Specially designed balls in your washing machine could scrub your clothes
clean with half the detergent it normally takes, says the French company
which developed them. Welcom International of Paris says that 鈥榃ash鈥檅alls鈥�
simulate the old practice of scrubbing clothes, so 鈥榮tains get almost individual
迟谤别补迟尘别苍迟鈥�.
The balls, which are 3.7 centimetres across, weigh around 30 grams and
come in sets of 12, are placed in a washing machine with bundles of dirty
laundry. The balls have a high coefficient of friction to increase their
鈥榮crubbing鈥� action.
They are extremely hard and shock resistant, and can survive temperatures
higher than 100 掳C. They are also resistant to detergents. Welcom makes
them from a custom-built material that consists of 37 components, most of
them plastics.
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Welcom says that 12 balls are ideal for a wash weighing around 4.5 kilograms.
The only clothes that are vulnerable to damage are woollens, it adds. The
company says that the balls cost around 拢40 a set. A spokesman from
Proctor & Gamble, which makes the Aerial brand of washing powder, declined
to comment last week on the use of the balls.
