Washer leaves Haier swirling in hot water
By Ding Qingfen (China Business Weekly)
Updated: 2004-10-27 15:10

Can a washing machine clean clothes without detergent?

That question recently plunged Haier Group, China's leading home appliances manufacturer, which is based in Qingdao, into hot water.

Cui Chao purchased one of Haier's environmentally friendly, double-power washing machines last month.

The user's manual Cui received with the machine clearly indicated the appliance, through electrolysis, could wash clothes -- without detergent.

However, Cui noticed the washing machine, each time it was used, created a foam. She had the material tested, and was shocked by the experts' findings.

The foam, she was told, contained a material similar to surfactant, a substance that reduces surface tension.

Surfactant is also a main ingredient in detergents and cosmetics.

Obviously, Cui's washing machine had some secrets.

After a thorough examination, everything came out in the wash: Surfactant, with phosphorus, had been filled in a plastic container above the machine's washing tank.But the answer raised another question: Why was there surfactant in a washing machine that was supposed to wash clothes without any detergent?

The incident prompted some media to use the catch phrase "Haier is a lier."

Haier's executives defended the concept behind the washing machine, and said consumers will accept the machine in time.

Chinese experts, however, contend nobody is capable, in the real sense, of producing a washing machine that can clean clothes without detergent.

"Such a washing machine is, as a matter of fact, not likely to be invented in the immediate future," said an official with the China Association of Surfactant Soap and Detergent Industries (CASSDI), on condition of anonymity.

"Although we should encourage Haier to continue producing the washing machine, Haier must be held accountable for its irresponsible behaviour," the official said.

Haier, the official added, failed to explain to customers how the machine worked.

An engineer, surnamed Ji, said that the machine has electrolytic equipment, and an "improved agent" that makes it possible for the machine to wash clothes.

Ji is an employee with the National Engineering Research Centre (NERC).

The electrolytic equipment, Ji said, maintains alkalinity, while the so-called "improved agent," composed of surfactant and special material, stabilizes the water.

Haier and NERC invented the special material. Its ingredients were not disclosed.

"Haier will not reveal anything about the so-called 'improved agent.' The secrecy includes the agent's essence, service life, date of stamping and renewal date. That shows the company lacks a sense of responsibility," CASSDI's official said.

She said CASSDI opposed Haier's promotional prank, in which the firm's representatives mixed mud with the surfactant, in an attempt to suggest detergent is harmful to people.

"It was ridiculous, and unwise, for the company to do that. Washing powder is beyond criticism, in terms of safety, both theoretically and practically," CASSDI's official said.

What about the washing machine's effectiveness?

"The washing machine, through tests, fell short of those machines that require detergent, in terms of decontamination and degree of abrasion, let alone the functions that the company boasted about," CASSDI's official said.

However, Haier's machine costs about 50 per cent -- 3,000 yuan (US$361.445) -- more than the conventional washing machines.

CASSDI, early last December, entrusted the Research Institute of Daily Chemical Industry (RIDCI) and five industrial enterprises -- including Zhejiang-based Nice, Shanghai-based Whitecat and Shanxi-based Nafine -- to test the effectiveness of Haier's washing machine.

The results were announced last May.

"Haier should pay more attention to providing customers with benefits, which is always the key to a firm's success," CASSDI's official said.

Sales of Haier's "special" washing machine have declined substantially since details of the machine were made public, Wang Yan, a saleswoman with Gome Appliances, said.

In stark contrast, the washing machine sold like hot cakes last year when it was launched, Wang added.

CASSDI is negotiating with Haier to resolve the matter.

"We have asked the company to stop harming the washing powder industry, and to stop advertising its so-called 'magic' washing machine," CASSDI's official said.

"No result has been achieved. We will continue negotiating."

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