
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SUNDAY, September 26, 1993                   TAG: 9309260026
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL                    PAGE: C-3   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Newsday
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short

OR TRY THE SOLAR BACKYARD MODEL

The many electronic options on today's dryers can be mind-boggling, but does all the gadgetry help dry clothes better? Not really. The most basic dryer usually does the job just fine, but extra features can mean greater convenience. Having a machine that senses when the clothes are dry and cools them down to thwart wrinkling can be worth the extra money.

A microwave dryer being tested by the Electric Power Research Institute is expected to be on the market in 1996. It dries clothes 60 percent faster - using 20 percent less electricity - than conventional dryers. And it doesn't shrink clothes.

A standard dryer heats air blown into a drum to temperatures up to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, and the garment can reach temperatures up to 160 F, causing wear and shrinkage. In contrast, the microwave dryer heats water molecules clinging to the clothes. Temperatures inside the dryer peak at around 110 F, and the garment remains largely unheated. Although the technology differs, the dryers will look traditional.

by CNB