New Orleans, LA (AHN) - Using only one cup of water per load, U.K.-based Xeros‘ new type of washing machine will instead rely on reusable nylon beads to trap dirt and stains.

Along with partners GreenEarth Cleaning, Xeros, which has been testing the machine for three years, will sell the machines in North America, at first mostly to commercial dry cleaners and Laundromats, LiveScience reported.

Because the Xeros machine uses 90 percent less water than traditional washing machines, it also saves energy by cutting down on the need for a dryer. It also uses less energy and detergent.

One of the reasons we eschew nylon fabric in clothes is because it easily retains dirt and stains, which is why the nylon beads the Xeros washing machine uses attracts dirt and stains from clothes, the Economist reported.

The green washing system was presented at the Clean Show in New Orleans, held June 18 through 21. It uses thousands of tiny nylon beads to mop up the dirt released by detergent from dirty clothes.

Xeros commissioned an environmental consultancy group, URS Corp, to evaluate the washer. URS found the system’s carbon footprint to be 40 percent smaller than more existing systems for washing and drying laundry, the Economist reported.

Xeros partner GreenEarth claims there’s negligible impact on the clothes cleaned by the nylon beads.

“The testing completed to date has indicated no appreciable difference in wear between garments processed in the Xeros technology versus the traditional laundry process,” Tim Maxwell, president of GreenEarth Cleaning, told LiveScience. “Extensive testing with silks, embroidered garments, and other delicate items have shown no ill effects.”