washing machines

GE’s Got a Solution For Finally Fixing Stinky Washing Machines

The design of front-loading washing machines can leave a laundry room smelling awful if you’re not vigilant about keeping it clean and dry when not in use. But who has time to regularly wash their washing machine? No one. So GE Appliances redesigned its UltraFresh Front Load washers with some clever upgrades that prevent odor-causing…

Doctors Say a Washing Machine Helped Spread a Superbug at a Maternity Ward

In what might be a first, doctors in Germany think that a too-gentle washing machine helped spread a superbug to more than a dozen newborns and children in the same hospital—though thankfully, no one was hurt. Antibiotic resistance has become a major public health threat over the years, and none more so than in hospitals.…

Your Laundry Is Worse for the Environment Than You Think

New research shows that as many as 700,000 microscopic fibers are released into the environment each time we do the laundry. It’s a problem with no easy solution in sight. For years, scientists and environmentalists have wondered—and worried—if the simple act of washing our clothes might be triggering the release of microscopic plastic particles. A…

Whirlpool’s New Washer and Dryer Automatically Restock Detergents Using Amazon Dash

The only thing worse than running out of clean clothes is realizing you’re also out of detergent when it comes time to clean them. So Whirlpool is introducing a new washing machine and dryer with Amazon Dash’s replacement service built right in ensuring you’ll always have enough soap or fabric softener on hand. The Whirlpool…

An Extra Door On This Front-Loading Washer Lets You Add Last Minute Additions

They’re more eco-friendly than top-loading machines, but front-loading washers don’t let you add forgotten garments once the wash cycle has started. With the addition of a second smaller door, though, Samsung’s new WW8500 AddWash lets you toss in that missing sock you just found. The extra door, located at the top of the washer’s main…

A Portable Washing Machine That Doesn’t Need a Drop of Electricity

If camping seems like fun but you’d prefer if roughing it wasn’t so rough, the Drumi from Yirego is a compact portable washing machine that can clean around six or seven garments without the need for a power outlet, a generator, or even a sunny day to feed a solar panel. At just 22-inches tall…

Fit a Washing Machine in Your Apartment, with Help from Science

Washing machines aren’t sexy until you have to choose between two hours or 20 bucks to get your underwear clean. After nearly a decade of that racket, I’m not ashamed to admit I lust for laundry unit of my very own. As it turns out, science is hard at work helping my mundane wet dream…

LG Exec Could Be Banned From CES For Sabotaging a Washing Machine

As far as electronics manufacturers are concerned, the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Vegas every year is their own personal Super Bowl, Academy Awards, and Mecca pilgrimage all rolled into one. Apparently, Jo Seong-jin, the head of LG’s home appliance division should have thought of that before (allegedly) sabotaging Samsung washing machine displays in…

Scary creatures are hiding inside our washing machines

Next time you do laundry, don’t just walk away after you put the load in. You’ll miss the monsters. Because if you stare through the looking glass, you’ll discover terrifying creatures that look like they come from Guillermo del Toro’s imagination trapped inside. Slate pointed to the work of photographer Yvette Meltzer and her photo…

This Washing Machine Cleans Clothes With Plastic Beads Instead of Water

While today’s high-efficiency washing machines use far less water than their predecessors, they still consume between 10 and 24 gallons of water per load—and as much as 9,000 gallons per US household per year. That’s a lot of water just for cleaning clothes, especially with the growing drought conditions throughout the American West. But Xeros’…

A canopy of clean laundry blankets a New York City block in this photo captioned “A Monday Washing.” The photo was taken in 1900, long before laundromats, and became a postcard produced by the Detroit Photographic Company. [ValaAfshar]

A Woof-Activated Washing Machine Lets Support Dogs Run a Load

Ending the dogs vs. cats superiority debate once and for all, UK-based appliance maker JTM Service has developed a washing machine that can actually be operated by support dogs trained to assist those living with disabilities. The machines are even bark-activated, since dogs are notoriously bad at pushing buttons. Support dogs are already trained to…

There’s a Beautiful Chair Hiding in Your Washing Machine

You can sit on a washing machine, but that doesn’t make it a chair. A transformation like the one industrial designer Antonina pulled off does make it a chair, though. And there are even DIY instructions so you can try too, if you’re into that sort of thing. As part of a project with the…

Student Builds Portable Washer So His Mom Can Do His Laundry Anywhere

They say necessity is the mother of invention, but laziness has probably inspired many a wonderful creation too. After his roommate complained about having to hand wash all of his clothing, Pu Qingliang, a 21-year-old mechanical design and manufacturing student, put the skills he learned to good use by designing a collapsible, portable automatic washing…

Bravo Samsung, Your Ad Actually Makes Me Want To Buy a Washing Machine

For some reason washing machine commercials are still stuck in the 1950s. They mainly feature scenarios targeting the suburban housewife who’s struggling to juggle the responsibilities of a busy household: an approach that’s as non-inclusive as it is insulting. So Samsung, we applaud you for thinking outside the box with this brilliant ad for your…

This Beautiful Design Finally Fulfills the Washer’s Round-Machine Destiny

Could sharp, pointy corners and box-like form factors join faux-wood finishes in the industrial design graveyard? Bauknecht, Whirlpool’s European brand, has collaborated with German designer Arman Emami to create this stunning round washing machine that looks like it belongs front and center in your living room—not your basement. In fact, a round washing machine makes…

Scrubba Your Clothes with This Washing Machine In a Bag

There’s always a trade-off when packing for extended trips—bring enough outfits to last the entire trip or bring fewer sets and hope you can find a local laundromat? Or, option three, bring the Scrubba wash bag along and do your own laundry. The Scrubba is the brainchild of Ashley Newland, who devised the system while…

The 200 Worst Things Said on Film, Bob Marley’s Farm, and Five Minutes of Happy Dogs

Roll that spliff phatly, pack some fresh ice into the binger, and set the Volcano to “toastify.” It’s time for tonight’s Stoner Channel. We’ve collected our best high-times material for the discerning pothead so sit back, relax, and pass that shit on the left, yo. Tonight’s purplicious nug of Bomb Purple Urkle comes to us…

Watching a Washing Machine Self Destruct Never Gets Old

Washing machines committing suicide (or being injected with a lethal brick depending on your perspective) are home appliances’ gift to the Internet. It’s like the machines are realizing their full comedic potential! This one, in particular, is awesome because of how meticulously it breaks down. Little by little, piece by piece, you can’t look away.…

Can You Die Inside a Washing Machine?

I thought drowning in a washing machine was impossible in the 21st Century. I thought all machines had safety measures to avoid accidents, like kids falling inside. Apparently, I was mistaken. That’s what happened to a 10-year-old kid in São Paulo, Brazil. She grabbed a stool, put it next to a top-loading washing machine, looked…