Shopping for the best portable washer (opens in new tab) does not necessarily mean you are just doing laundry for one person. The GE GNW128PSMWW is going to be ideal if you need to do lots of laundry but don’t have the space for a traditional washer and dryer set-up. It has almost double the capacity of many competitors and it is still compact enough to qualify as truly portable. You can tackle larger loads with this unit and then roll it out of the way for storage.
GE GNW128PSMWW: What you need to know
Larger is a bit of a relative term. Most manufacturers still classify the 2.8-cubic-foot capacity of this washer to be small, but it is big compared to others in its class. You could not fit a queen-size comforter in it but you could fit lots of other normal loads. That capacity makes it a little less impressive in terms of space-savings but it can still fit in a relatively small space – smaller than normal machines. It’s only 24 inches wide, where normal-sized washers are usually more in the 27-inch range. If you need something truly tiny consider the Magic Chef MCSTW16W4 (opens in new tab).
This GE washer is the heaviest one we reviewed in this round at 99 pounds. It does come with rollers, though, and not all of them do. The rollers should still make it relatively easy to move it over to a faucet and back to its storage spot.
This is not the most efficient in terms of energy costs, which is hardly surprising considering its larger dimensions. It will cost you about $17 a year to run. We looked at machines that will cost less than half that much. But the larger capacity will be worth it for some households. The GNW128PSMWW has a relatively fast spin speed – the second fastest among those we compared. That means shorter drying times.
There were a few machines with more cycle variety than this one but there are plenty for most scenarios. You get a specific cycle for jeans, a speed wash, heavy duty wash and delicates wash. You get more of a variety in water temperatures than normal with this machine, including hot, warm, cool and cold. If you need to delay start times you can, that way your wet laundry doesn’t sit for very long. A digital display helps you keep track of the time remaining and makes it easy to see what settings you have selected. You can also lock all controls to keep kids from interrupting your wash schedule.
Should you buy the GE GNW128PSMWW?
The GE GNW128PSMWW is portable but not lightweight when compared to similar washing machines. It is also a little pricey. It’s good if you need more capacity. Paying a bit more and having to find a slightly larger spot to store it in your closet is going to be worth it in a lot of situations. If you do laundry for more than a couple of people this is going to be perfect. This is not the most efficient right out of the box but you can add back in some energy savings from the fast spin speeds, potential for larger loads and cold water wash option on this unit.
