New efficient washing system

[steve1-18]

Read an article in Popular Science the other day and googled it this morning.

Interesting concept! Wish there were some pictures.

http://eetweb.com/applications/worlds-efficient-clothes-washer-20091001/

 

[dj-gabriele]

Didn't something (exactly the same principle) came up a year ago, also from the UK, and voted as bogus?

 

[steve1-18]

Here's the article with pictures

Clean your clothes without putting them—or your utility bills—through the wringer. Xeros’s prototype washing machine uses 90 percent less water than ordinary models, which also eliminates energy-intensive spin cycles and dryer blasts.
The machine replaces all but one tenth of the usual water and about one third of the usual detergent with 0.1-inch plastic beads, reusable for hundreds of washes. The beads are made of the same nylon as many carpets, because the properties that make nylon easy to stain also make it a great scrubber: Its polarized molecules attract soil, and in the humidity created by a little water, the polymer chains separate slightly to absorb grime and lock it into the beads’ cores.
Xeros aims to put machines in commercial laundries next year, where they will use eight gallons of water instead of 80 for each 45-pound load. They may be cleaning your favorite T-shirts at home within several years.

http://www.popsci.com/gadgets/article/2009-10/clean-your-clothes-plastic

 

[favorit]

skeptic

# Usually people wash their clothes after having them turned inside out, to minimize wear. How could those pellets reach and clean the outer, stained surface of clothes ? Well, now we are complaining about current "droughty" washers, so .....

# What about all those small pellets that go inside pockets and pillowcases ? Will they need to be vacuumed ? No, thanks

# I also wonder how could it manage a load of poopy diapers ....

# Pollution - nylon pellets aren't biodegradable and could be dangerous for the environment in case they were wasted

Imho this is another fake cleaning system as the likes of those dreadful "drycleaning sheets" for the dryer. Yuck, the dryer is supposed to manage clean laundry, not dirty clothes

 

[hoovermatic]

I am all for energy saving but I can't see how this can work. How do they get all those beads out of a load of socks and things with many pockets, like jeans? How is the detergent that is used rinsed out of the fabric? What about bacteria? I would rather wash in cold water than none at all!

 

[gyrafoam]

Cain't be no gooood! 'Sho won't find one at my house!

 

[robliverpool]

In theory it looks good but as many have said what about bacteria and stains etc and i am sure none of us are going to clean one shirt at a time lol be there all day doing that.

I personally dont think we should be using less water in washing machines we should be using more but finding a more economical way of heating the water instead of elements.

And can you imagine the amount of nylon beads going to landfills every year as they can only be used a few hundred times. i wash 2-3 times a day so could imagine how many i would get through in a few years.

 

[ingliscanada]

I'm not a fan.

Call me a relic; call me what you will; say I'm old-fashioned; say I'm over the hill. This new washer ain't got the same soul; I like that old-time washing roll!

But seriously, Buck Rogers futuristic designs that change the face of laundry machines just don't cut it for me. I like the traditional washers, especially the oldies, even if they don't fit today's energy standards.

 

[chestermikeuk]

Lol

Its being geared for the commercial market, laundries etc, interesting concept though, at least we are seeing new ways of washing being tested out, the question is will us in this club like no water...think I know what the answer is...LOl

"How to Clean Your Clothes with Plastic: Nylon beads sit in the outer of two nested drums. When both drums rotate, the absorbent beads fall through the mesh of the inner drum to tumble with your laundry, where they dislodge and trap dirt. After the wash cycle finishes, the outer drum stops moving and centripetal force pushes the beads back through the mesh into the outer drum, where they await your next mess." Paul Wootton

 

[favorit]

Another one : De Dietrich Ultrasonic Dishwasher

I have found this on appliancist.com

Ok, ultrasonic waves do really scrub and degrease. Metal gears, moulds and other industrial ware are *soaked* into special ultrasonic sinks that work better than the finest sandpaper. Sound waves flow through water and reach the dirty surfaces

BUT look at these racks : pots and glasses are positioned upside down like in a normal dishwasher. They have to be submerged by water to let the waves work. Now they'll retain some air in those very places where they need to be cleaned ........

Not to mention that probably glass can't stand those tines toghether with ultrasonic waves

IMHO this thing could really work as a "potscrubbing sink" to pretreat pots and pans, for sure not as an automatic DW ...

http://www.appliancist.com/dishwashers/onis-dishwasher-de-dietrich.html

 

[bajaespuma]

Made me think of...

Do any of you remember Jo Ann Worley doing a pitch for future washing machines that use SOUND WAVESSSSSS! to clean?