History of the Washing Machine
Most people don’t give it a second thought as to how much labour went into hand washing laundry. The invention of the washing machine saves much time and effort, as other tasks can be done while a cycle completes without supervision. Through the years it has taken on many shapes and sizes, as well as different levels of effort.
Some of the old fashioned methods of washing clothes included soaking it in a tub and trampling it with bare feet. Rubbing the cloth together by hand was another way. A washing bat, or a stick, could also be used when at the river side, to move the cloth around in the water and to beat the dirt out of it. Hitting the material was called possing, of which there were different styles.
In 1797 the first washing “machine” was devised. It was simply a scrubbing board over which the clothes where rubbed in order to get the dirt out. This was certainly an upgrade on having to rub each part of the cloth by hand. James King, an American, was the first to patent a washing machine that used a drum in 1851. It resembled the modern machine, but was powered by hand.
Hamilton Smith was the first to patent a rotary design in 1858. William Blackstone built a washing machine for his wife as a birthday present in 1874. In 1908 the Thor washing machine was introduced. It was the first machine that was powered by electricity. Alva J. Fisher designed it to work with an electric motor and a galvanised tub. His patent for it was issued on the 9th of August, 1910.
There are some washing machine companies whose business started in the early 1900’s. F.L. Maytag brought in a washing machine with a wooden tub in 1907. Although his main business was in the building of farm implements, he soon dedicated his occupation to the making of the washing machines. In 1911 the Whirlpool Corporation was established in Michigan. They produced wringer washers that were electric motor driven.
The Schulthess Group started producing their first machines in 1909. In 1949 they supported the innovation of punch card control for the washing machines. Europe’s first automatic washing machines were produced in 1951, and by 1978 they were micro-chip controlled.
Now the washing machine is an appliance which can be found in virtually every home. Some washers have special functions for certain types of materials, and its programming can get complex, as it all functions digitally. Its technology is still advancing as engineers try to improve the machine’s performance, efficiency as well as water and energy economising. Thankfully the washing machine was invented to save the one doing it, time and effort.