Richard Pashley, a professor of physical chemistry at the Australian National University in Canberra, has discovered that when tiny air “particles” are removed from water – a process known as “de-gassing” – the water lifts oily stains from the surface of clothes, allowing soap-free cleaning. Prof Pashley said that the technique was so effective that even the greasiest stains could be removed. “You can use de-gassed water to clean whatever you have dirtied. We even experimented with Vaseline. We cleaned it off completely. This is a new area of science – the mixing of oil and water. It could be a cleaning revolution.”