Return of the twin tub: Now wash whites AND colours!

SEPARATING your whites from your colourful clothes to go into multiple washes can be a thankless task.

But a new generation of ‘double’ washing machines will let you clean two loads of clothes at once.

A model with two drums stacked on top of one another, pictured, was unveiled at the IFA technology conference in Berlin. Made by Haier, it’s aimed at families and anyone who has ‘unexpected laundry needs’.

Unlike twin tubs of the 1950s, the model comes with two drums stacked on top of one another. LG also unveiled a machine with a second mini-washer back in January.

According to Haier, the average person family creates 220 loads of washing over the course of a year, which is equivalent to a staggering 330 hours of washing time. But the Duo washing machine allows users to save time by starting two different cycles in the upper and lower drum at once. The drums can also be programmed so that they start their loads at different times.

‘Colours and whites can be washed at the same time, or a selection of different fabrics such as wools and cottons,’ the firm said.

The machine can be operated using a small touchscreen built into its front, as well as a via a smartphone app, which will helpfully let you start a load of washing when you are out and about.

The washer has two front doors, and the upper drum is slightly smaller, able to hold 4kg of washing, while the lower drum has an 8kg capacity. The upper drum can run 12 different programmes, and the lower drum 18. But only one water inlet is needed to supply both drums.

Haier has not revealed the price of the model. Prices and a release date for LG’s Twin Wash machines have also not yet been announced. But LG insisted its Twin Wash System, when it is released, will ‘generate a whole new set of washing options’.

For example, muddy gym kit can be kept separate from pristine whites, or silk underwear can be washed at the same time as towels on a hot wash. The machine also has LG’s TurboWash technology that uses twin nozzles at the front of the washer to spray a concentrated detergent solution directly onto the clothes.

A high-pressure nozzle above the drum then sprays water through the clothes during high- spin cycles – speeding up the time the machine takes to clean the clothes.

The drums have so-called ‘ pillow’ technology, which cushions delicate clothes so they ‘slip along the pillows inside the drum while the washing machine is operating’. The machine also offers fluff-free washing and stain remover functions.

The high-tech new models are a far cry from twin tub machines that came on the market in Britain in the 1950s. One tub was for washing and the other was for spinning and draining – and they were designed to save hot water. Some could also pump used water into a separate tub to be stored and pumped back for re-use.

It speeds up the process