hand-held shower attachment, hooking up and then letting down the run-off hose in-between rinses. When the water was clear we let the clothes spin around a minute or so, and yes, they had to be wrung out, but that wasn't too hard, and yes, everything was very clean. A successful first attempt! We will try washing some small gym shoes next. We need to find out about the intermittent starting and also about a bit of unusual strained engine noise. The machine is energetic but not too noisy and seems to do a very decent washing job. I purchased the Amazon warranty for under $10 just in case something goes wrong, but I think the machine has a 3 year manufacturing warranty as well.
Feature Product
- Portable washing machine goes anywhere
- Ideal for small loads and delicates,such asunderwears,socks,T-shirts,towels,etc.
- Easy to operate, and powerful Just fill with water and set timer
- Perfect for Apartments,Dorms,Travel ,your second washer at home
Description
Small Mini washer washing machine(XPB25-28A/PAN25A)
No washing machine? Use Panda Mini Portable Washer. BIG BUCKS OFF! No more quarters! Just plug it in, fill with laundry, add soap and water and close the lid. That's it!
•Portable washing machine goes anywhere
•Ideal for small loads and delicates,such as underwears,socks,T-shirts,towels,etc.
•Easy to operate and powerful, Just fill with water and set timer
•Perfect for Apartments,Dorms,Travel
Brand: Panda
Model: XPB25-28A/PAN25A (Mini Countertop, Semi Automatic,No spin circle)--All countertop mini washers are too small to have spin circle, if you are looking for more convenience to do your laundry, you may purchase our Panda twin tub washer with spin dryer.
5.5lbs capacity
0.65 AMP 50HZ 200W
Unit Dimensions (W * D * H):14.2*14*19.3 inch( 360mm * 355mm * 490mm)<
Master Carton Dimensions (W * D * H): 15.35*14.56*19.68 inch(390 * 370 * 500mm)
Unit Weight: 6kg (13.2lbs)
Carton Weight: 7kg (15.4lbs)
6months warranty
Watch the video review for this product. It's really quite helpful and will give you ideas on how you can get a system going that works for you. If you buy this, get a system you can live with. As much as I encourage looking at someone else's review, here's my 2 cents.
Key points:
*The hoses are short, particularly the drain hose. Where you use this has to be within several feet of an outlet, a couple feet of a water source and pretty much right next to where you want to drain it. You can get around the hose length by using a bucket to add water (fill the bucket in a sink or tub and pour water in - the machine is indifferent to how the water is added, since that's a manual process anyway - the hose is a suggestion, not a requirement) or drain into a bucket or tub. Using buckets involves lifting a couple gallons of water a few times during the process, so sinks and drains are far more convenient. If you have the included hose too taut, it's more likely to pull off of the faucet, and that means water all over the place. I end up putting it in front of my bathroom sink and drain it into the toilet, as the tub is just too far away from the sink to make it convenient otherwise.
*You need to put it on something. It uses gravity to drain and the drain hose is at the bottom. I use a side table purchased for $12. It's rated for 30 pounds, which technically this is going to exceed when in use, but the weight is evenly distributed and shouldn't cause even a cheap little table to collapse. Elevating this by too much might make it harder to use for shorter folks (might be hard to reach in to get things if it's on an actual counter), but leaving it really low could cause some back strain. Find a cost effective and comfortable height that fits YOU, and remember that you'll have to interact with it a few times per load.
*You may find it stretches some of your clothes out or causes some items to pill. Use laundry delicates bags. They sell them in various sizes, and you want to use one big enough to let the garment move around, or put a few articles in the same bag. If you use a spin dryer, you can put them in the dryer still in the bags or take them out.
*There's no magic rinse cycle or spin cycle like on full sized washing machines. You drain and refill or rinse separately (you can do a few loads of wash in the same water if you'd like to - I don't pay for water where I live and we're not in anything close to a drought, so I'm okay with using a little bit more detergent to use fresh water every time). I typically run with detergent for the full 15 minutes, drain completely, refill completely to rinse (I may let it sit in the rinse water for a few minutes or even run the machine for 5 minutes or so if I think the clothes are more likely to retain detergent), drain again, and then have a second rinse with fabric softener if I choose to use it, during which I run the machine for 3-5 minutes to make sure it's distributed evenly. After the final drain, I wring each item out and then finish off in a spin dryer then hang to dry for a few hours. I keep a cheap colander with the laundry stuff to use to hold items between rinsing and putting them in the spin dryer, and have also used it for rinsing items that I pulled out before I put the fabric softener in. It lets things drip dry a little bit, which helps prevent unbalanced loads in the spin dryer.
