Abstract: A washing machine and a washing method, comprises an inner cylinder, an outer cylinder, and solid particles as a washing medium. The inner cylinder is driven into rotation by a driver unit. A side wall of the inner cylinder is spirally shaped and drives the particles into a spiral movement and flipping within the inner cylinder. When the inner cylinder is spinning, the screw thread drives the particles into flipping in all directions, back-and-forth and up-and-down, within the inner cylinder, thus allowing for increased mixing between clothes and the particles, for simplified washing process while also for improved cleaning rate, and for facilitated recycling of the particles.

Abstract: A washing machine and a washing method, comprises an inner cylinder, an outer cylinder, and solid particles as washing medium. The inner cylinder is driven into rotation by a driver device. The inner cylinder has arranged on the inner wall thereof scraper blades that protrude inwards and are bent along the wall of the inner cylinder. The scraper blades drives the particles into obliquely upward or obliquely downward movements and flipping, thus allowing for more fully mixing clothes with the particles, for simplified washing process, while also for improved cleaning rate, and for facilitated recycling of the particles.

Abstract: A washing/drying machine including a washtub, a feeding device for feeding water to the washtub, a draining device for draining water from the washtub, a tumbling drum, rotatably supported by a lateral axis in the washtub, having a plurality of holes through which air and water pass and an opening for introducing the washing, and a lid for closing the opening, a motor for rotating the drum at various speeds, a disc for agitating the washing, disposed in the drum adjacent to a flat end wall of the drum in parallel with the wall, a bearing device for rotatably bearing the disc, a fixing device for selectively fixing the disc, a device for supplying hot air to the drum, and a controller for controlling the fixing device to intermittently fix the disc against the rotation of the drum, and a controlling method thereof.