Trials come up trumps

Xeros says it is moving a step closer to a full-scale commercial launch of its polymer-based washing system following highly successful trials at Jeeves of Belgravia and Watford Launderers + Cleaners.

Xeros'cleaning process uses polymer beads to 'attract' stains.

The gentle flow of the beads acts like hand washing, tumbling with the washload and transporting stains to be locked into the bead molecular structure.The environmental system uses only a fraction of the water, energy and detergent that is required for conventional cleaning.

"The overall cleaning performance has far exceeded expectations,"says Ray Lambert, MD of Jeeves of Belgravia."Stain removal during commissioning was superior on standard industry commercial laundry stain monitors when compared with Jeeves'standard wash cycles." Jeeves primarily tested luxury brand cotton shirts, plus assorted items such as silk jackets, chinos, denim jeans, sheets and duvet covers, settee covers, towels and bathrobes. Water savings were up to 80 per cent.Detergent use was cut by over 50 per cent.

Power/heating levels were reduced by a third in most washes, all without compromising cleaning performance.

Tests on delicate substrates confirmed that the Xeros polymer beads improve fabric care - a function of the gentle mechanical action of the beads on the cloth surface and the low wash temperatures made possible by Xeros, says the company.

Washloads were also less tangled.

This means that clothes put through the Xeros system should stay newer for longer.The Xeros system also cut 're-work levels'by over 50% on shirts due to its superior cleaning performance.

Washloads put through the Xeros system by Watford included fine linens typical of the five-star hotel market that it services.

These ranged from chef's whites, tableware, towelling robes, sheets, duvet and pillowcases to cleaning cloths and plastic mats, but also included much heavier soiled items such as car mechanics' overalls.

The odour-intensive,heavily stained mechanics'overalls were not only cleaned, but also deodourised by Xeros.Furthermore, the high visibility stripes sewn into these overalls were much less worn after Xeros washing.Chef's whites and white table linen were brighter,even when washed at lower temperatures and with less detergent than a conventional system.Water savings reached up to 80 per cent.