*Capacity is several small items, or one larger item with really small items. I've washed full sized sheets (flat in one load, fitted in another). Adult pants can be washed with other things, depending on size (I'm a ladies 12 and I can get some shirts in the same load). A bath towel is a large item. Socks and other things like that can always go in with a large item. You can fill as much as can move decently well in the water, with the water level about 2/3 up. If you fill it more, it might splash out the drain hose.
Laundry is more involved than tossing in the washer and then in the dryer, but it's more convenient for those of us who can't have full sized machines. It's not too loud, but it's not silent. The timer ticks, the motor isn't super loud, but you can certainly hear it, and the water sloshes around when it spins. It's probably comparable to the dishwasher in my apartment, maybe slightly less noisy (my dishwasher is loud, though). This may be TMI, but I use reusable menstrual pads and it got one of those completely clean (after a pre-rinse under running water), so it certainly cleans sufficiently. I'm not running to the bank to get several rolls of quarters and can do laundry when I feel like it, not when my neighbors don't feel like doing their laundry (or just leaving their laundry in the machines...).
Ive only had this Panda Washing machine for 3 days. I should have pre-soaked the underwear, Ive done three loads already, but they were cleaner than most other machines. My process of washing, I put two boards on my bathroom sink, I set it on top, I plug it in, I hook up the fill tube, make sure the drain tube is hooked up on the side. I fill with warm water, add soap, & then add clothes while running, do not over fill. in 12-15 minutes the water is dirty, time to drain, then fill with cold water & rinse for 3 minutes, drain & fill again' run another 3 minutes, since the drain water is not so dirty by now, after draining, I throw the wet clothes in a bucket & hang it wet. Squeezing it out, will help it dry faster & it will not be so messy. I have a screened porch, the water drains fine. So dripping does not bother me. Not too bad for THIS LITTLE MACHINE. As long as it works, I am happy. I am retired, I don't dirty too much clothes, but I do get dirty sometimes. I think for a portable little machine, this is much better than a big machine. Kinda handy too. I have a pop-up camper, if I go anywhere, it's going with me.
Now that I had it a week, I have to agree with a NJ woman. There is a lint problem, so it is easier to rinse the clothes out in the bath tub. The machine still does the most important part, it scrubs the clothes. It has more energy than me, So it can scrub until it is clean. When I pick it out of the bath tub, I hang it on a hanger bar, which I positioned one in the middle of the tub.
This way it can drain, & I don't have to squeeze it out, unless I need it in a hurry, Later I can take it out to the line. This became a necessity, when I hung my towels out, in below freezing weather, After 10 minutes, I bumped my head on a towel, it was like running into a board. When the clothes are dry, you can shake off the lint, or use a lint brush, at least for the good clothes. I am still happy with it, It takes up very little space when not in use. It is small, but the loads are rapid, when using the bath tub for the rinse cycle.
I've had it about a month and I love it! I use it several times a week to do small loads. To wash my double sheets, it takes two loads...one sheet and one pillow case in each load. I can wash 1 bath towel, 2 wash cloths, 1 hand towel and 1 dish towel in one load. The load I did this morning was 3 camisoles, 2 t-shirts, 8 socks 1 pr pantyhose in lingerie bag and 5 pairs underwear. Of course, how much you can fit in will also depend on the size you wear. A tall hefty man can probably wash 1 pair of jeans and a short skinny girl, 3-5 pairs.
I first tried it on my kitchen counter and the hose didn't fit the sink. I snipped off the top part of the hose hoping it would fit, but no. I used a bucket to fill it at first. Later, I tried it in the bathroom. The fill hose fit my bathroom sink perfectly and it just fits on the counter next to the sink. That's much easier than the bucket. I don't have the spinner that comes with this washer, but did buy an amazing countertop spinner from The Laundry Alternative. One wash load is 2-3 spin loads and most things dry in 30 min to 4 hours.
I do keep putting too much soap in by mistake. It needs a very tiny bit. I wash everyday clothes in a few minutes, but my stinky work clothes take longer. I fill with water, add soap and clothes, turn the machine on for a few minutes, then let the clothes sit for a few hours before turning the machine on for a few more minutes. I drain the water and rinse twice. After the second rinse, if I want to do another load, I don't drain. I pull the clothes out of the washer, give them a little wring and then put them in my separate spinner. I then start another load in the leftover rinse water.
