Navaris 2-in-1 Mini Washing Machine and Spin Dryer Review: The Off-Grid Laundry Solution We Put to the Test

There’s a unique freedom that comes with life on the road, in a tiny home, or deep in the heart of a campsite. It’s a deliberate disconnection from the hustle and the hum of modern infrastructure. But with that freedom comes a set of practical challenges, and one of the most persistent is laundry. I recall a two-week trip through the countryside in our caravan, where the idyllic scenery was periodically punctuated by a desperate search for a laundromat. These excursions would eat up half a day, cost a small fortune in coins, and pull us right out of the off-grid experience we were seeking. The alternative—hand-washing in a bucket—is a back-breaking, water-wasting chore that leaves clothes dripping for days. This is the precise problem the Navaris 2-in-1 Mini Washing Machine and Spin Dryer aims to solve. It promises a self-sufficient, electricity-free way to tackle small loads, restoring a piece of domestic convenience to the most remote of locations. But does this manual marvel deliver on its promise, or is it a plastic novelty that buckles under pressure?

What to Consider Before Buying a Portable Washing Machine

A portable washing machine is more than just a compact appliance; it’s a key solution for independence and convenience. For those living in small apartments, dorm rooms, caravans, or enjoying an off-grid lifestyle, it represents a break from the tyranny of the laundromat. The main benefits are clear: significant savings on water and electricity (or in this case, a complete elimination of electricity usage), the ability to do laundry on your own schedule, and a drastic reduction in your environmental footprint. It allows you to quickly wash a few essential items—a sweaty hiking shirt, a couple of pairs of socks, baby clothes—without needing to run a full-sized, inefficient cycle or wait until you have a mountain of dirty laundry. It’s about tackling the small, immediate needs of daily life, wherever that may be.

The ideal customer for this type of product is someone facing space, power, or plumbing constraints. Think of the weekend camper, the long-term RVer, the student in a cramped dorm, or the city dweller in a studio apartment without laundry hookups. They value portability, eco-friendliness, and the ability to handle small, urgent loads. However, this product is absolutely not suitable for those who need to wash large or bulky items. Families, anyone who regularly washes bedding or towels, or individuals who prefer to do laundry once a week in big batches will find the 1 kg capacity laughably small and the manual effort involved completely impractical. For them, a conventional, full-sized electric washing machine is the only sensible choice.

Before investing, consider these crucial points in detail:

• Dimensions & Space: The primary appeal of the Navaris is its tiny footprint. Measuring roughly 34cm on all sides, it can be stored in a cupboard, under a caravan seat, or in the boot of a car with ease. Before buying, you must consider not just where you’ll store it, but where you’ll use it. You need a stable, flat surface near a water source and a place to drain it, like a sink, shower, or even just the ground outside.
• Capacity/Performance: A 1-kilogram capacity is very small. In practical terms, this translates to about two T-shirts, a few pairs of underwear, and a pair of socks per load. The performance is entirely dependent on your own physical effort. The advertised 60 RPM rotational speed is a theoretical maximum; achieving it, especially during the spin cycle, requires sustained, vigorous cranking.
• Materials & Durability: This is arguably the most critical factor for a manual device. The Navaris 2-in-1 Mini Washing Machine and Spin Dryer is constructed almost entirely of plastic. While this makes it lightweight, it also introduces significant questions about its long-term durability, particularly at mechanical stress points like gears and handle attachments. Metal components in these areas would offer more peace of mind.
• Ease of Use & Maintenance: The concept is simple, but the process is physical. It involves filling, cranking, draining, refilling for a rinse, draining again, swapping inserts, and cranking vigorously to spin. It’s a multi-step, hands-on process. Maintenance is straightforward—simply rinsing and drying the plastic drum—but the longevity of the moving parts is a major long-term consideration.

While the Navaris 2-in-1 Mini Washing Machine and Spin Dryer is an excellent choice for a specific niche, it’s always wise to see how it stacks up against the competition. For those who realize their needs extend beyond what a manual unit can offer, we highly recommend checking out our complete, in-depth guide to more powerful alternatives.

