To celebrate the 65th birthday of V-ZUG’s pioneering Adora washing machine, we caught up with the people steering the product’s direction back in Switzerland, and a local Australian convert.

What do you associate with the word ‘laundry’? No doubt for many people the next word that comes to mind is ‘chore’ or maybe even ‘bore’. But ask an Adora user and you’ll hear words like ‘trust’, ‘belief’, ‘care’ and ‘clever’.

“I had never heard this before in my product management career,” says Karin Meister, V-ZUG’s Head of Global Product Management Textile Care, remembering her first encounters with users when she joined the company six years ago. “When I talk to customers who have an Adora, often they’re so in love – there is no better word. They trust the Adora, like a hard-working family member, to always have a solution for their textile issues.”

For her colleague Petra Schnueriger, who as Global Product Manager works closely with V-ZUG’s designers and engineers to keep the Adora at the forefront of the sector, this enthusiasm came as no surprise.

“When I was a kid we had an Adora at home, and this was special. I remember being young and going to the basement, standing in front of the machine, looking inside and I was just impressed by it.”

That same machine served her family for a good 20+ years, and if that sounds remarkable, well, there are some Adora’s still going strong after 60 years.

Together Meister and Schnueriger, as the range’s current custodians, are responsible for continuing its reputation for excellence in Switzerland and beyond. They agree that customer experiences and comments like these reflect V-ZUG’s unwavering commitment to innovation to deliver maximum convenience and efficiency for its customers, by focusing on fabric care rather than just cleaning.

These days when Schnueriger looks inside an Adora she can tell you that there are 14,000 holes in the drum which provide maximum suds with minimal use of detergents, and ensure optimal draining to remove all residue which then leaves clothes soft without the need for fabric softener. And that surrounding the drum is the unique Vibration Absorption System which results in less wear and tear on parts, as well as a quieter machine. 

Product longevity and resource reduction are at the heart of V-ZUG’s sustainability approach and the Adora’s heat pump dryer is the most energy efficient in the world – indeed there aren’t enough stars on the energy labels in Australia to accurately reflect its performance.

Taking advantage of these features and more is local Adora fan, Cassie Flinn, whose recent renovation of her Port Douglas home included a utility room make-over that was designed around her existing Adora washing machine and dryer. As a big user of the Steam AntiCrease function to save on ironing, she incorporated a generous drying rack for hanging business shirts. And as the laundry is tucked into an open nook that is visible from other areas of the home, she matched the minimalist aesthetics of the Adora with a muted palette and ample floor-to-ceiling cabinetry to hide away the clutter that her sporty, busy family leave in the space on their way through the door.

Durability and sustainability were important factors for Flinn in choosing V-ZUG. The washer and dryer were previously housed in what Flinn describes as “a very open outdoor laundry” at their former home, and despite exposure to salt and other elements they still look as good as when she purchased them. With their new home using solar power, they have referred to the machine’s eco management function, which shows how much energy and water are being consumed, to then program the timer for optimal energy use. “I can just set and forget at night before I go to bed.”

These conveniences and features she had expected from V-ZUG – what she hadn’t anticipated was just how forgiving the Adora would be on their clothes.

“The way that they care for your clothes and they come out feeling like they’ve been professionally dry-cleaned – it’s clever. And the way that that drum is designed that you get really maximum impact from the detergent with such a small amount of it, which is not only cost effective, but it’s also a benefit for the clothes. You’re not overwhelming the fabrics with too much chemical product.”

Her favourite thing about the Adora is its reliability. “I believe in it because of what it’s done for me, and that reassurance is great. I’ve always been a believer that you get what you pay for. So the price tag isn’t necessarily for everyone, I understand that. But the longevity of what the machine has been able to provide for us, and the cost per use, is outstanding.”

Back in Switzerland, Meister and Schnueriger are busy developing future iterations of the Adora, mapped to their market research of what the next generation of users might want. This has even seen them wash a member of their team’s beaded wedding gown using the WetClean program. Meister says the engineering division are her key collaborators, and that they are always up for translating a concept to reality.

“They take it like a challenge and sometimes they say ‘Okay, we can’t answer that right now, give us time’, but I know that they will solve it and this is what makes me so proud, that the engineers are willing and eager to find a solution.”

For her part, Schnueriger says that beyond functionality she sees a future where seamless integration and sustainability are key.

“I suspect that the design of laundry room appliances will increasingly develop into a piece of furniture. So washing machines will no longer be in the basement or in a storage room, but increasingly incorporated into bathrooms or kitchens – this then requires a focus on the noise level of the appliances. And sustainability will also continue to be important. So who knows? Maybe in the future, we will need much less water or chemicals – or indeed any – to do our laundry. In my eyes, this would be great.”

For more go to vzug.com/au.