You may never have to do laundry again. It sounds like a householder’s dream – clothes could soon clean themselves while they are being worn. We’re one step closer to self-cleaning fabric, thanks to a group of scientists in Australia. They invented a way to clean garments with exposure to sunlight. The reaction is sped up using light to boost the transfer of elections needed to degrade organic matter. The Melbourne-based researchers embedded small particles of silver and copper in cotton. “When exposed to light, those tiny flecks released bursts of energy that degraded any organic matter on the fabric in a matter of minutes,” RMIT University in Melbourne doctor Rajesh Ramanathan told The Wall Street Journal. The particles are invisible to the naked eye and they stay put even when water is used to rinse the fabric. “There’s more work to do to before we can start throwing out our washing machines, but this advance lays a strong foundation for the future development of fully self-cleaning textiles.” The researchers, whose study is, published in the journal Advanced Materials Interfaces, grew three dimensional copper and silver nanostructures on cotton thread. The process took around 30 minutes for the metals to become firmly attached to the textiles, allowing them to be woven into the cotton fabric. It suggests that it would be possible for clothes to clean themselves even as they are being worn in everyday life. We still have a long way to go before we can swear off laundry for good. The team is currently testing stains like ketchup, and determining if the particles can eliminate strong odours. But if all goes well, you’ll soon be able to take laundry off your list of chores forever.