Wash your laundry with a hand crank with the Wonderwash
Wash your clothes powered by a hand-crank! The Wonderwash washes a 5 lb load in just a few minutes while using 90% less water and detergent than conventional machines. It requires no electricity, just the power of your arm. It's obviously quite a bit smaller than a regular machine, accepting about half of the weight of an average top loading machine.
The Wonderwash is only $42.95.
[Via greenlivingonline]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
12-14-2007 @ 8:06PM
Karsten said...
A hand powered machine that retails for $42.95. Hmmm, that means it was made for about 1/4 of that: around $10. This is going to be some top of the line, high quality product for some serious washing of laundry for decades.
Will it save enough energy or water before it breaks (most certainly never to be repaired) to actually save energy or water in comparison to a laundry machine (which will outlast such a gadget by far and can be repaired)?
Of course it washes a 5 lbs load with much less water and detergent than a regular machine! You should get slapped over the head if you use a regular machine for such a small amount. You should not do your laundry until you have enough to warrant using the laundry machine. And there is no reason to use hot water, which by the way is the only way their "patented pressure system" works.
What is wrong with a sink, some soap, and elbow grease? Why do we need a plastic machine or product for even the simplest tasks?
This seems to be a solution for someone who does laundry very rarely and does not wash a lot either. Even then, I have my doubts that it will save energy in comparison to careful hand washing if you consider that the product has to be made, shipped, distributed, recycled, land-filled, etc.
Karsten
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12-17-2007 @ 4:35PM
Corey said...
I respectfully disagree with you. The product is not for everybody, but some people really love it and use it on a regular basis.
We have done a lot of work testing and improving the machine to make sure it does last. Factually speaking if it does break it almost always is repairable. The drum itself almost never breaks, some people are still using units that are over 20 years old. If anything breaks it is normally a part which is replaceable. We welcome criticism and feedback, it is very helpful as we are constantly proving the machines. However we would appreciate it you would would check the facts before presenting your opinion to others as if it were 100% factual (why don't you actually test a unit out yourself, for starters?).
If you are willing to wash by hand in a sink, then more credit to you. It's certainly valid option for you and some other people. The Wonderwash does however use less water than hand washing.
The product durability is not just a simple matter of production costs, it is a matter of how much we test and care about quality. We spend a great deal of time doing this.
I welcome any further comments you or anyone else may have.
2-13-2008 @ 7:47AM
Bobby D said...
I live way out in the woods, off the grid, and this saves me loads of time.
(I am in town using the internet, not hand cranked.)
12-18-2007 @ 12:25PM
Karsten said...
Well, my initial annoyed shot from the hip in regard to durability may be unjustified. A positive surprise it seems. Someone cares about the quality of their products and how long it will last. Nice to know that it also can be repaired. This may be a rare exception. My apologies.
I am still not convinced that this product is any greener than other alternatives though. Other than the durability of the product, what I wrote above has not been challenged.
The fact that "some people really love it and use it on a regular basis" means little. You can say the same about SUVs or underwear. This is not an argument that works if you talk about the benefits of a product for the environment.
The claim is that the device uses less water than hand-washing. The validity of this statement can only be measured if you tell us how much water it uses or how much water you assume other people use for hand-washing.
In addition, the use of hot water is entirely not necessary and, from an energy point of view, not efficient. The patented pressure system does ONLY work with hot water if I understand this right.
Where is the product made? How much energy does it cost to make it? How much energy does it take to heat the water that goes in it? How much energy was assumed a regular laundry machine requires to wash with cold water? None of these aspects are considered in GreenDaily's article. Yet, the verdict was: green.
Maybe "Wonderwash" never claimed to be environmentally friendly. Fact is GreenDaily did, and I have some objections based on lack of data or superficial analysis of a product's overall energy consumption. And I continue to be annoyed with GreenDaily touting a product as green just because it is hand-cranked. There is more to this.
Karsten
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http://www.polluteless.com
Practical Advice to Pollute Less
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