Unboxing the Navaris: A Compact, Colourful, and Concerning First Look

The Navaris 2-in-1 Mini Washing Machine and Spin Dryer arrived in a surprisingly small box, a testament to its portable design. Inside, the bright blue unit was packed efficiently with minimal plastic waste. Assembly is intuitive and takes seconds: you simply attach the main cranking handle and familiarize yourself with the two main inserts—the larger agitator for washing and the smaller white basket for spinning. My first impression was one of slight apprehension. The plastic body feels lightweight, almost toy-like, which is great for carrying it to and from a campsite water tap but less reassuring for a device that will be subjected to significant torque and pressure. On the bottom, four suction cups promise stability, a thoughtful and necessary feature. Compared to the robust steel and heavy-duty components of a traditional washing machine, the Navaris feels like it belongs to an entirely different product category—more advanced camping gear than home appliance. It’s a clever, compact package, but from the moment we first turned the handle, we couldn’t shake a nagging question about how well those plastic gears and fittings would hold up to repeated, real-world use. The full feature set promises a lot, but the initial feel of the materials immediately became our primary focus for testing.

Putting the Hand-Cranked Washer Through Its Paces: A Performance Breakdown

A clever concept is one thing; real-world performance is another entirely. We took the Navaris 2-in-1 Mini Washing Machine and Spin Dryer on a weekend camping trip and also tested it in a small apartment setting to evaluate its effectiveness, usability, and—most importantly—its durability across a dozen wash cycles. We washed everything from muddy hiking socks and sweaty gym gear to delicate cotton shirts to see where it excelled and where it failed.

The Washing Cycle: Manual Labour vs. Machine Power

The washing process is beautifully simple. You place the larger washing insert into the drum, add your small load of clothes (strictly adhering to the 1kg limit), fill with warm water up to the marked line (not exceeding 45°C), and add a small capful of liquid detergent. Securing the lid, we began to crank. The main handle provides decent leverage, and the internal gearing makes a low, whirring sound as the agitator tumbles the clothes. The suction cups on the base are not optional; they are essential. Without them, the entire unit would skitter across the countertop. On a smooth surface like a kitchen counter or a solid plastic table, they held firm, providing the stability needed to crank effectively. We found that a steady, two-minute crank was enough to work up a good lather and agitate the clothes thoroughly. For lightly soiled items, like a t-shirt worn for a day or some dusty socks, the results were impressive. The clothes came out looking and smelling fresh. However, when we tested it on a pair of socks with ground-in mud from a wet trail, the Navaris struggled. It simply can’t generate the friction or power of an electric machine’s tumble action to lift deep-set grime. It’s a washer for refreshing clothes, not for heavy-duty stain removal. Overloading it, even slightly, makes cranking a strenuous chore and puts a visible strain on the handle and lid, so discipline is key. Its effectiveness for its intended purpose is a feature that really sets it apart from simple bucket washing.

The Spin-Dry Function: A Workout for Damp Clothes

After draining the soapy water and running a quick rinse cycle (another round of filling and cranking with clean water), we moved on to the spin-dry function. This involves removing the large agitator and placing the smaller, perforated white spin basket inside. You then transfer the wet clothes into this basket, pop on the safety insert, lock the lid, and prepare for a workout. To effectively remove water, you have to crank much faster and more forcefully than you do for washing. This is where the machine’s design is truly put to the test. Achieving a speed that generates significant centrifugal force requires sustained effort for at least a minute. The result? It works surprisingly well. Clothes that were dripping wet came out uniformly damp, not dry, but light enough to hang on a line and be ready to wear in a few hours in the sun, or overnight indoors. It removes far more water than hand-wringing ever could. However, during our testing, we confirmed an issue noted by another user: the internal edges of the white spin basket were not perfectly smooth. We found a few rough spots of plastic moulding that could potentially snag delicate fabrics. As a precaution, we highly recommend using a mesh laundry bag for items like microfiber tops or underwear to prevent any damage.

Build Quality and Durability: The Achilles’ Heel

Throughout our testing, the spectre of the machine’s plastic construction loomed large. While the main body and drum felt adequate, our focus zeroed in on the points of mechanical stress: the handles. The design requires you to insert a separate metal handle into a plastic slot on the main crank. After about ten vigorous spin cycles, we began to see what we feared: the plastic around this slot was beginning to whiten and show signs of strain. This is the exact point of failure described in detail by users who saw theirs snap after minimal use. The design concentrates a huge amount of torque onto a very small, unsupported piece of plastic—a fundamental flaw that seems destined to fail over time. We then turned our attention to the fixed handle moulded into the lid itself, which is used to stabilize the unit while you crank with the other hand. During a fast spin, we could feel this handle flexing uncomfortably under the strain. This observation directly corroborates the feedback from another customer, who shared photos of this very handle snapping clean off, rendering the spin function useless. This isn’t an isolated incident; it’s a critical weakness stemming from material choice and design. The reliance on plastic for these high-torque components is, in our expert opinion, the Achilles’ heel of the Navaris 2-in-1 Mini Washing Machine and Spin Dryer. While the concept is brilliant, this flaw severely compromises its long-term reliability and makes it difficult to recommend without a major caveat. Anyone considering a purchase should check the latest user feedback to see if any design improvements have been implemented.

