Introduction
The washing machine was the first electronic appliance to automate the process of cleaning dirty linens and clothes domestically.
Mechanically they work by producing a physical rotation energy, combined with a thermal energy produced by the temperature of the drum, a water and chemical solution is also supplied.
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Introduction cont...
The disadvantage of using water compared to a commercial dry cleaning service, is the wear and tear it increases on the fabric, shrinkage is also an issue.
Hand washing has always been a laborious task, therefore it's probably no surprise mechanical devices have been created for thousands of years to cut down on the toilsome effort.
Electrically powered washing appliances began to appear in the US by the 1900's, but were only sold widespread by the late 1920's. It took until the 1950's for the UK to catch up, which was largely due to the economical impact of WW2.
However, unlike the US consumer, which was purchasing fully automatic machines (wash and spin dry) by the 1940's. The washing machines sold in the UK from the 1950-60's were fairly basic.
Only by the 1970's did fully automatic wash and spin drying machines become the norm in the UK. At the same time electronic rather than mechanical control of the motor speed was introduced.
During the last decade there has been quite a few attempts to improves upon the single cylinder rotating drum. Most notably from Dyson, who released a twin cylinder drum, with each cylinder rotated in an opposite direction.
The machine failed to sell in large numbers however, and was removed from production. Due to increasing worldwide energy costs, the new frontier for manufacturers is energy efficiency. A university in the UK even managed to develop a prototype which used a single cup of water per cycle.
Other Sources: Cookers, Freezer, Fridges, Microwave Ovens
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