Waterless Washer?

A washer that uses 0 gallons per load? It’s finally here – sort of:

The AirWash, which won the ElectroLux Design Lab 2005 Award, uses negative ions, compressed air and deodorants to clean clothes. The design form was inspired by a waterfall, which sceintifically speaking is nature’s own negative ion factory. The unit was designed by two students from the National University of Singapore’s school of industrial design. The waterless washing machine removes stains from garments within a few minutes, without the use of detergents or water. It can be used for cleaning garments of all kinds, though the judges took special note of AirWash’s potential to make convential dry cleaning obsolete. AirWash should also help save energy costs and water consumption, and has huge potential for places without ready access to clean water. The winners, Gabriel Tan and Wendy Chua won the competition beating out entries from 3,000 other students from over 88 countries.