Twisty-Rinse Design Process

This responsible design project required us to address a major social issue, in this case, homelessness and then develop a product that could meaningfully support those affected.

After broad research, our team focused on homelessness in California, with a particular emphasis on hygiene. We discovered that while mobile shower services exist, individuals often have to return to unwashed clothing afterward. This insight led us to design a solution that enables homeless individuals to wash their clothes more easily, improving comfort, dignity, and overall wellbeing.

Hand-drawn sketch of a small wooden home laundry washer with labeled components: front-loading style, water inlet, door/lid, and a clothes closet.

Design Development

Hand-drawn sketch of a homemade washer with labeled parts, including a spout, handle, connecting to a spinner, and a submerged compartment for water
Hand-drawn diagram of a water filtration system showing a large container with a lid, a spindown that is labeled, a filter system, an aerator, and a spinnaker basin at the bottom.
Hand-drawn diagram of a layered device, labeled with components such as a screw bottom, a middle part, and a lid, with handwritten notes about assembly and parts.
Sketches and measurements of portal clothes washer
Hand-drawn diagram of a portable washer
Sketch of a protable washer
A drawing of two blue cylindrical water tanks with a handle and spigot, one standing upright and the other lying flat.

Final Design

Step-by-step illustrated guide for laundry process, showing loading clothes, adding detergent, rinsing, spinning, and folding.
Line drawing of a person sitting on a cushion, reaching into a container, with a drum nearby.
3D illustration of a turquoise hot water heater with pipes and a spigot on a plain background.
A disassembled green mechanical device, possibly a meat grinder or food processor, with various parts including a C-shaped handle, a vertical rod, a cylindrical chamber with perforations, and other components.