Hate germs? Bosch's Series 8 washer might be able to help
Bosch claims that its new Series 8 washing machine can kill up to 99.99 percent of germs and bacteria.
BERLIN -- Bosch makes big claims about its new Series 8 washing machines, announced today at IFA 2015. In particular, the all-new laundry lineup highlights a feature called ActiveOxygen, which is supposed to quash 99.99 percent of the stubborn germs and bacteria on your clothes.
According to Bosch's official press release, ActiveOxygen works with most cleaning cycles, but it was designed with low temperatures and delicates in mind. Bosch says that's because lower temperature don't do as good of a job at ridding your clothes of harmful particles. That can create quite a conundrum for folks who rely on their delicate cycle to clean fragile textiles -- or for anyone who prefers the money and energy savings associated with lower water temperatures.
Enter ActiveOxygen. But, how exactly does it work? Bosch is a little vague about the particulars, but refers to this feature as a "special treatment cycle" that you can initiate with the press of a button (it also tacks on an additional 30 minutes to your cleaning cycle). And, instead of using chemicals to do the job, ActiveOxygen is supposed to gently cleansing your clothes with 'active oxygen' both during the pretreatment stage and immediately before the final rinse cycle. That sounds great and all, but I'm not yet convinced that this is anything more than the same old antibacterial cycle we've seen on other machines.
In addition to its germ-killing claims, the Series 8 washing machines also feature LED instrument panels and something called EcoSilenceDrive, an option that's supposed to keep loud noises at bay. Bosch hasn't announced any pricing or retail availability for its Series 8 washing machines with ActiveOxygen just yet, but we'll let you know as soon as we learn more. For now, find out what's new at IFA 2015.