When people first started washing their clothes, it was done
by pounding them against rocks and then washing away the
dirt in a stream or river. While on-board ships, the crew
used to put their dirty clothes in a cloth sack and tie a
rope around the top. They would then drop the bag overboard
and let the water agitate the clothes in the wake of the
ship. There is evidence that ancient laundry detergent was
made from the ashes of sacrificial animals in Rome. Other
soaps include the use of perfumes and lye.
Washing clothes by hand was one of the most difficult tasks
of housekeeping until the invention of the washer. It was
very tiring to the arms of the women and the lye often
caused burns. Women often hired out help with the laundry or
took it to a cleaner who used the same process.
It took many years for the washing machine to develop into
what most people are familiar with today. You can now find
machines that steam your clothes, wash in two different
fabric cycles within the same load, and those that use only
a few gallons of water. Advances in technology have
certainly brought about huge changes in washing machines and
their use.
Two Types of Hand Washers
In 1797, the very first washing machine of sorts was
invented. It was a scrub board. This allowed women to quit
pounding the laundry against a rock. In 1851, James King
invented the drum washing machine, but it was still a hand
powered washer. This machine used a hand powered spinner to
agitate the water.
Rotary/Spinning Washing
Machine
The first rotary washing machine was patented in 1858 by
Hamilton Smith. Less than 20 years later, in 1874, William
Blackstone presented his wife with a birthday present. It
was the first washer designed to get rid of dirt in clothes
by washing it away. He had made the machine convenient for
use in the home. However, most of these machines were made
of steel and had heavy, dirty lids. Some were actually made
with wooden tubs.
The Thor
The first completely electric washing machine was called The
Thor. The Hurley Machine Company, located in Chicago,
Illinois, introduced this machine in 1908. The washing
machines had an electric motor and a large, galvanized tub.
The washer was actually invented by Alva Fisher and a patent
was issued in 1910. One of the biggest problems with the
early electric machines was that the water would drip down
in to the electrical wiring and would result in shorts,
sparks, or shocks.
A Few Interesting Facts About Famous Washing Machine
Companies
In 1893, F.L. Maytag started a farm implement company. When
business seemed slow in the winter, he decided to add a
wooden tub washer in 1907. Soon, he began to make washing
machines full time and Maytag was born.
Whirlpool actually began in 1911 as Upton Machine Company.
Located in St. Joseph, Michigan, it started with the wringer
washer with an electric motor.
The Schulthess Group has been around over 150 years. They
started production of the first washers in 1909. They also
backed the inventions of a punched card control for those
washers in 1949. By 1951, the Schulthess Group started
producing Europe's automatic washers.
General Electric was the first company to actually produce a
washing machine that had five different push buttons. These
were used to control the water temperature, spin speed, and
the agitation speed. This was in 1957. This finally brought
the washing machine to something that resembles what the
world is used to today
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