Rent-to-own News - Whirlpool steam washer wins IDEA Award

Whirlpool Corporation announced the Whirlpool brand Duet Steam Washer has won its fourth design accolade -- "The IDEA Silver Award" -- conferred by the Industrial Design Society of America (IDSA), and sponsored by BusinessWeek magazine.

In past months, the Whirlpool brand Duet Steam Washer won three other awards: "The Good Design Award," "The Spark Award" and "The Appliance Magazine Award." The Whirlpool brand Duet Steam Washer won "The IDEA Silver Award" for its fresh new look and next-generation cleaning technology in the Home Living category.

"The IDEA competition has been bringing well-deserved global attention to design since 1980. Among the world's premier design competitions, the IDEA winners represent the very best of the best," said IDSA Executive Director Frank Tyneski.

Charles L. Jones, vice president, Global Consumer Design, Whirlpool Corporation, added: "Whirlpool Corporation is delighted and honored to have won "The IDEA Silver Award" and to have received such important recognition for the design of the Whirlpool Duet Steam Washer.

The success of the award-winning Whirlpool Duet Washer, launched in 2001 and a winner of "The IDEA Gold Award" and "The BusinessWeek Catalyst Award," paved the way for this next-generation Duet Steam Washer.

Its redefined design has allowed Whirlpool Corporation to capture iconic features, such as the circular door and materials like aluminum, to maintain an authenticity of design that consumers want.

This fourth accolade offers further confirmation of Whirlpool Corporation's design leadership, based on a commitment to design and a firm belief that consumers increasingly seek out great design for their homes."

"The Whirlpool Duet Steam Washer was built to satisfy consumers' desire for clean aesthetics with a strong focus on usability and enabling advanced technology features," said Pam Rogers, Whirlpool Fabric Care Director. "Its unique selling point is its steam technology, which research showed to be the biggest attraction for consumers as it helps to deliver effective stain removal and improved cleaning performance."

The Whirlpool Duet Steam Washer is complemented by the Whirlpool Duet Steam Dryer, the industry's first steam dryer to offer the benefits of wrinkle release and odor removal where consumers expect and want it -- in the dryer. The Whirlpool Duet Steam Dryer was intentionally designed to visually complement Whirlpool Duet Steam Washer and, together, the two products form a complete fabric care system.

mevans@rtohq.org