There’s a sweet spot when packing for a trip, the exact right amount of clothes so your luggage is still portable and you don’t have try and wash any garments on vacation. Very few people’s idea of exploring a new city includes hunting down a laundromat, but a new palm-sized device claims to turn your sink into a virtual washing machine.
Designed by Swiss engineering lab MPI Ultrasonics and the brainchild of Lena Solis, the Dolfi uses ultrasonic technology to clean clothes, as opposed to a traditional washing machine, which agitates them. The entire process takes 30 minutes and is much gentler on garments; it’s evidently even safe to wash cashmere this way. Cashmere!
So how does it work? First, fill your sink with water, detergent, and clothes. Then put in the Dolfi; its transducer sends out the ultrasonic soundwaves, creating powerful water micro-jets as the resultant bubbles implode. These jets do all the cleaning, so you don’t have to. Though it was the hassle of doing laundry while traveling that inspired Solis’s idea, the fact that it eliminates hand-washing for delicates means the device has a place in the home, too.
The technology is used at a larger scale in chemistry laboratories with a procedure known as sonication. The device actually plugs into the wall, but uses 80 percent less energy than their appliance counterparts, according to the Telegraph. The transducer requires a high voltage to operate, which is likely why it isn’t battery-powered. Still, the entire thing is easily transportable, though it doesn’t solve the problem of drying the clothes afterwards.
Dolfi will launch an Indiegogo campaign on January 20; you’ll be able to get one for a pledge of $89. It probably won’t replace your regular washing machine, but your delicates will likely thank you if it saves them from a scrubbing.
