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Waterless washing machines to be released next year


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A washing machine using as little as a cup of water for each washing cycle could go on sale to environmentally conscious Britons next year.

Xeros Ltd, which has been spun out of the University of Leeds to commercialize the technology, said on Monday the new machines would use less than 2 percent of the water and energy of a conventional washing machine.

Plastic chips are used to remove dirt and stains from clothes, leaving them dry and reducing energy consumption as there is no need to use a dryer after the washing cycle, Xeros said.

A typical washing machine uses about 35 kilograms of water for every kilogram of clothes, in addition to the power needed to heat the water and dry the clothes
merasyad

45 responses // Waterless washing machines to be released next year

  • It doesn't seem possible, but it sounds like a very good thing if it works.
    shroomfairy
  • Usually stuff like this is a scam.

    I hope it works like advertised.
    Saladin
    2 responses to this
  • How do you get the plastic chips out of you're freshly laundered cloths, and when can this technology be used for bathing?
    electricsquiral
    1 response to this
  • I would love to know if this was really true or not. I'd jump on it asap.
    cerealforeal
  • If it works it will be fantastic, not just for domestic use but for commercial textile processing.

    But right now the idea of plastic chips gives me a scratchy feeling.
    Purdey
  • How much damage do the plastic chips cause? And what kind of soap is needed?
    Elligirl
  • now that's progress....I wonder how much it will cost...hmm
    hestheone
  • Cool yet weird. Can your clothes get clean with such a small amount of water? Im just saying

    --Jade
    Good effort to end overconsumption
    addctd2whticnsay
  • these would be great for dormitories. You know some housewife will have something negative to say about the ability for such a machine to clean well enough...but if you're not a landscaper or a mud wrestler...these sounds like the best idea towards a greener future that i've heard of in awhile.


    go team!
    MissAmanda
  • I'm desperately trying to find more info on this thing. It's too cool! Just saving the space in the laundry room would be great.

    Please let it be true.
    nickwe3d
  • I want one.
    keithponder
  • Looks like a great idea that should be the next big thing with home appliances. We should look for other ways of making electronics more efficient such as dishwashers and refrigerators.
    juancarlosperez
  • Well. Seems like I wont be overloading those machines.
    Neghie
  • hmm this sounds extremely practical, if it actually does work I’m pretty sure it will be found in almost every home, lets just hope its actually affordable
    lisaab
  • Wow, I hope it's not some as seen on tv flop. That will be so amazing if it really works!
    onechance
  • I've always wondered why washers and dryers are still separate machines. Couldn't you combine them in some fashion and safe time and space if nothing else?
    eldamon
  • It is things like this that will really make the world more green and energy efficient. Taking the wasted water and energy out of everyday tasks.
    Not_Doody
  • One cup is not waterless.
    htiaf
    1 response to this
  • aren't we trying to avoid using more plastics? ocean soup...hellooo. i'm sure there's a vicious circle in here somewhere: less energy? less plastic?
    losnandalos
    1 response to this
  • 1. Is this real?
    2. I agree with losnandalos, but this does seem like a good invention, it could definitely benefit if they ever make them here in the US, we californians could use this with a drought and all.
    Sylvie1986
  • http://www.xerosltd.com/index.htm
    Link to the company's site. Looks kinda sketchy. As for the machine, it "sounds" great....though it does look pretty shitty. Why can't all this amazing technology be given to companies that actually seem to care?
    ipodrulz
  • The website doesn't really tell much about the product. We'll have to see if this one actually comes out.
    auhager
  • whoa, congrats Britons!! hopefully it makes its way to the united states pretty soon. i could use a friend like that. kudos!!
    pennylane85
  • Just another step to a world who cares about saving resources then wasting
    lendura
  • I've heard of a new generation of washers that use ionic attraction to kind of 'suck' the dirt/particles out of clothes -- sort of like static electricity, or something. Maybe this is something like that. Hope the plastic pieces are reusable!!
    shelchak
  • Ooh! Now I don't have to go OUT for my dry cleaning!
    videogirl_mai
  • My roommate takes waterless, soapless showers. He smells bad.
    pigmonkey
  • I'm sure the science in that is impressive. I guess we've all heard of weirder things... like Tofu fried in beef fat.
    nikki185usa
  • The plastic chips used in the machine are re-usable for up to 6 months, but can they be recycled after that? It would be a shame to save so much water, while producing an ocean of plastic waste to replace it.
    rahulbrown
  • sounds like its time efficient too.
    verytiffany
  • http://www.makeyourhomeenergyefficient.com/images/front...
    This sounds like it has a lot of potential, but In the meantime, a front loading washer uses approximately 60% less water and 50% less electricity, when compared with a top loading machine. Also, less water means less energy needed to heat the water. This combined with the fact that the clothes spin very fast and come drier, requiring less drying time, will add up to big saving for your family and the environment. They do cost more upfront, but are well worth it.
    covelogibbs
  • If it uses plastic doesn't that hurt the environment?
    iknew
  • I'm in total agreeance with losnandalos. While metals will rust and erode over time (so when you throw out your old washing machine, eventually, e v e n t u a l l y it is "gone" again) plastics, as far as I am aware, are ornery enough to be pretty damn immortal. We just keep creating more STUFF and people don't think about what happens to the old guys when the new ones come along. But I feel the same way about cemeteries as I do about landfills, so I might not have much supportive power on this one.

    In the meantime I'll keep my rickety old washer and just try to remind myself to dry on-the-line as much as possible.
    brittars
  • There have been cleaners that have been waterless for decades its called dry cleaning, however until recently they used a petroleum based chemical. Recently people can use a liquid silicon based product that is not bio-reactive that can be recycled. So no water no waist.
    Deamontooth
  • It seems to me that waterless means... just that... WATERLESS... so why is this article telling me about "Using as little as a cup of water..." >.>
    slicedbread
  • One fact missing from the story is that the washing process requires 20 kilograms of the plastic chips that are sufficient to complete 100 washing operations. The chips are then discarded so we are left with 40 or 50 pounds of plastic. Assume you sell half a million of these machines and imagine the mountain of plastic chips we are left with.What do we do with it?
    Why not spend research money on some form of fuel that could be produced from something like H2O.Or even a cure for the common cold!
    themanwithadog
  • Um....how do plastic chips remove body odor smell from your clothes? Or make it so that you clothes aren't covered in bacteria. Stuff soap and water normally did?
    SilenceNoMore
  • blah blah blah. darnit. I am still waiting for the ultrasound washing machine to showup.
    no water just blasts of ultrasound to drop that sirt. thats what I want. water schmater. old skool. sheesh.
    splish
  • powered by republican Bull5hit

    use plastic to add to landfills instead of polluting an already poluted river.
    gopsuxDOTcom
  • This is very cool. Maybe this will be a big step forward to saving our environment.
    Nefri