ACADEMIC RESEARCHERS AT LEEDS UNIVERSITY IN ENGLAND have developed a clothes washer that will clean a full load of clothing with just one cup of water.

These researchers have been alarmed by the increasing use of water for washing  that has occurred because more people can afford to buy washing machines now.  Water usage in washing machines has risen 23% in the past 15 years.  (Firegeezer notes that the UK is an island, completely surrounded by large seas.)

The machine works by using thousands of plastic chips  -  each about half a centimetre in size  -  to absorb and remove dirt.  Around 44 lbs. of the chips are added to each load, along with a cup of water and detergent. During the washing cycle, the water is heated to help dissolve the dirt, which is then absorbed by the plastic chips.

When the cleaning cycle is over, the clothes are still dry so you don’t need to use a clothes dryer.

Professor Stephen Burkinshaw, the machine’s inventor, said tests have produced ‘quite astonishing’ results.  “We’ve shown that it can remove all sorts of everyday stains including coffee and lipstick whilst using a tiny fraction of the water used by conventional washing machines,” he said. 

They also believe the technology could be used for dry-cleaning shops and thus eliminate the need for dangerous solvents.

While the machine, named Xeros, is still in the development stage, the inventors are working with a commercial firm and hope to have a model on the market next year.

Read the full story in the Daily Mail HERE.

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