Laundry study could lead to greener washing machines

Post by Kevin Jackson on 18th May 2012 in Laundry

A PhD student at Loughborough University is hoping that his new research project could play a part in the creation of more environmentally friendly washing machines.

According to a report by the Loughborough Echo, Jak Spencer is due to embark on a world tour in an attempt to learn more about how people in different countries wash their clothes. He hopes his findings could help domestic appliance designers to take a new approach when they are attempting to come up with new models and strategies.

Jak said: "Previous research has found that despite the similarity of products, people from different cultures use products and perform everyday household activities in very different ways.

“For example, in Brazil it's very rare that people would use hot water to wash their clothes in a washing machine, despite having the same settings as washing machines over here.  This clearly has an impact on the environment, with less energy being used to heat water."

Jak will visit India and Brazil during his travels, which are being funded by the University’s Sustainable Design Research Group, the Design Research Society and Spanish banking group Santander.

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