I used to have one of these in a former apartment. Compared to a conventional washer and dryer it's smaller, slower (the whole cycle took 3+ hours), and the dried clothes were more wrinkly. But for me, a single guy, it was very convenient; I could put a load in when I left for work, and it would be all dry by the time I got home.
Amazon has a decent selection, ranging from $600 to $1400. You'll have to do the math as to whether it makes sense to buy one. Your payback period is something like 300 loads, compared to the laundromat. Maybe you could rent it out to other people in your complex?
I am looking for something for my apartment that doesn't have any hookups to the sink if such a thing exists. And if it needs to be hooked up too the sink It would have to be able to detach at the drop of a dime. The cheaper the better of course, I live in Canada if that has any effect.
EDIT: I m not really supposed to have a portable washer which is why I hoped one existed that I didnt need to hook up to the sink :/ Do these options provide need to be hooked up foe the entire duration of the wash? Thanks for the replies.
That sounds like your friend is just very irresponsible. Considering that portable laundry machines are not connected directly to a permanent water source, your friend wouldn't have had a leak with significant water damage if it wasn't for his/her running the machine while she was away from home.
Just like how you would never run a water boiler, microwave, stove top burner, space heater, dishwasher, or even sink faucet while you're away from home, you shouldn't be running a large appliance like a washer while you are out. This is common sense and the proper way to use home appliances. As a matter of fact, when you unpackage many of these home appliances they specifically state somewhere that you should never leave them running while unattended.
Of course, washing machines might leak, but the idea is that you're supposed to be there to handle things as soon as possible. This minimizes water damage. If you're out, you obviously can't react appropriately. Considering that portable washing machines only take about 3 buckets of water, some even less, you really aren't going to suffer major water damage if you're there to soak it all up with old laundry and towels as soon as you realize something went awry.
The major water damage is happening because you're not there to take care of it and you chose to run the washing machine while you're outside. It was mostly your friend's negligence. (since this redditor editted his/her comment, i'd point out that it'd have to be major water damage to have an actual case where renovations & a court case, would be justified)
It's like saying that having a space heater will start a major fire bc you left it on while you were away at work..
Yes this violates lease agreements where it specifically states that washer and dryer in unit aren't allowed. It also makes you liable for whatever damage might happen. Nobody is here to deny this. People who choose to do this should understand that and their actions carry consequences that they are held accountable for.
Edit:
Okay, maybe not dishwashers since they're likely connected to the sewage pipe anyway. Forgive me; I wrote this on morning grogginess.
Edit #2: (For those of you who don't read past first comments)
The problem I had with the post I originally replied to, was how they stated that "having one of these machines leads to leaks that cause major water damage", which btw, was editted out this afternoon by the redditor that wrote it. I keep my original replies here because I have integrity.
I've got a little Haier 2-in-1 washer/dryer and I actually love it. It takes a long time to dry (was cycle is the normal 30-60 mins but dry is 2+ hours), but I've got ADHD and absolutely love the fact that it does everything. I would constantly forget about my clothes in the washer, but that's no longer an issue.
A lot of people claim these units don't dry very well but I think they're doing it wrong. Youre not supposed to fill more than ~50% if you plan to dry (if you're gonna just do a wash cycle and hang dry, you can fill). I always do 'normal' dryness level and have never had a problem.
It's also great you can set a delay time on these, so you could perhaps throw a load in before work and time it to be just finishing as you get home.
The small size is also nice because I can properly group items and wash accordingly (eg. Cold water & Woolite for darks, hot for towels, etc) whereas with a big unit I never really had enough of the same laundry time to generally justify separate loads. I'd just throw clothes in with bedding/etc. and it wasn't ideal for keeping the clothes in good condition