Washing and drying clothes in your RV can be a nightmare with never enough space and wet towels hanging everywhere. Stopping at laundromats and dry cleaners is not always an option and it can get rather expensive very quickly.
Yet, there is usually not enough room for a full-size washer and a dryer set in your RV, so what are you supposed to do? You guessed it, get a small portable combo!
If you have never lived in a small apartment or traveled in a camper before, you might think these small machines are just like the bigger ones, except they hold fewer items. Well, sorry to say it, but you would be wrong.
Most portable washing machine/dryer combos used in RVs do not use warm air to dry the clothes, using a spin cycle instead. They come in different sizes and also have either a single- or twin-tub design. You can either fill and drain them manually or use hoses and faucet adapters, which may or may not be included in the package.
If you are determined to get a washer-dryer combo that uses air to dry clothes, you will need a bit more space. There are both vented and ventless options out there, and in this review, I will review both.
To make it as simple as possible, ask these questions before buying a washer-dryer combo for your RV or small flat.
Lets start with the cheaper and more lightweight washer-dryer options, which are spin dry machines. If you need to have a portable washing machine, then these are the only viable options out there.
When you open the box, there is a plastic smell, but it should disappear after few weeks. You get an inlet hose and a drain hose, both of adequate length.
The adapter, however, included in the inlet hose doesn’t fit all garden faucets. What is also really annoying is the two- month warranty period.
When you wash your clothes, light stains are easily removed and they come out clean. You might have to do several loads, though, as the washer is less effective when fully packed (like most washing machines). There is no automatic rinse cycle, and if you want to rinse, just repeat the wash cycle without detergent.
Do keep in mind that even when using the dryer, cotton fabrics are still rather damp and you have to hang them in a rack to fully dry them out. But for fabrics that dry faster, such as polyester, the spin cycle should be enough. You should know that there is no drain pump in the system, and if your drain hose is directed upwards, you won’t be able to fully empty the machine.
You get a 15-minute timer for washing and a five-minute timer for drying. In most cases, you don’t have to exceed the limit when your clothes aren’t that dirty.
It efficient with water and detergent, and clothes don’t have to be fully submerged. For an 8-lb load, a tablespoon of liquid detergent is more than enough, saving you a lot of water and detergent in the long run. For a smaller machine, the vibrations are quite noticeable and it is not that quiet, so place cardboard or a rug under it.
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You get an intake hose and a drain hose, but they are quite short, and come without an adapter to connect it to a faucet. Do keep in mind that there is no drain pump, and the appliance only drains fully when the drain hose is directed downwards.
When it comes to cleaning clothes, it has no problem removing light stains, but some users have reported issues with really heavy stains. It cleans better when the load is lighter, and it’s best not to exceed 10 lbs.
It doesn’t automatically rinse after washing; the rinse cycle is pretty much like the wash cycle but without the detergent. After rinsing, the dryer is able to remove about 80 – 90 % of the water and the five-minute timer is sufficient in most cases. When you touch a garment, it is still damp but your fingers aren’t wet. There is a 6-lb limit for the dryer, and exceeding that will leave the clothes more wet.
The machine is quite efficient in its use of water and detergent. However, the manual is confusing about how much water you need to add. Based on user experience, you should add less than what is recommended by the manufacturer, so the tub doesn’t overflow and damage the electronics in your RV. For the stated amount of water, two tablespoons of detergent is enough. Anything more and you have to add another rinse cycle, which is just unnecessary.
When the machine is running, it doesn’t shake as much as some models, and it is not even noticeable if your load is balanced. Even when it is against an RV wall, there are no perceptible vibrations.
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When you open the box, you will notice a slightly unpleasant “brand new” smell, but it does not last as long as with other models. The machine has an intake port on both the washer and the dryer side. It helps that you have an option where to connect your hose, depending on which side is closer.
You get an intake hose and a drain hose in the package, and it even comes with an adapter. What is disappointing, however, is that the adapter doesn’t actually fit most faucets. Both the drain hose and the power cord are shorter than usual, so you will be stuck near a wall to use this machine.
Shortcomings aside, it does a good job in cleaning clothes. You might have do a couple of loads if you have a big pile of laundry as it does not hold that much. There is also a 15-minute timer, more than enough time for the wash cycle.
The machine doesn’t rinse automatically, so you need to reset the timer for the wash cycle without detergent. When it comes to the dryer, cotton garments are usually still damp after the dryer cycle and you have to continue drying them outside. There is no drain pump either, so the machine has to rely on gravity to remove the dirty water.
