Simplifying Laundry Chores
Like mowing the lawn or cleaning the house, doing the laundry is a mundane task that few people enjoy. Piles of dirty clothes can test the patience of even the most organized person. Adding to that frustration are the times when a garment has to be washed again because a stain wasn't removed, or when a fabric comes out of the dryer damp and wrinkled.
In an effort to simplify the task of cleaning clothes, CCRC recently surveyed consumers across the U.S. about the laundry process, asking them what features they look for in a clothes washer and dryer. CCRC uncovered seven main consumer cues:
- Larger Capacity — More room for more clothes means fewer loads per week.
- Better Wash Performance and Stain Removal — Better cleaning performance assures clothes get cleaned the first time.
- Better Dry Performance — Better performance translates to less clothing wear and tear and less time doing laundry.
- Ease of Use — When machine controls are simple and straightforward, anyone in the household can do the laundry.
- Flexibility — Washers and dryers should be able to handle a wide variety of fabrics, including delicate materials.
- Reliability/Durability — On average, consumers do about seven loads of laundry per week, so washers and dryers must be able to stand up to the rigorous demands of daily use.
- Appearance — Washers and dryers should go beyond the traditional “white box” design, especially since these appliances are being located in or near major living areas of the home.
For cleaning-appliance manufacturers, the challenge is to deliver on these key cues, while meeting the requirements of the Department of Energy's new energy mandates. To this end, CCRC is evaluating information gathered from individual corporate partners, including GE Appliances, Milliken, Cotton Incorporated, Vanity Fair and Procter & Gamble.
Based on data obtained from CCRC partners, GE Appliances is modifying washer and dryer algorithms to accommodate cotton fabric blended with a new type of synthetic fiber. Also, testing conducted at CCRC's university members, Northwestern University and the University of Kentucky, is helping GE make adjustments necessary to reduce clothes wear over repeated wash and dry cycles. The end result of this analysis is laundry machines that clean more fabrics, with better results, in less time. Therefore, while the task of doing laundry may never quite be "fun" at least it can become less daunting.
Consumer cues are defined as the most critical considerations in a buying decision. All of GE's businesses have embraced a Six Sigma design philosophy, which focuses on process quality. Six Sigma methodologies require companies to fully understand the needs of their customers and to improve the ability to satisfy those needs with exacting quality standards.
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