Original story
WebNet News 14.4.2009
EU Consumer Council recommends ultrasound washing instructions
The European Union’s principal consumer advisory body, the Vienna-based Consumer Council, has issued recommendations that garment manufacturers henceforth be obliged to include ultrasound washing instructions alongside conventional symbols on fabrics and articles of clothing.
The recommendation is based on the washing instruction standard planned by the EU’s Standards Committee. Until now, codes and symbols for ultrasound washing have been somewhat random, and in many cases they have been completely absent from garment labels.
In particular the manufacturers of ultrasound washing machines have been lobbying for standards and obligatory labels, according to which they can draw up the optimum washing programmes for their appliances. Incorrect power and frequency settings have often resulted in damage to fabrics, and have created a mindset among consumers that the new technology is unreliable and potentially dangerous. Naturally these fears have been reflected in disappointing sales for ultrasound washers and dryers.
Ultrasound washing is based on the discovery - made some twenty years ago - that each individual type of dirt and grime can be broken up and loosened from fabrics using specific ultrasound frequencies and a range of power settings. In fact the method has been employed for many years, for example in laboratories requiring absolutely sterile vessels. In the initial stages, ultrasound washing was extended only to the cleaning of hard objects, but in late 2006 a breakthrough in ultrasound frequency sampling allowed the effective removal of dirt particles from soft fabrics, paving the way for a new generation of domestic appliances using the technology and reducing the strain on limited water resources.
One problem has been that many textiles used in clothing are combinations of natural and/or synthetic fibres, and some grime-removing frequencies may also damage the article itself. The work of the EU Standards Committee has been to draw up a table of suitable ultrasound frequencies for all materials used in clothing or home furnishings. In this way it is possible for the washing machines to install suitable programmes for each individual fabric or blend of materials. The operation of such machines will then become appreciably easier, as it will be possible for the user simply to press the symbol on the remote control keypad that matches the corresponding one on the washing label.
Terry Lean, Vice-Chairman of the EU Consumer Council, said that in the wake of the decision she expects the use of ultrasound washing machines to spread rapidly. This would be a favourable development on environmental grounds, since ultrasound washing does not require the use of non-biodegradable detergents, and only uses water in minimal quantities to rinse away the dissolved grime. In line with the Jakarta Agreement of June 2007, the EU has pledged to reduce detergent use by 60% over the next three years.
Toteuma-arvio 2026
Toteuma lyhyesti
- Ilmiön toteuma: 2/5
- Toteuma viiden vuoden tarkkuudella: kyllä; arviointi-ikkuna on 2004–2014
- Toteuma väljemmällä aikahorisontilla: kyllä, mutta vain kapeissa sovelluksissa
- Ilmiön ydin: ultraääntä käytetään tekstiilien pesemiseen niin, että vaatteet ja pesuohjeet mukautuvat uuteen menetelmään.
Ultraäänipuhdistus on vakiintunut teollisuudessa ja pienissä puhdistuslaitteissa, ja tekstiilien ultraäänipesua on kokeiltu. Kotitalouksien pyykinpesu, vaatemerkit ja standardit eivät kuitenkaan siirtyneet tähän menetelmään.
Johtopäätös: tekninen periaate toteutui, mutta ennustettu kuluttajailmiö jäi syntymättä.