No water, no detergent washing machine

The idea is the brainchild of two design students from Singapore who won top honours at the recent International Electrolux Design Lab awards in Stockholm for their Airwash washing machine.

National University of Singapore industrial design students Gabriel Tan and Wendy Chua's prototype uses negative ions, compressed air and anti-bacterial deodorants to clean clothes.

The unit can be placed in any room of a home. Clothing is placed on a rack, which slides inside the device.

"It's a bit like a car wash," Tan said.

"The clothing goes on a rack which is placed inside the machine. The clothing then gets a good blast. It's a substitute for taking items to the dry cleaner," he added.

He said the cleaning process was much gentler on clothes than conventional methods and was particularly useful for expensive clothing that could lose its shape and colour by washing with water and detergents.

By using atmospheric air and negative ions, a natural cleansing agent, it fights dirt and bacteria with nature's own weapon, Tan said.

The Airwash cleans one piece of clothing at a time, with each item taking between three and 12 minutes to complete the process.

Chua said that she and Tan had taken technology and processes commonly used in air conditioning and air purifying units and adapted it for an alternative use.

At this stage the Airwash is a concept prototype but she believed it could one day become a commercial reality.

"Our dream would be to see it in the market one day, not for personal pride, but because we genuinely believe it will be good for the environment and have a positive impact on the lives of people — be it as a consumer product or as a replacement for today's commercial dry cleaners," Chua said.

Judges at the competition said the Airwash won the award because of "its intuitive, ecological and beautiful design. Airwash also does away with the expensive, time-consuming task of going to the dry cleaner."

The competition is organized annually by the Electrolux Group and aims to encourage students from around the world to design household appliances for the future.

This year, participants competed to create the most outstanding new appliance concept for the home of 2020.