It’s not commonly known, but if done properly washing clothes by hand works better than even the best, top of the line washing machines. While we don’t doubt the washing machine’s contribution to society, it’s certainly an interesting fact. Dyson spent a great deal of time and money developing a “hand washing machine” in other words, a high-tech washing machine that attempted to imitate hand washing.

“Dyson engineers figured out that hand washing clothes for 15 minutes removed more dirt than two hours in a conventional washing machine,” according to Dyson’s website. “That led to a new type of washing machine – one that had two drums rotating in opposite directions to simulate the manipulation and flexing of hand washing.” The washing machine, called the Contrarotator, was also more energy-efficient than other ones out there and could handle larger loads. Unfortunately, the machine was so expensive to make that Dyson stopped production.”