Clean clothes without water

A new washing machine that uses plastic beads instead of water could change the way the world cleans its clothes, promising huge reductions in both power and water use.

British company Xeros has perfected a method for removing dirt with thousands of tiny re-usable, recyclable nylon spheres that absorb stains by gently massaging fabric.

The process requires a special washing machine that releases the beads into the wash, then captures them all afterwards, with none going down the drain.

The machine still needs a small amount of water, but uses around 90 per cent less than a conventional washer – and with lower temperatures required and such a small volume of water to heat, power consumption is also lower, resulting is money savings for consumers. Other benefits include less need for washing powder and the ability to ‘dry clean’ more delicate items at home.

Environmentally, along with needing less water, the power savings would also result in a drop in greenhouse gas emissions. The Guardian newspaper reported that if everyone in England used the machines it would be like taking 1.4 million cars off the road.

Search for ‘Xeros’ on You Tube for a video of the machine in action.