LONDON, Aug. 17 The Chinese company Haier is preparing to launch a washing machine that does not require detergent to clean clothes, it was reported Friday.
The WasH20 uses an electrical current to create acid and alkaline atoms that researchers at Haier claim cleans around 25 percent more effectively than models currently on the market, Britain's Telegraph reported Friday.
"The electrolysis process causes a separation of the water into OH- ions and H+ ions," Haier spokesman Gilles Montrichard said. "The OH- ions remove the dirt. The H+ ions act like bleach. They acidify the water, sterilizing the clothes."
The WasH20 is also supposed to be more environmentally friendly, cutting back on chemicals that are released in rivers and seas from regular detergent.
It is scheduled for a November release in France and then later in Britain, with a price tag of around $990.
Copyright 2007 by UPI