It does, however, a great job in maximizing soap and water usage. A tablespoon of detergent is enough if the tub is three quarters full and the clothes are fully immersed in water.
Keep in mind, too, that the more clothes in a load, the noisier the machine becomes. Heavy garments like jeans and thick towels cause more vibrations, but having a cardboard or a rug underneath will minimize this.
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Inside the delivery box, you get an intake hose and a drain hose. The drain hose, however, cannot be detached, so replacing it in the future, if you need it, wont be easy. There is also no drain pump in the machine that can fully drain the gray water if your hose is directed upwards.
When it’s time to clean your dirty socks and underwear, the machine performs well in removing lighter stains. Food and sweat stains are washed away without a problem, and even heavier stains come out fairly well if you don’t over stack the machine. It can’t rinse automatically, though, so you just have to repeat the wash cycle without adding the detergent like with other machines on this list.
After rinsing, you can’t load all of the clothes from the washer because the dryer is somewhat small. The Kuppet can remove about 90% of the water; and depending on the garment, the results ranges from dry to damp.
There is a timer included for both the washing and drying cycles. Usually, the 15-minute timer for washing is long enough to clean most clothes. The five-minute timer for the dryer is adequate too, and repeating the process doesn’t make much of a difference. It’s wiser to do small batches for a shorter washing time, since the machine is less efficient with heavier loads. For a regular load, the machine uses about 1/4 cup of detergent
The bigger unit is reported to vibrate less than the smaller one, so if that is really an issue for you, keep that in mind.
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You get a long intake hose and a detachable drain hose in the package, but there is no adapter, so you must buy it separately. There is also a small drain pump in the machine which is great for draining the gray water.
During use, the unit is quite capable of cleaning food, sweat, and dirt stains on clothes. It has a 15-minute timer for the washing cycle, which, in most cases, is more than enough. It is wise not to not exceed the weight limit because it takes longer to clean a heavier load. There is no automatic rinse cycle with the Della, so you need to repeat the wash cycle without soap.
The machine is quite efficient in using water and detergent. But try not to add more water than 3/4 of the tank or it may cause an overflow.
After rinsing, the dryer removes the excessive moisture from the clothes. It can fully dry smaller garments like socks and underwear, but shirts and pants come out somewhat damp. This Della washing machine isn’t noisy and vibrations only occur when washing garments like a big towels or more than one pair of heavy jeans. As long as the load isn’t beyond the weight limit, it remains stable.
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In the box, you get an intake hose with an adapter that you can attach to a faucet and drain hose. You can also hand fill the machine and drain it manually in the tub.
The expensive-looking machine weighs 28 pounds and has a minimum water capacity of about 18 liters and maximum limit is 24, so do not exceed these parameters.
The washer will fit around three sweaters and three pairs of pants or about 10 T-shirts, so it’s a decent size for a portable machine.
The machine makes the most of the water and detergent. You only have to fill up the tub until the clothes are immersed. Go beyond that and you risk overflowing the machine during the wash cycle.
The spin drier is surprisingly powerful, and for smaller items, it will spin dry them in 2-3 minutes (like socks, underwear, etc). If the garment is larger, you might have to hang it to fully dry it.
The machine doesn’t have a drain pump, so you have to avoid the drain hose pointing upward when it drains.
When you have clothes in the machine, it is also important to distribute them evenly inside the tub. This avoids unnecessary vibration because the weight in the tub is balanced.
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In the package, you get an intake hose both for hot and cold water (both are identical). You also get sink and quick connect hose adapters, so you can connect the unit to a garden faucet or a kitchen sink faucet if you wish. There is a drain hose, too, but it is only three feet long, so you need to extend it if you are far from a drain.
In using the machine, you have four settings (standard, heavy, delicate, quick wash) depending on the kind of garments. The cycle is about 42 minutes long and will clean your clothes nicely. The lint filter catches a lot of lint compared to other machines, so you need to clean it regularly. Thankfully, there is also a drain pump in the machine, so you don’t have to rely on gravity alone to drain all the water.
It is also important to note that if you open the top lid while the machine is running, an error message pops out and it stops. But don’t worry, simply close the lid and the cycle resumes. It also pretty quiet compared to other machines so no need to worry about excessive noise.
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Inside the package, you get an intake hose and drain hose, both of which are rather short. You get a drain pump but no adapters for a faucet, so you will need to purchase them separately.
You can use this machine in your bathtub and fill it with a bucket if you want to do it faster. Putting it in the bathtub also helps drain it easier, as the hose needs to be leveled, which is difficult as it is on the bottom.
