New Appliance Can Fold The Laundry For You

By Chelsea Lacey-Mabe

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Newer models of washers and dryers come out every year promising special rinses and faster cycles which can help families better-tackle the growing pile of dirty laundry. But the real chore of folding still needs to be done once the clothes are clean... until now.

A new appliance called FoldiMate can actually fold clothes and it's slated for a 2018 release.

In a video on the company's website, laundry is clipped to the front of the folding appliance and fed to the inside where robotic hands are waiting to fold the items one at a time. After each item is folded, it's then steamed to minimize wrinkling and can be given a softening or sanitizing treatment before being stacked onto the folded pile.

When the pile is fully stacked, the garments can be removed and new ones clipped to start the process over.

The machine was designed to fold most types of clothes, like pants, shirts and towels. Small garments like socks and underwear should still be folded by hand.

According to the FoldiMate company, the appliance can finish a load of laundry two times faster than it takes to fold clothes manually. They'll start accepting pre-orders next year.

The machine costs anywhere from $700 to $850 depending on specifications.

Those who might be interested can register for updates about pre-ordering.