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The washing machine has probably done more to free us from the labors of domestic life than any single device. Historically, and in many poor countries today, cleaning clothes has been a burden that required hours of works and a huge amount of energy and water.
Since the advent of the fig leaf, washing clothes was an intense chore. First, a woman would have to go to a body of water or fetch water from the nearest source. Just moving or getting to water required immense labor and human energy. Next, they had to spend hours pounding, scrubbing, wringing, and drying.
In the 1950s the miracle of the automated washing machine became available to every middle class family in America. It freed housewives to spend more time with their children and families. But, these original machines transferred the human energy burden to cheap coal burning electric power plants and the water burden to vast fresh water and sewage treatment plants. The machines were hyper inefficient.
Finally, about a decade ago, appliance manufacturers created the HE (High Efficiency) Washing Machines. We bought one of the first generation front loading HE machines because they used less water and energy and cleaned clothes better. But, after only 8 years, our Gen One machine failed. That high speed spin cycle just about rattled itself to death: suicide by a thousand loads.
The premature death of our old machine turned out to be a blessing. It gave me an excuse to go online to the Sears Outlet Store to see what was available. I found a Whirlpool 4.3 cu. ft. Duet® Steam Front Load Washer with Precision Dispense. This model typically sells for $1,100. I gladly accepted the one online with the dented door and paid only $450 plus a delivery charge. In a couple days we had a state of the art, best-in-class, energy- and water-efficient washer.
I instantly fell in love with this machine.
First, the buttons have well-tuned and properly pitched tones that replace the awful buzzers and beeps of the older models. When the load is done, you're treated to soft melodies rather than the sound of a vuvuzela.
Then, when the spin cycle kicks in, it is insanely quiet and stable. The new HE machines have software and algorithms that rival the iPhone. The machine senses the vibrations based on the type of surface it's resting on. Then it corrects the tension and speed of the spin cycle and stabilizes itself.
This stable, high-speed spin allows much more water to be rung from the clothes. The Whirlpool Duet also has a "Fan Fresh Cycle." When selected, a built-in fan automatically activates after the wash cycle is over, tumbling clothes for up to 12 hours so you can wash and dry a small load right in the washer. You can throw running clothes into the washer when you go to sleep and have them clean and dry before your morning run. Larger loads come out fresher - still damp, but much dryer than in conventional HE washers.
The best part of this Fan Fresh cycle is that it cut our dry time in the dryer by 50%! This is an amazing convenience, but it also reduced the energy consumption of the dryer by 30% (not 50% since more energy is used at the beginning of each cycle). This is huge energy savings and it is gentler on our clothes.
Another energy saving feature is the ability to wash only in cold water. Really. In a month of use we have never used the hot water cycle and the clothes come out cleaner than our old machine. This saves us even more energy by not having to heat the water.
This new washer will save us about 450kWh of electricity each year compared to our old washer. That's enough energy to power nine flat screen TVs for a year (thought I don't recommend actually watching nine TVs). It will help us stay net zero energy and continue to use less energy than our solar panels produce each year.
Check out this fantastic TED Talk from Hans Rosling on The Magic Washing Machine http://www.ted.com/talks/hans_rosling_and_the_magic_washing_machine
See also:
Top Ten USA Most Energy and Water Efficient Washing Machines