No, this isn't my lovely full sized washer and dryer with all the bells and whistles that I owned when I also owned my own home. But it is vastly superior to going to the laundromat or washing clothes by hand in my tiny apartment. It gets my clothes very clean. It's easy to use. It is convenient. And I think it is fun to play with. I suppose the fun part might wear off in time, but for now, it's my entertaining new toy. It is the perfect size for one person in an apartment.
I was spending $10-15 a week at the Laundromat thinking that I was cleaning my clothes. WRONG!
This little washer showed me exactly how disgusting my clothes were. I put 2-3 full size items in (soft pants with a couple of shirts or 3 shirts) and fill halfway, turn the dial and watch as the water becomes so cloudy and sudsy ... and that is without adding any detergent. Drain into the sink, refill and do again... again cloudy and sudsy... 4 and 5 times and more it took to get my clothes free from detergent residue!
This washer is worth its weight in gold. My clothes are clean now, feel clean.. and best of all I can see that they are clean! I wouldn't like this without the Nina Spin Dryer though as wringing out clothes by hand is the worst job on earth and kills my hands. But the Nina spin dryer takes all the work out of that chore and spins the clothes almost dry.
One world of caution... if any clothes have elastic coming out or loose threads... be careful when putting them in this washer. It tends to ball them up and tie them around everything else. We did one load of socks and little things and one of the socks had stretchy elastic around the top that was coming out.... it wrapped around EVERYTHING and took awhile to untie it all LOL. Other than that... great washer!
I received this much earlier than anticipated and began using it immediately. I had read reviews and was nervous particularly about the packaging, but this had a Styrofoam insert top and bottom to hold it securely and the carton was closed securely using that hard plastic non adhesive tape that is used on large cartons.
Based on the earlier reviews I had read, I recommend you buy through the Amazon affiliate rather than directly as it is taking longer for (them_ to get it from warehouse to shipper than it did from First and Best to get them washer to my home.. So far it has proved to be very useful.!
I was getting ready to do a Laundromat run when it arrived so I have done two to three small load each day since it arrived. I would be doing more, but since I am still waiting on the spin drier, my hands get tired wringing out the clothes and I have limited hanging space.
I use it in the bathroom,since I have a hand held shower to use to fill it. It came with a second hose for filling with a small spring style hose clamp. Until I get some better set up, I used the hose clamp to secure the flared end of the second hose to the end of the drain hose to make it longer so that it doesn't flip out of the tub when draining. I do check that it is secure before each use. I just put the other end of the hose on the fill spout when I am washing clothes,.
This actually works very well for me as I wear a lot of intense colors and always had to make the choice between combining my dark colors or doing hand wash. The first few washes were revealing as a lot of dye STILL came out and some of these clothes are over a year old.
I do find that doing a lot of small loads works better for me than cramming the machine full. Since it is the motion of the water going through the clothes that does the cleaning, I think I get cleaner clothes and the machine works more quietly. I did discover just how much the water moves when I did a lot of whites and the bras were all tangled in with the underpants. Now I do them in two loads and I get a lot less tangles (also fasten the bras before washing - it helps!)
Some people complain about no spin cycle but I did read the reviews and knew that. My grandmothers both used old wringer washers when I was younger and I just follow their example. Starting with your lightest colors (unless you use bleach), wash your least soiled clothes first, take them out of the soapy water, set them aside to be rinsed. Next load is slightly more soiled (or heavier) clothing. i usually do two or three small loads using the same soapy water. Then I drain the water, and start again with rinsing. Since these are mostly work clothes and I work in an office, they don't get too dirty.
Do be careful when washing towels as the agitation really stirs up the lint and can get under the impeller. I found that agitating for a few minutes, soaking for an hour or two, then re-agitating for a few minutes generates less lint than a long constant agitation.
Because I don't overload the washer, I find it easy enough to life the washer, water and all, to the vanity to drain and try to drain into the toilet so that the lint and soap scum don't clog the pipes for the sink and tub. Then I set it on top of the toilet to fill again, and then place it on the floor to go through the wash cycle. My bathroom layout is such that the cord isn't long enough to place the washer in the tub to do its thing. That would be ideal.
As long as you are not tempted to overload the washer, whether with clothes, soap or even too high a water level, it is pretty quiet. I have only had it a short time, but if it doesn't hold up, I will update my review.
I decided to also purchase a centrifugal spin dryer to make laundry day go more quickly
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