Microwave, would it work for this?

Question

Would a microwave clothes dryer be practical? If not, why?

Answer 1

They already exist. Here's one report related to one product and an analysis of advantages versus disadvantages.
http://www.epri.com/OrderableitemDesc.asp?oilnid=122490&targetnid=12&marketnid=5&oitype=1&oilnum=TR-104988&searchdate=5/13/95

And, another discussion:
http://www.europa.com/~ruralite/energy%20topics/laundry.html

And, a trade journal article:
http://www.appliancemagazine.com/ae/editorial.php?article=150&zone=215&first=1

Answer 2

I think it would require too much energy and it would probably end up burning the clothes. It would be too difficult to keep the temperature low enough to avoid damage. Plus, It also only heats water whereas the idea behind a dryer is to heat the air making the air capable of holding more water and thus drying the clothes. MIcrowaves work by exciting water molecules and thus heating them up. The microwave method would simply heat the water to the point of boiling and evaporation... Heating the air and circulating a continuous supply of it through the machine is a better and more efficient way.

Answer 3

No, Organic materials like cotton always have some water in them. I think using microwaves would ruin the clothes. Also, any material composed of polar molecules would melt or start a fire.

Answer 4

It would not work well. The radiation would not easily penetrate the mass of clothes, and fabrics can contain enough OH groups to be overheated by the radiation. See the references cited in the next response for much more on this.

Answer 5

No, things would melt, any kind of plastic or rubber in the clothing would melt, or deform. Most Clothing has some ahs a little plastic in it, and it wouldn't last too long after you microwaved it.

Answer 6

stuff will happen to da fabrics, radiation, microwave will get messed up if too much water in it. trust me, i tried....

Answer 7

Yes, I use it to dry my knickers.
http://www.amithefox.com/view/gina.html