For the past six decades, there has been very little in the way of true innovation in the way laundry gets done. According to the Alliance for Water Efficiency's website, even with high-efficiency washer-extractor machines, 3-4 gallons of water is wasted for every pound of laundry washed. This is because despite the high-efficiency claims, these machines still rely on the basic principle of using large amounts of hot water and heavy detergent to clean linens, towels, and other fabrics.

Fortunately, the future of hotel laundry operations has arrived.

What is this revolution in laundry machine technology? What does it look like? The answer to these questions is a small, white polymer bead.

Changing the Fundamentals of Cleaning Linens

In a traditional laundry machine, hot water and strong chemicals are the primary means by which stains are broken up and carried away from fabrics. By replacing hot water with millions of tiny, stain-absorbing polymer beads in the wash process, it is possible to significantly reduce the consumption of water and heating utilities.

How does using beads reduce utility consumption?

First, by replacing the majority of the water in the wash cycle with spheroid polymer beads, the total water use for any given load of laundry is cut by 80 percent or more. Also, since the water that is used in the wash cycle is only there to help circulate the beads and not a factor in the actual cleaning process, it does not have to be run hot, which saves on heating utility costs.

The beads themselves are made from a special polymer that is designed to soak up foreign stains like a sponge. With millions of minute polymer beads providing a gentle mechanical action over every square inch of laundry in the wash, stains are pulled off of the linens and trapped inside the beads.

After absorbing stains, the beads are extracted from the wash drum to be readied for their next use. Throughout the washing process in which these special polymer beads are used, beads are being constantly cycled into and out of the wash drum.

Of course, changing the cleaning medium used in the laundry process requires a special laundry machine, as traditional machines simply aren't equipped to handle the addition of recyclable polymer beads in their wash cycles.

Introducing the Xeros Machine

So, what does the laundry machine of the future look like? Actually, despite the enormous differences in the operation of the machine, the exterior of the Xeros polymer bead washing system is reassuringly familiar.

The design of the machine's outer shell is meant to be familiar for those who are used to the older machines in order to make it easier to operate.

Beneath the surface of the machine, however, there are numerous innovations that help to maximize the efficiency of the machine while taking full advantage of the polymer beads' cleaning potential.

Perhaps the most important innovation under the hood is the integration of a bead storage unit and sump pump into the underside of the machine. When the wash cycle begins, beads are pumped from the bead storage to the drum, and beads are continuously returned to the wet sump throughout the process to be cleaned and used again.

Even the water used to pump the beads into the drum is recaptured to be used again and again so as to minimize water consumption.

While in operation, instead of the typical wet "drop and slop" motion of a typical laundry machine, the Xeros machine can be seen gently rolling clothes in a bed of tiny polymer beads. These beads fully support the weight of the linens in the wash, which actually reduces the wear and tear usually caused by washing.

See the Future of Laundry for Yourself

Watch the video of the Xeros machine in operation to see the future of commercial laundry systems for yourself, and witness the power of polymer cleaning.

Learn more about how the Xeros beads are making the future of laundry brighter, cleaner, and greener for the whole industry now!

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