Water and energy savings
The water and detergent essentially dissolve the dirt from clothes, while the plastic pellets - each about half a centimeter (0.2") in diameter - serve as a solid solvent to absorb the dirt. The pellets are then dropped *into a special tray* at the bottom of the front-loading washer, and can reportedly be used for up to 100 washes. And (big plus) clothes emerge from the cycle nearly dry! A spin-off (ha!) company called Xeros is in the process of commercializing the pellet washer, and says machines could be available in Britain in just a couple of years.