Samsung's cold-water washer draws silver path to U.S.
By Reuters
news.com.com
Story last modified Thu Mar 23 09:26:23 PST 2006
Samsung Electronics, which is gaining U.S. retail display space for its high-tech appliances, on Thursday said it will sell a washing machine that uses silver to kill bacteria in cold water without bleach.
Credit: Samsung The South Korea-based manufacturer said in a statement that its new front-loading washer, which will start selling in the United States this month at a suggested price of up to $1,399, injects tiny silver ions into the tub during the wash and rinse cycles to sanitize clothes.
Samsung said that in tests, the cleaning process removed or killed 99.9 percent of odor-causing bacteria, including E. coli.
Silver has long been known for its cleaning properties. Research at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis has shown that some resistant disease strains cannot develop with silver the way that they will with antibiotics. Water treatment facilities that service hospitals also use silver ions.
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Samsung, which sells its appliances at U.S. retailers such as Lowe's and Best Buy, said its disinfecting technology, dubbed SilverCare, uses less energy than hot-water cleaning and treats delicates such as lingerie more gently. It added that skin testing shows the process to be hypoallergenic.
"Samsung is committed to being first to market with advanced technologies that benefit and enhance people's lives," Peter Weedfald, a marketing senior vice president at Samsung Electronics America, said in a statement.
The company said its cold-water washer has other features, including a slanted drum for easy loading and a child safety lock. |
