Laundry That Fits Apartments

For anyone renting or buying an apartment on a budget, real estate is all about compromise. To afford a better neighborhood, the things that get sacrificed often are non-essential amenities such as a fireplace, a balcony or an in-unit washer and dryer.

You can do without a cozy fire or a breezy balcony. But the laundry has to get done somewhere.

Not having a washer and dryer in your unit can be especially aggravating if there aren't machines in your building available for everyone to use. It's even worse if you don't have a car and the nearest Laundromat is more than a short walk away. But you may be able to supply your own solution to the problem.

If the rental lease allows it, apartment dwellers can buy portable washing machines and dryers that don't have to be hard-wired or plumbed into the building's utilities, and which they can take along to their next address, whenever that day comes. Condo owners typically have more control than renters do over what they can install within their own unit.

For example, portable electric clothes dryers get their juice from a typical home electrical connection rather than the heavy duty 240 volt outlet often required for their larger cousins. And there's no need to drill a hole in an exterior wall to vent these units because they can be vented indoors or do not require venting at all.

One big tradeoff: You'll have to get used to doing smaller loads in these machines. Most of the units are made by foreign manufacturers whose domestic markets have smaller homes than the typical U.S. dwellings.

Haier America, the U.S. subsidiary of a Chinese firm, makes four portable washers with capacities ranging from 1 cubic foot to 1.7 cubic feet. By comparison, the average American home washing machine holds 3.2 cubic feet of clothes.

The company's most popular model is the smallest, the HLP21E with a 1 cubic foot capacity. It uses only about two and a half gallons of water to wash a load of clothes. Its list price is about $250.

The companion HLP140E dryer, with a 2.6 cubic foot capacity, can be vented using a special removable attachment to a window. It's priced at $300.

Haier America also has a unit that washes and dries clothes in a single machine. The HWD1000 has a 1.7 cubic foot capacity and sells for $800. The machine dries clothes by a condensation method, which does not involve heat.

But drying clothes without a heating element has an obvious downside: It can take hours before your clothes are dry.

Canadian-based Danby Products makes two portable washers, the DTT420W which can hold 10 pounds of laundry, and the DWM99W which will take 8.8 pounds. Each is priced at $330.

Portable appliances are a niche product, so you might not find them in stock at a local retailer. A salesperson at the Bray and Scarff appliance store in Rockville said any of the chain's outlets can order portable washers and dryers, with delivery taking about a week. The machines also are available online at Web sites including http://www.target.com, http://www.compactappliance.com and http://www.walmart.com.

You may be disappointed, however, if you try to save money by looking for used machines. Several used appliance dealers contacted in the Washington area said they almost never have them.

When choosing a dryer, Consumer Reports magazine recommends getting one with a moisture sensor since excessive drying can damage clothes. Also, look for a machine that is relatively quiet if it is going to be near a living room or bedroom.

In a large apartment building, landlords can contract with a vendor who will install and service coin washers and dryers in a common area without any charge to the building's owner. But that amenity is less likely in a small rental property.

Dave Field, executive director of the Multi-housing Laundry Association, said most of the companies in this business won't set up machines in a residence with fewer than 20 units. To make a profit, the operators need a machine to be used at least three times a day.

At least if you have to wash multiple loads in one of the small portable machines, you won't have to leave your apartment to do it.