Mini washing machine in uni halls?

Hi,

Uni laundrettes are super expensive. For one wash & dry cycle I have to spend at least £5 + laundry detergent costs. That is way too expensive for such thing and hand washing is not the best solution.

I am considering a mini washing machine like this
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Mini-washing-machine-15-minutes-timer-small-laundry-13-Liter-Bomann-MWA-9485-CB-/281626107111?hash=item4192395ce7
. I live in en-suite room so I would probably use it in my shower. Basically this is a thing where you put water and clothes in and it just spins everything. It doesn't need any plumbing, etc. as it's made to be portable.

Has anybody ever used anything like this? Is it actually worth it? What do you guys generally think?

Reply 1

chickenonsteroids

1. Will you be allowed to have it?
2. Will it be big enough?
3. If it breaks will you be willing to buy a new one?
4. Are there cheaper laundrettes around the university?

Reply 2

Joinedup

Probably forbidden by halls
Suspect you'll need to cut off the german plug and screw on a british to get that working - are you OK doing that?
also we don't tend to have mains sockets near showers for safety reasons.
Still got to dry 'em - are you going to have wet clothes hanging all over your room?

laundrette washing machines and dryers can take huge loads, say 15kg, the usual student solution iirc is get lots of cheap clothes and take large batches to the laundry in order to get your money's worth.

Reply 3

Klix88

Most uni halls won't let you have additional domestic appliances in your room unless you can prove a medical need. Even down to something like a kettle.

Reply 4

gutenberg

As Joinedup said, a typical uni launderette will have machines much bigger than your usual household washing machine, so making sure you have a full load of stuff to wash will mean that it becomes much more cost-effective. Yes, it does mean that occasionally you will have a day where you have to throw together an outfit from whatever is not dirty, but many people I know do a large wash every 2 weeks or so, so it's not £5 every week. If you had to, washing underwear, socks etc. in a sink is really not a big deal, to tide you over. Watch out for special offers on laundry detergent, I got a box of 80 Fairy gels for £5, so about 20p per wash there.

I don't know whether a halls would allow a gadget like that, both due to electrical risks as Klix pointed out, and if it malfunctioned they'd have water damage to deal with. A better plan might be just learning to manage your laundry to get the best value, and perhaps investing a bit of the money you would have spent on buying some extra underwear etc. to see you through to laundry day :wink: