MAY 24, 2024 / BY ACTIVEPURE / 6 MINUTES OF READING
When preparing an article, most of our efforts go into providing you with universally helpful information. After all, no one wants to read a blog that’s really an advertisement. Occasionally, however, the helpful information can only be understood in light of our technology.
So, let’s cut to the chase: we want to do your laundry; it’s time to meet the Laundry Pro with ActivePure Technology.
What Is the Laundry Pro?
The Laundry Pro is a compact ActivePure device that hooks up to your washing machine — eliminating the need for both detergent and hot water washes. For most machines, the installation is simple enough that it can be done without any expertise; (our CRO has successfully installed 3, and he was a history major). The Laundry Pro also notifies you if it needs you to replace its ActivePure cell — a quick and easy maintenance every ~9000 hours of use. It does all of this while drawing a mere 1.3 watts of power (0.4 in standby mode), so you don’t have to worry about it adding to your electric bill.
How Do Detergents Work?
To understand how the Laundry Pro works, we first must explain how laundry detergent works. Modern detergents are a mix of chemicals aimed at dealing with multiple grime scenarios. According to HowStuffWorks.com, detergents may contain:
- Surfactants: molecules which have one end attracted to grease and the other to water. Essentially, surfactants make water wetter. Traditional soap is one type of surfactant, but laundry detergent often includes many kinds at once with different charges at the molecular level.
- Builders: Because hard water contains positively charged minerals, they can neutralize anionic (i.e., negatively charged) and amphoteric (bipolar) surfactants. Builders help mitigate the negative effects of hard water on these surfactants.
- Whiteners: bleaches or fluorescent whiteners to minimize the yellowing of white fabrics.
- Enzymes: for breaking down specific types of stains — especially proteins, fats, and starches.
- Fragrances: This is self-explanatory, but we sometimes wonder what those fragrances are covering up.
Environmental Disadvantages of Detergents
By using a blend of multiple chemicals for every wash, detergents waste both your own resources and the planet’s. Some ingredients in laundry detergent are long-lasting enough to enter the aquatic food chain, encouraging algae blooms (which reduce oxygen) and making fish more susceptible to parasites. They may even help pollution bind to groundwater.
Even if it doesn’t end up in the environment, just making and shipping detergent has its own environmental impact. We think HowStuffWorks says it best: “[...]the carbon footprint of laundry detergents for one year of laundry is approximately 480 pounds (218 kilograms) per year[...]”
Add in plastic bottles — which often end up floating in the ocean or incinerated into the air — and you have a pretty wasteful environmental picture.
Personal Disadvantages of Detergents
Let’s say, for argument's sake, that you are tired of hearing about the environment. There are still personal reasons to move away from detergents.
First, you have to keep buying it. As reported by Yahoo News, the average American household spends around $170 on laundry supplies annually ($178 adjusted for inflation).
Second, it's not necessarily human-friendly. Studies have found evidence that laundry detergent leaves residues that can irritate your skin and increase body odor.
Third, many detergents only reach their full potential in warm or hot water washes. According to data reported by WBIR, washing your clothes in hot water costs 17 times as much as washing them in cold water! Heating laundry water costs the average household about $200 per year.
How Does the Laundry Pro Work?
The Laundry Pro uses the same technology as our air and surface purifiers to treat the water in your washing machine. ActivePure molecules are both anionic and nonionic (i.e., neutrally charged), so they act as a surfactant. They attach to the organic matter on your clothes (such as odors, bacteria, mold spores, grime, etc.) — simultaneously breaking them down and helping the water to lift them away. One of these molecules also acts like a gentle whitener.
Advantages of the Laundry Pro
The Laundry Pro fixes all the disadvantages of detergents:
- ActivePure molecules are much smaller and more reactive than detergent molecules. Thus, they don’t linger in the environment. The only thing you’ll be putting in the groundwater is water and whatever grime was on your clothes.
- You won’t ever have to buy detergent again! Think of what you could do with that extra $178 per year. Imagine all the glorious extra space in your recycling bin without giant plastic jugs. Imagine passing the laundry aisle without having to remember which brand makes your toddler break out in hives. (Note: selective stain pre-treater might still be necessary, as the Laundry Pro doesn’t release stain enzymes; however, this is still an improvement over using a giant tub of chemicals “just in case.”)
- Not buying detergent means you won’t have to buy special detergent in order to wash your clothes in cold water. The Laundry Pro hooks exclusively to your cold-water tap, potentially saving you another $200 per year.
- You’ll save on other cleaning products as well. The Laundry Pro has an auxiliary valve to fill a cleaning bucket or spray bottle. That means that you can use it instead of household surface cleaners, saving even more! (Our history-major-CRO says this treated water is particularly good on grout and for cleaning jewelry).
Between your savings on hot water, detergent, and cleaning products, we estimate that the Laundry Pro will pay for itself in 1-3 years. If you factor in the environmental savings, it starts earning its keep immediately.
How Do I Know If the Laundry Pro Is for Me?
There are a couple scenarios where the Laundry Pro might NOT be for you (yet):
- You primarily use a commercial laundromat: Alas, the Laundry Pro is not scaled for commercial enterprises. However, because fire retardant clothes cannot be washed with detergent, the Laundry Pro is proud to be used by at least one local fire department.
- You have hard water: Because the Laundry Pro forgoes unnecessary chemicals, it does not include builders to deal with hard water. If you have hard water issues, you’ll want to use one of our bespoke water conditioning systems first. Hard water should be fixed even if you are not getting the Laundry Pro. Laundry detergent may have builders, but your shower soap doesn’t. Accepting hard water is accepting that you are stepping out of every shower covered in calcium and soap scum.
Do you like saving money? Do you like helping the environment? Do you have a washing machine? If so, then the Laundry Pro is for you. If you’re ready to get started, we’ll set you up with a distributor today.
