Bachelor's Launderette

Those who have gone away to school or have lived an otherwise unhygienic life know the problem. Deferred trips to the laundry result in a pile of dirty clothes that grows until you run out of fresh garments. You are then forced to root through the pile to select an acceptable ensemble. At the end of the day, those clothes are placed on the top of the pile thus perpetuating a kind of composting cycle. The downside of this otherwise efficient strategy is that it attracts vermin, produces stench and imposes a cluttered look on your digs.

Behold the Bachelor's Launderette - a sleek, floor - standing cylinder tucked discreetly into a corner. It retains the same familiar heap style organization while eliminating its disadvantages. At the end of the day, just lift the hermetically sealing lid and drop your soiled clothes into the cleaning drum. When the lid is closed, it latches and ultraviolet sterilizer lamps switch on. A high capacity blower directs heated air into the internal stationary drum via tangential holes with a velocity sufficient to entrain the garments in a cyclonic vortex. Thoroughly wet clothes will require a drying pre – cycle before they can be entrained in the vortex and cleaned.

When a sensor determines that the load is thoroughly dry, specially engineered cleaning balls are introduced to the spinning clothes, dislodging soil via myriad impacts. Being of lower density than the clothes, the balls migrate to the center of the vortex and are removed along with dirt and air via an axially mounted vortex finder tube. The balls are separated from the exhaust by a screen and continually re – injected into the vortex. The remaining dirty air is passed through a re – usable filter and discharged. When a particulate sensor detects a suitably clean condition, the balls are captured and stored in a recycle loop for re - use.

At the end of the cycle, a delicately scented mist is introduced and the air shuts off. A door on the bottom of the drum then opens and deposits the load in a generously sized lower chamber. After the door closes, the cleaning drum is driven downward by side – mounted motorized linear screw actuators and compresses the load thus maximizing available storage space.

Articles of clothing are removed as needed from an access door located at the bottom of the unit and selected as required. Unneeded items are re-introduced into the top of the unit, eventually being added to the top of the storage inventory.

Of course clothes don’t last forever, so a user activated incinerate function is included. Ashes are captured via the air filter described above.

The system does not use solvents or detergents and is therefore environmentally friendly. Soil and ashes may be employed in the garden as a fertilizer / amendment. Clothes are efficiently stored and are guaranteed to obtain a casually stylish crumpled look. The problems of stench and unwelcome vermin are eliminated. Your friends, if you have any, will be impressed.