Clean clothes or sheets are always a bliss. But some of us tend to hold off washing our clothes for a long time (like me, guilty) until we really have to, so that people won’t judge us. Doing the laundry is a real chore, especially if we live alone and are busy. Often we look at the pile of dirty clothes and say to ourselves, “Ain’t nobody got time for that!”

If only doing the laundry could be done fast, right? Well, Drumi is the answer. And to make all things better, this device is very eco-friendly, meaning that it doesn’t need electricity and it takes a little bit of soap and water. So it’s not only green, but you can spend the money you usually spend on electricity bills on something else.

Drumi is about 56cm tall and it weighs only around 7 kilograms. It only takes five minutes, 10 liters of water, and small amount of soap to clean six to seven clothes. It’s not much of a capacity so it’s not for bulk laundering (even though you can do the washing all over again), but it’s certainly enough to clean up your daily clothes. What about the no electricity? You’ll be using your feet to power the device.

Now, don’t focus on the tiring part. Think of it as a way to exercise daily. If you’ve got a nine to five job that requires you to sit all the time, pedaling Drumi is a great way to make your body move.

Drumi has reached its final design after its first prototype. In its updated design, this washing device has a stability, efficiency, and aesthetics improvement. It promises “a better laundry experience” that include flat-topped lid, built-in measuring markers, and an aluminium top handle which allows you to pick it up a lot easier. Also, the drum is now removable, so you can clean it easily.

Yirego, the manufacturer, targets people who live in small space such as apartments, parents who frequently wash baby clothes, and campers. But I personally think that this device is perfect for people who wants to have a green lifestyle. Drumi can reduce your carbon footprint by approximately 4.5 kg a week. And you can make this even better by sun/air-drying your clothes instead of using machine.

Upon testing, there are a few things about Drumi that you need to know. After all, future customers need to find out what the product is all about, don’t they? So here are a few points about the foot-powered washing machine.

Small but powerful

I’m a fan of compact or mini version of flagship smartphones, because they’re still powerful in spite of being small, but I digress. My point is, you can expect brilliance out of something small like Drumi here.

So even though Drumi is not as heavy and big as conventional washing machines, it’s still prominent. You won’t forget that you’ve bought this device, and there’ll be no more stories about how you’ve “lost” your small washing machine.

The design is so user-friendly. As long as you read the manuals, you won’t have difficulties operating it, and you don’t need to be a machine expert to know how the device works. Throw your clothes about half or three-quarters full and fill the machine up with water according to the markers. Aside of detergent, you can also add fabric softener and bleach if necessary.

To begin washing with Drumi, open the plastic lid, dump your clothes to the drum, and add five liters of water. Then close it and add detergent. Then, you pump the pedal for two minutes and then you push a button to empty out the bubbly, soapy water.

After that, you rinse your clothes by adding another five liters of water, pumping it for another two minutes, and emptying out the water again. To finish, you pump it for one last minute for spinning.

How much do you save?

One thing to note is that this washing device is never meant to replace a conventional machine. However, you can definitely compare the conservation part. Drumi uses manual, foot-powered operation, and it doesn’t need too much water. A standard, average washing machines takes 50 liters for every cycle. Machines with Energy Star labels still needs 37 liters, and old washers use up to 102 liters per cycle.

If you’re a person who is: trying to cut electricity or energy bills, living in RVs, trailers and condos without washers or dryers, living alone or with another person, Drumi is the one for you. Yirego also targets these kind of people, after all. And according to the calculation of this website, you can save from $25 to $44 per month (bills vary from one country to another, but the point is, you’ll be saving heaps)! Imagine the things you can do or spend with that amount of money.

It’s not perfect, though

The older model has a bit of a problem; the emptied water goes out the back. When it was first introduced, Drumi’s water escaped into a drain. For places like apartments and condos, this mechanism is not exactly a practical option.

The updated design has a flexible hose that you can arrange to end up in a sink or bathtub. The pedalling could push out almost all of the water, but the excess amount could prove to be a challenge. It’s going to have a hard time draining against gravity when the hose has to go up and down again.

The solution is to give it a mechanical or electrical pump so that it’s strong enough to give it a final push. But if it involves electricity, then this device will hardly be 100% electric-free. And Yirego’s team is still unsure about what to do with this problem.

Drumi has modular pieces, but it’s unclear whether there are parts which need regular replacement or not. The company only stated that you should clean the whole unite every 60 to 90 days, but it really depends on what you’ve put and washed in the machine. If you’ve got pets and you frequently wash clothes that are covered with pet fur/hair, then you might need to clean it more often. But again, there’s no official guide for this.

And although this is minor, Yirego hasn’t tested nor stated about the amount of bacteria that you’ll get rid of when you wash clothes in Drumi. If you really care about hygiene, bacteria infestation, and the likes, you won’t wash your clothes comfortably.

All in all

Nothing is perfect, because Drumi is created by humans who are never perfect. It should also be noted that Drumi is still relatively new, and there are many rooms for improvement. And even though there are some things that need to be worked on, this device is still usable and it does the job very well.

Yirego focuses on cleaning clothes that might need an immediate washing such as workout pants/leggings, sweat-drenched jerseys, dirty baby clothes, badly stained clothing, or blood-stained bottom wear (ladies will know the struggle).

And since you can control how fast your Drumi spins, it’s possible that you can wash other things and not just clothes. Small rugs, shoes, small sports stuff, small ragdolls, there are many possibilities. All you need is a strong pair of legs to make it work.

Do you think Drumi (or devices like this) will take over most households so that carbon footprint will be significantly reduced? Do you know other things which are usually electronic but they now have a manually operated version? Tell us what you know! Don’t forget to check this article to find out more about eco-friendly gadget. Happy laundering!

 

Source(s)

https://www.digitaltrends.com/home/the-drumi-is-a-foot-powered-washing-machine/
https://www.digitaltrends.com/home/yirego-drumi-hands-on/