This thing does look like a toy straight out of the box. And the instruction manual isn't all that helpful - aside from the terrible translation. That being said, I have run 4 loads through it yesterday and today, and so far, I really like it a lot! I'll have to see how it holds up under many more loads, and if needed, I will change the 5 star review in the future. But right now, I'm very happy I bought this. We recently moved to a "tiny home" with no piped water, but we do have electricity. I do have other ways to do laundry manually, but wringing the water out before hanging to dry has always been a big issue. So I thought I'd give this a try. As another reviewer said, I fill up water jugs (or you can just use a bucket) to empty into the washer tub. Depending on your load, you can set the washer time up to 15 minutes and either "normal" or "gentle" cycle. I got the 26 pound size, which is actually 18 pounds for the washer and 8 pounds for the spinner (it is NOT A DRYER!!!). I've done 2 king size flats sheets and 2 king size pillow cases in one wash load. I really doubt it would accomodate a king size blanket, unless it was very thin, and I am not going to attempt it. Smaller size blankets may be ok. I also did 5 bath towels (full size, not hand towels) in one wash load and could probably have gotten a 6th one in. Usually I put the laundry in and then add water to cover. Just to try it, one time I did put the water in first, and it took about 8 to 9 gallons up to the "medium" level. BE CAREFUL NOT TO PUT TOO MUCH DETERGENT IN. I accidentally did with my towel load. Even after 2 rinses, there were still a lot of suds. But wait, there is no rinse cycle on the machine. Correct, I just ran it through 2 more wash cycles without adding any more detergent. While so far I have run all wash cycles at 15 minutes, for a "rinse" cycle I usually choose less time. I do have to drain the water between wash and rinse cycles. While the wash cycle and spin cycle will automatically stop after the chosen time, you must turn off the drain cycle when the tub is empty. Since the spin side is much smaller than the wash side, depending on the size of the load, you will need to divvy up the washed clothes into different spin cycles. For instance, in my king size sheet load, I did one sheet and one pillowcase per spin cycle. For my towel load, I did three towels and then two towels. I was acutally pretty impressed with how much moisture the spin cycle extrudes in 5 minutes, even with the towels. You will still have to hang the laundry to dry, but it should take much less time. Be aware, the machine may "walk" during the spin cycle. One thing the manual really doesn't say is what the flat white disc not attached to anything is for. You put that on top of the load in the spinner before closing the spinner lid. I wouldn't use this anywhere you do not want the floor to get wet; it wasn't like a flood, but there were definitely wet spots. Also, when I am finished using, I leave the lids up on both sides to let them air dry. We have 5 large dogs, so a lot of dog hair on everything. I usually just run my hand around the inside of the wash tub to get the hair out. There is a filter you can take out and open up to empty, again no instructions on this in the manual. If the tub looks dirty, I put just a little water in and do a 3 minute wash cycle then drain. The more you use it, the more tips and tricks you will figure out. Right now, I have my machine sitting on a covered front porch, as there is no room in our tiny house for it. That means I will not be able to use it when temps get down to freezing. I'm sure I will miss it this winter!
