New Waterless Washing Machines Could Help Save Home Owners Money

It now seems that a new series of washing machines by Xeros is able to clean clothes with beads and a tiny amount of water. This is able, not only to help the environment, but also able to help cut household bills by as much as 30 percent.

This new machine, which is giving a new name to the term dry cleaning, is set to become a domestic activity. The machine itself washes clothes with 90 percent less water than a normal laundry cycle and could be available by the end of 2011. This new washer is able to replace water with tiny plastic beads that suck up stains.

These Xeros machines use 3mm long nylon beads. These beads are able to get into all of the little crevices and folds of clothing and still able to be re-used hundreds of times. The beads flood the machine’s drum once the clothes are wet and the humidity is at the right level. After the washing cycle, the beads drain away in the same way that water does in a conventional machine.

Bill Westwater, the chief executive of Xeros, said that, with the net saving in water, detergent and electricity, the average person will save about 30 percent in household bills. This does include the cost of the beads themselves. These beads have already been tested on a wide range of fabric stains. They have been able to remove everything from mud, red wine, curry stains and even ink from a pen.

The Energy Saving Trust says that just under one third of household energy is used to heat water. Laundry washing accounts for 15 percent of all household water consumption.