What is truly disappointing is that there is no instruction manual in the box. While this may be fine for experienced users, it is going to be challenging for new users given that some features are lacking.
There is a 15-minute timer for the washer, and as long as you don’t exceed this weight limit, you don’t have to go more than 15 minutes. For towels and sheets, this is enough if they aren’t heavily stained. It can fit about three adult outfits and bed sheets as well.
The portable machine is also quite efficient in using water and detergent, so it is ideal for RVs and small apartments. You only need to fill the water up the level where all your clothes are immersed. Anything more and your machine is likely to overflow.
After the detergent has been rinsed off, the dryer removes most of water remaining in your clothes, but not all – the bigger the garment, the more likely it is to remain damp. There is a five-minute timer sufficient for normal use.
The machine runs quietly and doesn’t vibrate much. Just keep the tubs balanced and it will be reasonably noiseless.
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You get an intake hose and a drain hose in the package, and there is an adapter for a garden hose, but weirdly enough, it doesn’t fit most of them. You either have to go the hardware store or online to find the proper adapter. There is no adapter for a kitchen sink either, which is a bummer.
You can set the timer for each cycle (soak, wash, rinse, spin) and choose five different programs (a combination of different cycles) and let the machine do the work. You get to choose the length of each cycle, which is great, and also choose the water level from 16 liters (L for LOW) to 30 liters (H for HIGH), depending on how many clothes you have to wash.
What is annoying, however, is that the H setting almost always causes the tub to overflow during the wash cycle.
This machine is not huge (as you can see from the capacity), and it holds two jeans and a T-shirt or perhaps three large towels. You also don’t have the option of adjusting the intensity of the wash, which is a bit disappointing if you ever need to wash delicate garments.
But aside from this, the machine cleans your clothes without major problems and the drain pump is helpful in draining all the gray water, so don’t have to rely solely on gravity.
The machine uses about 8-9 gallons of water for a full load and the same for the rinse cycle.
You should distribute your clothes evenly inside the tub because this reduces unnecessary vibration during the spin cycle.
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The first washing machine on our list with an air drying system is one of the top-rated Amazon products out there. It comes with an impressive ten different wash and three dry cycles, and it is highly praised by a lot of full-time RVers. An average wash cycle should take about 40 minutes and in 1.5 hours, it should both wash and dry your items. Depending on the cycle, it will use 7-16 gallons of water, so if you need to save water make sure to choose the right program.
The maximum spin speed is a whopping 1200 RPM (which should help dry heavy cottons 20% quicker than other models out there) and the max load capacity is 11 lbs.
Another thing that most users love about this product is the fact it is not as noisy as most washers (due to its super-silent technology) and given that it measures 23-1/2″ width, 33-1/8″ height, and 22-5/8″ in depth, it takes up about as much space as any standard washer and dryer in your house.
This model is not portable and weighs 155 pounds, so you would need some help installing it in your RV. Some users have complained about the installation, as there are problems removing the shipping bolts at the back, and you may need to get a plumber to do it.
The machine draws 11 amps, 120 volts (60Hz) and 1300W and uses a regular three-prong outlet. Keep in mind that the washer does not actually heat its own water, so you need access to both hot and cold water to use it fully.
This model needs a standpipe of at least 1 ¼” in diameter and a carry-away capacity of 7 GPM or more. The drain pipe itself is about an inch (7/8″) and it should drain the load in 90 seconds. This particular vented model comes only in white, but if you are okay with a ventless version, you can also get a platinum one.
While it does a really good job at washing your clothes, you need to be careful not to overfill it lest the clothes become really wrinkled after the drying cycle.
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The unit is about as heavy as the other air dry unit by Splendid (this one is only 10 pounds lighter weighing in at 145 lbs), so there is no way you can move and install it on your own. A good thing, however, is that is comes with a 5-ft outlet and two 8-ft inlet hoses, so you don’t need to buy them separately.
The Energy Star is really a user-friendly machine that comes with electronic knobs that are soft to touch and a clear display that lets you know the exact time the cycle ends.
Everything is done automatically, so you don’t need to adjust the water level yourself. Plus, it has about a 15-pound wash capacity, which is suitable for small families as well. It uses about nine gallons of water for a standard wash, but it can go as high as twenty gallons for towels and heavy cottons.
Even though the machine has shock absorbers and heavy duty springs, it does shake a bit during the drying cycle. Also, keep in mind that it cannot be stacked, and you will not be able to drain it into sink either.
Even though this machine uses a drum rotation that is bi-directional, you should keep the load fairly small if you want a wrinkle-free result. You should also be aware that ventless machines in general take much longer than vented machines to dry clothes.
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