Washpico Washer
A folding 8-litre washer that runs off a 12V adapter, fills from the tap and drains into the sink. Sized for the handful of things you need clean by tomorrow — not for a week's laundry.
How small is eight litres, really?
Eight litres is the number on the spec sheet, and it is the number that decides whether this machine is right for you. It is not a small washing machine. It is a machine for a small wash.
Think one evening's worth of things rather than one week's: the underwear and socks, two or three tees, a set of baby clothes, the shirt you need in the morning, a swimsuit that came home damp. Load it loosely and it does that job well. Push it past that and you get clothes that came out of water rather than clothes that came out clean — which is the single most common complaint about every portable washer on the market, ours included.
If your actual problem is a full hamper, this is the wrong purchase and we would rather you knew now.
Five things worth knowing before you buy.
The body collapses when it is empty. Open it is 29.5 cm across and 29 cm tall; folded it is 14.5 cm — flat enough for a cupboard shelf.
10 minutes standard, 15 minutes soft, and a 2-minute spin. Hold the button two seconds to start or stop. There is nothing else to learn.
Pour water in, run the outlet tube into the sink or tub and open the valve at the base. Nothing attaches to your plumbing.
Light enough to carry to the sink with one hand, full or empty, and light enough to travel with.
A disc in the base spins the water and moves the clothes through it. That is gentler than a drum tumble and less effective on set-in stains — both things are true.
Ten minutes, fifteen minutes, or a two-minute spin.
Most portable washers give you one speed and a timer dial. This one gives you a real choice between agitation and gentleness, which matters more at this size than it does in a full machine — a small drum works clothes harder against each other.
The spin cycle is the one people misunderstand. Two minutes gets a load from soaking to damp. It does not get it to dry, and nothing at this size does.
It folds down and goes away.
This is the part that decides whether a portable washer gets used or resented. A machine that has to live on the counter becomes a thing you look at every day. This one concertinas down to the height of a shoebox lid and goes in a cupboard between loads.
It is also the reason people take it to dorms, vans, boats and long trips — it packs.
Five steps, about twenty minutes, none of them outside.
Pull the body up until it clicks open. Put the outlet tube in the sink, tub or a bucket.
Warm or cold. Fill to cover the load, not to the brim — clothes need room to move or they do not get clean.
Roughly a quarter of what a full-size machine takes. Pods do not dissolve reliably in a drum this small.
Standard, soft, or spin. Two seconds to start. It shuts off on its own.
Open the valve to drain, refill with clean water for a rinse, run the 2-minute spin, then collapse it and put it back.
The competition is your sink, not a Samsung.
Nobody chooses between this and a full-size washer. The real choice is between this, washing three things by hand, and putting it off until the trip is worth making. Two of those rows say No, and they are the two that matter most if you are buying for the wrong reason.
| Washpico washer | Washing by hand | Laundromat | Full-size machine | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wash three items tonight | Yes | Yes | Not worth the trip | Wasteful |
| Hands stay dry | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Rinses properly | Yes | Rarely | Yes | Yes |
| Gets water out of the load | Partly — 2 min spin | No | Yes | Yes |
| A week of laundry at once | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| Bedsheets and bath towels | No | Barely | Yes | Yes |
| Needs a hookup or a building | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| Lives in a cupboard | Yes | — | No | No |
Model MLSC-01, in numbers.
Everything unmarked here came off the manufacturer's spec sheet. Everything marked TODO is a number nobody has verified yet — leave it marked until you have, because a spec table is the one part of a product page a sceptical buyer actually checks.
| Specifications | |
|---|---|
| Drum volume | 8 litres |
| Size, open | 29.5 cm wide × 29 cm tall |
| Size, folded | 29.5 cm wide × 14.5 cm tall |
| Weight | 1.2 kg |
| Rated power | 10 W |
| Rated voltage | 12 V DC, via adapter |
| Cycles | Standard 10 min · Soft 15 min · Spin 2 min |
| Colours | Lavender, mint |
| What ships | |
|---|---|
| In the box | Washer body, model MLSC-01 |
| Drain tube | |
| 12V power adapter | |
Including the ones that lose us the sale.
How much actually fits in 8 litres?
Think one evening's things rather than one day's: underwear and socks, two or three tees, a set of baby clothes. Load it loosely — clothes have to move through the water to get clean, and a packed drum just soaks them.
Will it wash bedsheets, towels or jeans?
No to sheets and bath towels — they jam the drum and come out unevenly washed. A single pair of jeans will physically fit but will not agitate properly. This machine is for light, small garments.
Does it need a plumbing hookup?
No. Fill it from any tap with a jug or a hose, and drain it through the outlet tube into a sink, tub or bucket. Nothing attaches to your plumbing, which is why it works in a rental, a dorm or a van.
Does it rinse, or do I have to?
You do. Drain the wash water, refill with clean water, run a short cycle, drain again. Two minutes of your attention, and skipping it is why small-washer loads sometimes feel stiff.
Does the spin get clothes dry?
No, and be sceptical of anyone selling this size who says otherwise. The 2-minute spin gets a load from soaking to damp so it stops dripping. Drying is a separate job — a rack, or the dryer we sell alongside it.
What detergent, and how much?
Ordinary liquid detergent, roughly a quarter of a full-size dose. Pods do not dissolve reliably at this size and leave residue. Too much detergent in a small drum means a rinse that never quite finishes.
How loud is it?
TODO — run it and describe it in words. "You can hold a conversation over it" is worth more to a buyer than a decibel figure you did not measure.
Can I use hot water?
TODO — check the manual for a maximum inlet temperature before answering. The body is a folding polymer bellows, so there will be a limit, and guessing at it is how you end up with a warped return.
Is it safe to leave running?
It runs at 12 volts and 10 watts and stops itself at the end of the cycle. That said, it holds water and sits on a counter — treat it like a full sink, not like a sealed appliance.
TODO — if the unit or its adapter carries a safety certification, name it here. If it does not, say nothing rather than something vague.
What if it does not work for me?
Thirty days, US return address. TODO — say plainly who pays return shipping.
Reviews
Washpico Dryer
The washer gets clothes clean and damp. The dryer hangs them on any rail and runs warm air through them for as long as you set it. Together they are $79.49
Small wash. Tonight. On the counter.
$69, ships from the US, 30 days to send it back.