Wash clothes with just a cup of water

A new environment friendly washing machine, which uses only one cup of water and leaves clothes virtually dry, has been developed by University of Leeds, the UK. The technology is developed by Stephen Burkinshaw over the past 30 years. It aims to save up to 90% of water used by conventional machines and use 30% of less energy.

The washing machine works by replacing most of the water with thousands of tiny, reusable nylon polymer beads, which attract and absorb dirt under humid conditions.

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It can remove all sorts of everyday stains including coffee and lipstick. About 20kg of the beads are added, along with a cup of water and detergent to dampen the clothes, loosen stains and create the water vapour that allows the beads to work.

And after the cycle is finished, the beads fall through a mesh in the machine’s drum, and can be re-used up to a hundred times. The company behind the technology, Xeros, is initially aiming at the commercial washing market, including hotels and dry cleaners.