Clothes that Clean Themselves? That’s NanoSphere!
Washing clothes is a chore that many of us would rather do without. It takes up our time, powers through the electricity, soaks through the water, and uses up soap. And after all this, we put the clothes back on and start the cycle again.
Not only is it an inconvenience, but washing clothes is not the most eco-friendly of activities. Think of all those greenhouse gas being emitted every time you turn on your washing machine or dryer. The average washing machine produces around 90 kilograms of greenhouse gas per year. Using warm water adds another 475 kilograms of greenhouse gas. The average clothes dryer produces around 150 kilograms of greenhouse gas per year.
The Alternative?
OK, we’ve established that washing clothes is not the most eco-friendly of activities. So the less we do it the better right?
That’s where NanoSphere can help. NanoSphere®, a registered trademark of Shoeller in Switzerland, is a textile finishing technology that enables clothes to stay cleaner, longer. The technology is based on the self-cleaning ability of some plants and animals. In fact, Shoeller claims that NanoSphere is “nearly a perfect copy of nature”.
Certain plant leaves, beetle shells and insect wings can stay clean simply because dirt and water can’t stick to them. NanoSphere technology replicates this concept so that clothes can enjoy the same protection. Clothes that use NanoSphere technology are extremely water and stain resistant. Clothes can actually repel water, oil, grease… pretty much anything that would normally require cleaning. If your clothes have a NanoSphere finish, you could spill red wine over them and it would simply run off - without leaving a stain.
Although NanoSphere technology is mainly known for it’s use in clothing, it isn’t limited to this application. It could just as easily be applied to shoes, home furnishings including carpets, tablecloths, upholstery, awnings, automobile textiles, car seat covers, and medical applications such as bedding and surgical apparel.
Where can I get some?
You will often find NanoSphere incorporated into clothing suited for extreme conditions. Clothing for skiing, mountaineering, hiking etc are well suited to NanoSphere technology. The Mammut Laser Jacket uses NanoSphere. QuikSilver incorporates NanoSphere finishes on some of their products. And you should be able to find some NanoSphere at the Backcountry website.
Tags: eco-friendly clothes, nanosphere, self-cleaning clothes
January 29th, 2008 at 6:47 am
[...] Another thing we can do is, when clothes shopping, look for clothes with self cleaning properties. Some clothes available today come with a self-cleaning textile finish called NanoSphere. [...]
June 23rd, 2010 at 9:48 am
Wicked place, grats for finding the time to post on the scene. Keep up the posts and help keep the alt world going!