Portable washing machines are very common in Costa Rica. Before living or traveling in Costa Rica, I had no idea what a portable washer was or how it worked. When staying in hostels while traveling, you pay the front desk to wash your clothes and one doesn’t need to worry about a thing. Your clothes come back folded and smelling fresh. If you decide to stay in an Airbnb in Costa Rica, you most definitely are going to run into the portable washer. My first experience with such a contraption was during a month-long Airbnb rental. I thought one night I could do my laundry so it would be finished for the next morning. As I went into the dark backyard with my flashlight, I took one look at the machine and immediately decided this would have to be an activity for the daylight. The portable washer had two compartments with many different buttons and nozzles. The mundane task I took as simple-minded become immediately complex for me. I scoured the internet looking for “How To Videos” on portable washers. Never did I think I would need to teach myself to wash clothes, but here at age 35 guess what I was doing? I didn’t find anything extremely detailed or step-by-step online, so I thought that I would create a video and step-by-step guide to using the portable washing machine. I hope the following will help others when traveling or encountering the portable washer for the first time.
Here is a picture of the portable washing machine. I will label parts of the washing machine here for you to see.
1. Dial indicating the time of agitation in the washer. (15 minutes)
2. Dial indicating strength of washer. (Strong or Normal)
3. Sliding button indicating whether the water will go in the washer or the spinner.
4. Dial indicating whether the water will stay in the washer or whether it will be drained from the washer.
5. Dial indicating time in the dryer/spinner.
6. Nozzle to turn on the water.
Step One -
You need to fill up the washing machine with water. There is a sliding button in the middle of your machine that tells the water where to go (3). You can select the “lavado” which is the washer or the “centrifugado” which is the spinner. When first washing your clothes, you want the water to go into the washer, so make sure the button is slid to the side of the lavado. Next, there is a dial in the center of the machine that lets you hold the water in the machine or have it drain out of the machine (4). You want to make sure that it is on wash or lavar. Next, you can turn on the water via the brass nozzle (6). You will want to fill up the washer ½ or ¾ full for a laundry basket full of clothes. When your washer is ½ - ¾ full turn the brass nozzle off so the water stops.
Step Two –
Put your laundry detergent in the water and use dial 1 to agitate or mix the soap for one minute. When the agitation stops, place all of your clothes in the washer. Make sure the water submerges all your clothes. If it does not, add more water. At this point, you can decide the intensity of your load using dial 2 (normal or strong). Turn dial number 1 to 15 minutes and wait for your clothes to wash.
Step Three –
You need to let the water drain from the washer. You will need to turn dial 4 to drain or drenar. Wait for the water to leave the washer.
Step Four –
You will need to transfer your clothes from the washer on the left side of the machine to the spinner on the right side of the machine. The spinner will rinse your laundry and then dry it about 70%. All the clothes in the washer may not fit into the spinner so you may have to run the spinner two times depending on how much laundry you have. Transfer your clothes until the spinner is filled to the top of the basket. There is a plastic circle that you will place on top of the basket to prevent your clothes from getting stuck on the outside of the spinner. See pictures below of plastic circle placement. Once your plastic circle is in place, close the lid. You also need to move the sliding button 3 over to the centrifugado or spinner. This will make sure the water will go into the spinner and not into the washer.
Step Five – Now you will need to rinse and dry your clothes. Turn the water nozzle on (6). You will then turn dial 5 to 5 minutes. Dial 5 is the timer for the centrifugado. Your clothes should start to spin in the spinner/dryer while the water is running. You will wait 2 minutes for your clothes to rinse. Once dial 5 hits the 3-minute mark, you will turn the water off. Now it is time for your clothes to dry.
Step Six – Take your clothes that are about 70% dry and hang them on the line. They will dry within a few hours outside, but if you dry them inside, it may take a complete 24 hours. Repeat steps four and five if you have more clothes in your washer.
Congratulations! You did it! You can now say that you know how to wash and dry clothes using a portable washer. You are one step closer to being a Tico or a Tica. If you still have questions, click HERE to view my video on doing laundry with a portable washer.
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