Doing Laundry In A Tiny House
How you will do laundry in a tiny house is a decision that pretty much has to be made before you build, or before you buy a pre-made tiny home. If you’re already living tiny, you may be thinking about retroactively installing a laundry center. In either case, you’ll want to consider these questions:
- What size appliances will you have room for in your tiny home?
- How often will you be needing to run a load of laundry? Do you have kids?
- Will your home have room for these appliances?
- Will you be able to supply the required water, electricity, and/or gas a laundry center will need?
- What about the waste water? Are your dependent on a holding tank? How often do you want to drain it?
- Would it be better to use a laundromat?
- How convenient is a laundry facility to your location?
Personally, I’m not crazy about the laundromat. But only you can decide what will work best for your situation. Let’s take a look at what’s involved in creating a laundry center in your tiny house so you can make an informed decision before you make the move.
Laundry Has to Be Done, Even in a Tiny House
My daughter-in-law, with two young children at home, bemoans the fact that she needs to do laundry everyday. She lives in a 600 sq.ft. apartment that fortunately has a washer and dryer in her unit. She feels very blessed.
If you live in a 140 sq.ft. tiny home, there’s barely enough room for a bed, not to mention cooking facilities. Where would a washer and dryer even go? But living tiny is all about establishing your priorities. 
Lets assume you want to do laundry in your tiny house
Size and efficiency are the key issues. The All-In-One Washer, Ventless Dryer was invented to meet that niche.
This GE, 2.4 cu.ft. Combo unit is considered one of the best. But you’ll pay the price, $1,259.00* today at The Home Depot. There are two other versions with more bells and whistles like WiFi enabled for gobs more money. It’s approximate dimensions (in.) – 33-1/4 in. H x 23-7/16 in. W x 25-5/8 in. D. Weighs 123 lbs. It only needs a regular AC outlet (110 volt) but draws 20 amps.
Where does the moisture in a ‘ventless’ dryer go?
From LG, “Already very popular in other parts of the world, the ductless or ventless washer/dryer combo is rapidly becoming the laundry appliance of choice in today’s American home. The ventless dryer uses cold water condensation technology, first using heat to draw moisture from clothing, and then recycling the hot air back into the drum, where it is cooled back into water that can then be safely drained into an ordinary household sink at a safe and steady rate. This cycle repeats itself until the clothes are dry. Note that the ventless home or apartment washer and dryer combo does require a little more time to fully dry clothing than conventional appliances.”
Users seem to love their combos, even though they report that the clothes are never entirely dry, and it can take up to six hours to run one load.
Here’s a Small Washer/Dryer Combo with an Optional Vented Dryer
BETTER DRYING: Only combo in the world to offer an optional vented (using hot air) or ventless/condensing dry (using cold water) that can be changed according to the season, at the touch of a button, by user. (vented is 30% faster drying time, due to better air flow). High spin speed of 1400 RPM extracts more water, reducing dry time. Choice of sensor dry, 60-minute timed dry, or 12-minute refresh dry. Select from 4 levels of dryness.
QUIET CYCLE: Clothes are washed and dried at low RPM with noise level less than 60 dB. Perfect for families working in different shifts, babies, and older generation.
It’s tiny. 1.6 cu.ft, measures 36 x 26 x 25 inches and weighs just 180 lbs. 110 volts. Six colors to choose from, with prices ranging from $1,099.00* to $1,399.00*. Click on image to see more details.
We Opted For a Full-Sized Stacked Washer and Dryer
If doing laundry at home is non-negotiable to you, design it into your house during the planning process. Even if you need to buy a slightly larger trailer to make the room, it will probably be worth it to you in the long run.
We bought 4.3 cu.ft. stackable LG appliances from our local Home Depot. In hindsight we could have used the smaller capacity models, which might have saved us a few inches. In any case, we love them.
These modern appliances use minuscule amounts of detergent, fabric softener, and water. They don’t tear our clothes up like the old agitator-style machine did. The washer spins the clothes at 1400 RPM, which gets almost all of the moisture out before it ever gets to the dryer. That makes the drying very fast. They require a 120v AC outlet and 10 amps.
They weren’t cheap, even on sale, but I’m pleased every time I use them. We got rebates from our local electric company because they were Energy Star Compliant.
To actually get the great deal advertised by any big-box store you need to know a few tricks. Here are my tricks.
A ‘Laundry Center’ Might Be the Right Choice For You
The “Laundry Center” has been around for decades. Wash and dry all the essentials with a stackable washer and dryer combination that accommodates small spaces. The see-through washer lid lets you easily check on your load while it’s washing, and the dryer automatically senses when clothes are dry to prevent over-drying. Wash the essentials with 1.6 cu. ft. capacity, and dry everyday loads with 3.4 cu. ft. capacity.
They can squeeze in just about anywhere. Dimensions are: 23.88″ wide, 74.25″ high, and 26.63″ deep. Cost about half as much as the full-size units shown above.
Right now this 1.6 cu.ft. Laundry Center by Whirlpool is $1248.00* at The Home Depot, but be sure to check out my page on Taking Advantage of Big-Box Store Sales.
Doing Laundry in a Really Tiny Home
A lot of people really like this SUPER DEAL Portable Compact Washing Machine, Mini Twin Tub Washing Machine w/Washer&Spinner, Gravity Drain Pump and Drain Hose
- Washing Capacity-8-9 lbs
- Rated Wash Input Power:240w
- Rated Dry Input Power:120w
- Dimensions: 21.9*14.8*23.2 inch
Here’s an informative YouTube® video about the SUPER DEAL Portable Compact Washing Machine, Mini Twin Tub Washing Machine
How Much Room Will You Set Aside to Do Laundry in Your Tiny House?
Make your selections on laundry, kitchen appliances, and furniture in the planning stages of your build so you know they fit. Once everything is designed to fit, order the large appliances, furniture and bathroom inserts so they will be on hand when you are ready for them. Buy your trailer and get going.
Where will your grey water go?
Something to consider. Are you plumbed into septic or sewer? Or will this fill your grey water tank? You may be able to use the grey water for your garden, provided it’s filtered. Visit our Handling Grey Water page for more information.
Here’s some more pages of the Tiny Life Consulting website you’ll find interesting
Unique Tiny House Furniture Tables and beds