When I moved into my new house recently, we also purchased the high-efficiency washer and dryer that was here already. Considering we previously had a 10 year old washer and dryer, both of which had issues, this was quite a step up. I like the fact they use less resources to get the job done. And they're quiet.

When I ran across Haier's WasH20 (warning: site in French) in my gadget googling, I was-and still am-a bit skeptical. How well can a washing machine get clothes clean without any detergent? Supposedly, the machine breaks water is broken down into OH- and H+ ions. Stains are "attracted and retained by ions of OH-, while the clothes are sterilized by the H+ ions."

The machine is available in France for 699 Euros, which translates into roughly $1000 USD. I would love to see this or a similar detergent-free model show up in the US. Proctor and Gamble won't be happy with that, but then again, companies aren't happy when their livelihood is threatened. However you feel about it, leave your thoughts in the comments.

Via Engadget