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The jetty neighbour from the chic motor yacht invites you to a sundowner on the foredeck - but what should I wear? After two weeks on the boat, all the good shirts are sweaty, full of sun cream or red wine stains. Just when the summer holiday gets really relaxing, there is usually a low tide in the wardrobe. Some harbours have washing machines available - but these are often occupied, broken or "somehow disgusting". How practical it would be if you could wash your clothes on board!
But installing a fully-fledged washing machine on board for the occasional wash cycle would be overkill. Perhaps it would be enough to buy one of the inexpensive mini washing machines advertised in camping accessories? We have tested four models costing up to 90 euros.
Washing machines have similarities
Our research revealed that many of the machines offered on the internet are either identical in construction and sold under several brand names or with slightly different housings and come from China. They all work in a similar way, which is why we have chosen four representatives: three electric and one manual washing drum - the latter being slightly out of competition.
The mini washing machines have clear goals: They should be small and light, consume little water and electricity and achieve results as quickly as possible. This makes them very interesting for boats in terms of their specifications. But can they also achieve sufficient washing performance? As a comparison, we wash five white T-shirts per machine with the quantities of water and detergent specified in the instructions, one of which always has the toughest stains on board: Engine oil, red wine, mustard and ketchup.
The washing machines in detail
Display4Top
The Display4Top double-chamber washing machine delivered the best results of all the systems, with the most pleasing performance in both washing and spinning. Surprisingly, the washing result is even slightly better than that of a domestic washing machine (Grundig) in the short programme (37 minutes), which we used for direct comparison in the test. Although the Display4Top is also the bulkiest and heaviest model, weighing almost nine kilograms, and consumes the most water (21 litres), it is the best choice for anyone looking for a washing machine that can quickly get the ketchup stain from the previous evening out of a good shirt before an invitation to a sundowner.
Syntrox
The Syntrox delivers a satisfactory result in the overall evaluation with two ten-minute washes. During the spin cycle, care must be taken to ensure that the items of clothing are exactly in the centre of gravity of the drum, otherwise it will develop a considerable imbalance. Despite the three-minute spin cycle, the laundry is still quite wet at the end.
Steinborg
The Steinborg requires surprisingly little water (ten litres), but delivers a relatively good result. During the first wash cycle, however, we noticed that black dust was trickling out of the ventilation slots under the motor. A short time later, the 90 euro washing machine stopped working while rinsing the laundry, so we were unable to test the spin properties with the faulty appliance as planned.
White Magic
The "White Magic" manual washing drum is not very convincing, even with twice the washing time. However, the stated washing time of 1:25 minutes for one kilogramme of laundry is also very short and will only be sufficient for rinsing sweaty shirts at most. A significantly longer washing time would certainly benefit the result, but the effort involved in manual curing should not be underestimated and hardly anyone would enjoy washing after more than five minutes.
Functionality
Most of the machines are very similar in design: warm water (40 degrees in the test) is poured into a kind of drum, which must first be heated on the cooker, as none of the machines have a heating coil. The laundry and detergent are then added. There is a disc with slats at the bottom of the drum, which rotates during washing and creates a considerable vortex in the drum. The disc rotates clockwise for a few seconds, then counterclockwise. After the specified washing time (between 10 and 15 minutes, depending on the model), the machine stops and the wash water can be drained.
The water is drained by gravity through a hose attached to the outside and at the bottom. The hose, which does not have a valve (except for the Display4Top), must be laid horizontally on the floor. It therefore helps to place the machines in a shower tray for washing. Only the instructions for the Display4Top recommend rinsing the laundry in clean water in a second wash cycle. In practice, however, this is recommended for all machines.
As a final step, the laundry is removed for a short time in order to attach a drum to the slatted disc in which the laundry is spun. With the Display4Top, the laundry is simply placed in the right-hand chamber. After spinning (3 to 5 minutes), the laundry can be hung up to dry and the machines can be emptied.
Washing quality
The test stains are no easy task, even for a domestic washing machine. In the washing time specified by the manufacturer (between 1:25 and 15 minutes, depending on the model), they are not manageable for the mini machines. To give them a chance, we have to double the washing time. Then the machines deliver really acceptable results.
Only the manual washing drum " White Magic ' is not very convincing even then. The stated washing time of 1:25 minutes for one kilogramme of laundry is also very short. However, it will suffice for rinsing sweaty shirts.
The test results in detail
The Syntrox delivers a better result with a washing time of twice ten minutes, but is only satisfactory in the overall rating. During the spin cycle, it is important to ensure that the items of clothing are exactly in the centre of gravity of the drum, otherwise it will become unbalanced. Although the laundry is drier after the spin cycle, it is still quite wet.
The Steinborg washes with surprisingly little water (ten litres), but delivers a relatively good result. During the first wash, we noticed black dust trickling out of the air vents under the motor. When rinsing the laundry, the Steinborg stopped working, so we were unable to test the spin properties.
The Display4Top delivered the best results, impressing in both washing and spinning. Surprisingly, the washing results are even slightly better than those of a domestic washing machine on a short programme (37 minutes), which we used for direct comparison. Although it is also the bulkiest machine and consumes the most water (21 litres), this model is the best choice for anyone looking for a machine that can quickly remove the ketchup stain from the previous evening from a good shirt before an invitation to a sundowner.