What Other Users Are Saying

Our findings are strongly echoed in the experiences of other customers. The general sentiment is a mix of initial enthusiasm for the concept followed by deep disappointment with the build quality. The most common and critical feedback centres on the unit’s fragility, especially the handles. One user reported that the plastic slot for the removable metal handle “snapped” on only its second use during a caravan holiday, leaving them with an unusable device and no recourse. This sentiment was mirrored by a user from France, who noted that after just twenty uses, the fixed handle on the lid broke off while they were spinning clothes. The repeated failure of two different handle components points to a systemic design flaw rather than a one-off defect. On a more moderate note, another reviewer pointed out that while the setup was easy and the suction cups worked well, the construction was “cheap,” and the rough, unfinished edges on the spin basket posed a risk of tearing laundry—a detail we also observed in our own testing.

How Does the Navaris Compare? Alternatives for Different Needs

If the manual effort, tiny capacity, and significant durability concerns of the Navaris have you rethinking your needs, it’s worth considering what a step up to a conventional electric machine can offer. While they lack portability and require power, they provide unparalleled convenience, capacity, and cleaning power for home or semi-permanent caravan use.

1. Hoover H-WASH 500 Washing Machine 12kg 1400 RPM

The Hoover H-WASH 500 is the polar opposite of the Navaris. It’s a powerhouse designed for large families and heavy laundry needs. With a massive 12kg capacity, you can wash duvets, blankets, and a week’s worth of family clothes in a single go. Its 1400 RPM spin speed extracts far more water than any manual device, drastically cutting down drying time. Smart features like the hOn App, 60 available programmes, and an auto-dosing system for detergent offer a level of automation and convenience that is simply in another league. This is the perfect choice for anyone who values time and efficiency over portability and off-grid capability.

2. Midea MF10EW70BA 7kg Washing Machine

The Midea MF10EW70BA represents a fantastic middle ground. Its 7kg drum is ideal for couples or small families, handling daily laundry with ease without the oversized capacity of the Hoover. Key features like Steam Care help to reduce wrinkles and sanitise clothes, while the Quick Wash function is perfect for when you’re in a hurry. The efficient BLDC motor ensures quiet operation and long-term durability. For someone living in a smaller home or apartment who wants the reliability and performance of an electric machine without paying for an enormous capacity they don’t need, the Midea is an excellent and cost-effective alternative.

3. Hisense WFQP9014EVM 9KG Front Load Washing Machine Steam Wash

The Hisense WFQP9014EVM strikes a perfect balance between capacity, features, and value. The 9kg capacity is widely considered the sweet spot for a typical family household, capably handling everyday loads and occasional larger items. The inclusion of a Steam Wash function provides superior cleaning and hygiene, effectively tackling allergens and stubborn dirt. With 15 washing programs and a durable inverter motor, it offers versatility and reliability. This machine is the ideal choice for users who have graduated from the need for a portable solution and are looking for a feature-rich, dependable workhorse for their home.

Our Final Verdict: A Brilliant Concept Hampered by a Critical Flaw

The Navaris 2-in-1 Mini Washing Machine and Spin Dryer is a product we desperately wanted to love. The concept is ingenious, addressing a genuine need for off-grid and small-space laundry. In terms of its core function—washing and spin-drying a handful of items without electricity—it technically succeeds. It’s incredibly portable, uses minimal water, and is better than washing in a sink. However, a product’s success isn’t just about its concept; it’s about its execution and reliability. This is where the Navaris tragically falls short. The all-plastic construction, specifically at the high-stress handle points, is a critical design flaw. Our tests and the consistent feedback from other users confirm that these components are prone to breaking under the exact forces they are designed to withstand.

For the ultra-niche user—perhaps a solo camper who needs to wash a single t-shirt very occasionally and is prepared to be extraordinarily gentle—it might serve a temporary purpose. But we cannot in good conscience recommend it as a reliable, long-term solution. The risk of critical failure is simply too high. It’s a brilliant idea let down by poor material choices in the most crucial areas. If you’ve weighed these significant drawbacks and believe its unique benefits still fit your specific, light-duty needs, you can check the latest price and availability online.