Laundry Jet first made a test run at the inventors Northern California home , a 4,000 square feet on a single level, objective was to simplify the laundry demands of a busy household. Using the vacuum system as a guide, a machine and pipe configuration that had enough air draw to handle most daily laundry items. On a visit to the home, his long term business partner and marketer Graeme Roberts noted the experimental system helped to keep the kids’ rooms neat, because jetting your dirty gym clothes was suddenly fun! After little discussion, they decided to take it to market and Laundry Jet was born.
The Laundry Jet air machine is connected to a main 6-inch pipe. Up to eight port branches feed into the main pipe that draws the clothing items into the laundry area. The main pipe can be located in attic space, accommodated via set-aside chases or in the floor system. Ports connecting to the Laundry Jet are located in bedrooms, closets or anywhere a laundry basket might have been placed. Each port can be located up to 200 feet from the laundry.
To jet clothing, bedding or even damp towels to the laundry room, just open the port. Once the port is opened, it activates the air machine, which creates a vacuum to suck the laundry to its final destination. When finished, just walk away and the port closes automatically. The air machine will stop operating once the pre-set time has allowed the laundry to be delivered, usually a maximum of 17 seconds
Old-fashioned gravity-fed laundry chutes fell out of favour because of the safety hazards for small children. The Laundry Jet uses 6-inch diameter plastic tubing with a gentle air suction strong enough to transport laundry but that is safe for all ages. Each port is installed at a recommended 48” height on the wall. Just beyond each port a 90 degree elbow will keep high density toys from being sucked through. Other lighter items will be delivered to the laundry room for retrieval. The Laundry Jet can be easily cleaned by sending 6 inch foam ball wrapped with a cleaning towelette through the system from each port. If something does get stuck in the pipes, a common plumbing snake can clear out the item.
Newly launched this January is the upgraded Wave Port, which rotates and slides open to activate the Laundry Jet with a motion sensor. The Wave Port streamlines the original port which flipped up manually to open and activate. The low-profile Wave Port is fashioned from metal and can be custom powder-coated to match any décor for an additional charge.
While most opt for solid coloured white pipes, some Laundry Jet customers use a clear plastic tubing for some sections of the system so the full whoosh effect can be seen when in use. Other homeowners have concealed the pipes within timbers or beams where clearance is not available. With a little planning Laundry Jet can be as accessible or as hidden as desired.
Another optional feature is The Laundry Return Unit, a single return loop to one port location that can deliver a full dryer load back upstairs for folding or ironing. That system
utilizes the same air machine but intercepts the clothes on the return path.