Wash & Go!

NEW IDEA: Susann Hahnwald from Dresden, Germany, was an exchange student at NTNU’s Department of Product Design, when she designed a round, portable machine that washes clothes without using water. For her daring idea, she won a prize of NOK 25 000 in the 2009 Electrolux Design Competition.

The name for the winner is ‘Aery wash’. The design idea is at least as improbable as dishwashers were 90 years ago: a machine that washes clothes using only air and the energy that is transferred by moving the clothes around.

“Why do we have to collect smelly, dirty clothes in the laundry basket long before there is enough volume to run a wash?” This was the question that Hahnwald used as a basis for her competition entry. The solution was to be able to do a wash right away. “It’s great, especially for young families on the go,” says the young designer.