Who’s a thunk? A waterless washing machine. Well, almost waterless. The machine uses just one cup of water per cycle. A Leeds University research team headed by Prof Burkinshaw has developed the Xeros washing machine that uses thousands of reusable plastic chips to remove and absorb dirt.

Xeros - waterless washing machine

The little plastics buggers clean clothes by pounding the dirt out of them.

Some 20kg (45lbs) of chips are added to the machine along with one cup of water and detergent. The chips can be used for up to 100 cycles, or about 6 months of washing.

How much water will that save? I dunno, but what I want to know is where does the dirt go? And, can it get the lipstick off my collar without my wife knowing about it?

And, what do you do with those 20kg of plastic chips after six months? Will they disappear in 3 months just like the plastic bags?

Lots of questions, I know. Call me a skeptic, but also an optimist. I hope it works cuz dang it, I have some clothes that need cleaning.

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