Switched has a new home! Huffpost Tech.

Click here to visit the new home of Switched!

Hot on HuffPost Tech:

See More Stories
AOL Tech

Washing Machine Cleans Clothes With Just One Cup of Water

by Terrence O'Brien on June 10, 2008 at 12:40 PM



It's no secret that washing machines use a lot of water to get your fancy duds clean, like that hilarious "Mii Love You Long Time" t-shirt you insist on wearing three times a week. If you're like us, then it's likely that wasting all that water is weighing heavily on your heart, which yearns to be green. While you wait for clothes that clean themselves to make it past the theoretical stage, researchers in the UK are trying to bring a new washing machine to market that uses just one 8-ounce cup of water to clean an entire load of laundry.

The technology, which the developers hope will be available commercially next year, uses one cup of heated water and detergent to help break up dirt. Rather than rinsing stains and other scum away with several gallons of wasted agua, the machine uses plastic chips (roughly a centimeter in size) to absorb and whisk away the dirt. After the wash and "rinse" cycles are over, the chips are removed, but can be reused for up to 100 loads.

With UK homes reportedly using about 120 million gallons of water a day washing clothes -- enough to fill 145 Olympic-sized swimming pools -- cutting the amount of water used by washing machines could make an impressive impact in water conservation. [Source: Daily Mail]

Tags: breaking news, BreakingNews, household, washing machines, WashingMachines

HuffPost AOL Social News Most Popular