Drumi claims to be a “new way to do laundry”. It uses only a small amount of water in a unique, futuristic-looking, foot-powered washing machine. Find out how the Drumi works today in our review.
What is the Drumi?
The Drumi is a sustainable washing machine created by a Canadian company named Yirego.
In a promotional video announcing the Drumi, Yirego admits that “we never gave laundry much thought…until we learned laundry machines use 50L of water and 500 watts of power per cycle.”
Yirego created Drumi because they knew they could do better.
There are a few major and immediately-noticeable differences between Drumi and a conventional washing machine, including:
-Size: Drumi is really small. It reaches to just below your knees when placed on the ground.
-Foot Powered: You no longer need electricity to wash your clothes. Drumi washes your clothes entirely through human power. There’s no electricity involved (unless you want to heat the water in a separate device).
-Uses Very Little Water: A conventional washing machine uses 50L of water. Drumi uses a fraction of that. An average wash will use 10 liters of water, including 5 liters for washing and 5 liters for rinsing.
Ultimately, Yirego claims you can reduce your carbon footprint by approximately 10 pounds per week. It’s also portable, convenient, and easy to store in an apartment. You can see it being a popular option for those who live in apartments with shared laundry machines.
Let’s take a closer look at the features on the Drumi and how you use it.
How to Use Drumi
Using Drumi is straightforward. Here’s how to do it:
Step 1) Place clothes or fabric into the container.
Step 2) Add detergent
Step 3) Fasten the lid
Step 4) Pump the machine with your feet
Step 5) Continue pumping for 5 to 10 minutes per load
Using these steps, Drumi claims to save water, save time, and save money.
Drumi Features
The version of Drumi currently being sold online is the second generation of the device. the creators have made some minor adjustments to the design to make it even better. Here are the key features on the Drumi:
-Carrying Handle: Features an aluminum, locking top handle for easy carrying with no accidental spills.
-Lid: Flattop lid that sits flat whichever way you need to set it down.
-Drain Valve: Handy lever makes it easy to drain the machine after use.
-Drum and Detergent Tray: Removable interior drum lets you clean the Drumi between washes. There are also guidelines in the detergent tray to let you know how much water and detergent you’re using.
-Foot Pedal: Easy-to-use foot pedal made from aluminum. The pedal features a textured grip for less slipping.
-Bottom/Base: Drumi has a reinforced base with foot pads on the bottom, which means you can easily use the device without slippage or mess.
-Water Drainage: Detachable hose at the back lets you guide the water wherever you want it to go (for example, if you want to drain the water into a garden or onto your lawn.
-Holds up to 5 Pounds of Clothing: Drumi is small, so don’t expect it to hold as many clothes as a conventional washing machine. Yirego claims it can hold 5 pounds (2.25kg) of clothing, which is approximately 5 to 7 t-shirts or pieces of underwear. Yirego does not recommending washing towels or bed sheets in the machine. They do, however, claim you can wash up to one pair of jeans at a time in the Drumi without issue.
-Low Water Consumption: The Drumi needs approximately 10 liters (2.6 gallons) of water, including 5 liters for a wash and 5 liters for a rinse.
-Any Detergent: You can use any detergent that you like in the Drumi.
-Any Temperature: You can wash clothes in hot or cold water. Yirego does not recommend adding boiling water to the Drumi. Water will need to be heated in a separate container.
-Easy to Clean: If you want to clean your Drumi, you can do so by running a cycle without any garments, using a vinegar and water solution as a cleaner.
Drumi Pricing
Drumi is currently in production. Yirego is aiming for a late 2017 delivery – so we’re still a long way away from Drumi becoming a big thing. There are two price points, including prices for Canadians and prices for international/US customers:
US/International Pricing
-Green Drumi: $289 USD
-Silver Drumi: $289 USD
-2 Drumi Deal: $498
Canadian Pricing
-Green Drumi: $335 CAD
-Silver Drumi: $335 CAD
-2 Drumi Deal: $598 CAD
If you purchase the Drumi during the preorder stage, you can request a full refund at any point up to 30 days before the expected delivery date. Customers who preordered the Drumi between April 2015 and July 2016 will receive their products in early 2017. Those who ordered between August and September 30, 2016 will receive their Drumi in spring/summer 2017. And those who ordered their Drumi at a later date will receive it in late 2017.
About Yirego
Yirego is an Ontario, Canada-based product design company. The company’s About page: http://www.yirego.com/about describes its objective as this:
“Our objective is to create ethical, eco-friendly household products that both better everyday living and provide simple solutions for your household tasks. We aim to not only provide convenience through time and energy consumption, but we also look for new ways to help reduce your carbon footprint.”
The company viewed laundry machines as one of the most consumptive parts of the house. So they decided to focus on the Drumi as their first flagship product. In addition to being wasteful, traditional laundry machine facilities are “costly, unhygienic, and inconvenient.”
Yirego was founded in 2013 by Yi Jiang. The company is based in downtown Toronto. Drumi is the company’s sole product. However, they recently teamed up with another Ontario company named Earth’s Berries to release Soap Nuts, an eco-friendly alternative to laundry detergent.
Yirego’s Drumi was the Canadian National Winner of the James Dyson Award in 2015.
Should You Buy Drumi?
Drumi is currently available for preorders online. It’s an ideal option for those who live in apartment buildings without easy access to laundry facilities – or for those who just want to reduce their carbon footprint.
The Drumi is a unique, foot pedal-powered laundry machine that uses 1/5th of the water of a conventional laundry machine (10 liters per wash, including 5 liters for washing and 5 liters for rinsing). It uses no electricity and is entirely human-powered. Each wash cycle takes approximately 5 to 10 minutes. You can even burn calories while you wash your clothes!
Obviously, Drumi isn’t for everyone. You can’t wash towels or bedsheets in the machine. However, if you’re looking for a compact, easy, and affordable way to wash underwear, t-shirts, a pair of jeans, or other small pieces of clothing, then Drumi may be the best option for you.
Learn more about Drumi by visiting Yirego.com today.
