KEY INFLUENCES ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF WASHING

By

Che Garibaldi

INTRODUCTION

A wealth of factors have influenced the trajectory of innovation and development in the washing machine industry.

The earliest impact on the evolution of washing can be attributed to the discovery of fire in prehistoric times, which enabled the heating of water for washing.

THE ROMANS

In Roman times, public laundries (‘fulleries’) first made an appearance.

Natural detergents, such as fuller’s earth, were used to remove grease from clothing, and urine and sulphur were used for bleaching.

Clothes were placed in large stone bowls and continually trodden on to release the dirt. (Procter & Gamble, 2009).

Modern washing machines still use this agitating action to clean clothes.

This knowledge was lost in the Middle Ages, as ‘bad water’ became associated with disease

However, the 19th Century discoveries of scientists such as Louis Pasteur established the ‘germ theory’ and washing and cleanliness were recognised as crucial to health (Procter & Gamble, 2009).

LATE 18TH CENTURY

Laundry was time-consuming and back-breaking work, often carried out in rivers or streams, and involved the use of sand, stones and clays to scrub and pound the clothes (Bobolicu, 2008).

Scrub boards had been invented in 1797 (Bellis, 2009) in a bid to make this task easier.

EARLY 19TH CENTURY

Development of new textiles rendered the scrubbing process too harsh, so large wooden tubs with paddles or fingers to automatically agitate the clothing were developed (Ament, 2005).

Early machines were initially hand operated, later making use of unreliable gasoline engines.

Water needed to be recycled to wash several loads of washing a day, so a fire needed to be lit underneath to keep the water warm. This led to machines being made from metal, rather than wood (Bobolicu, 2008).

THE AGE OF ELECTRICITY

In the early 1900s small electric motors started to be used.

This led to safety issues, as the motor was exposed to water dripping from the washtub above it, causing electric shocks to the operator (Ament, 2005).

The enclosed ‘cabinet’ design was then developed, using sheet metal, and later enameled steel, to surround the machines.

MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

The development of the washing machine relied on many technological and engineering developments, particularly over the 19th and 20th centuries.

Early machines were built using chains, belts, or gears to transfer power (Ament, 2005).

Many of the early firms to start producing electric washing machines were from the motor and aviation industries, which held this knowledge – e.g. Bendix Aviation Corporation.

THE WORLD WARS

WWI - The shortage of animal and vegetable fats, which had been the basis for soaps in previous times, forced research to be conducted into synthetic detergents.

WWII - washing machine production was suspended, but R&D continued, focusing on the development of automatic machines (Procter & Gamble, 2009).

ENVIRONMENTAL AWARENESS

The new environmental regulations in the 1970s led to the development of biodegradable synthetic detergents, building on the knowledge of detergents developed during WWI and WWII (Procter & Gamble, 2009).

Environmental concerns have had a huge impact on the industry in more recent years, and of course are the driving force behind the Xeros machine.

TEXTILES

More recently there has been another huge influence from the textile industry, as innovative synthetic and ‘smart’ fibres require gentler washing cycles and detergents.

THE FUTURE OF TECHNOLOGY

Microchips were installed in washing machines as early as the 1970s, and today some machines have USB ports or wireless internet connections.

This networking potential could enable the linking of white goods with an ‘intelligent energy grid’ enabling machines to turn themselves on at the cheapest energy rate, providing further scope for energy- and cost-efficiency.

REFERENCES Ament, P., (2005) Washing Machine. Available at

http://www.ideafinder.com/history/inventions/washmachine.htm [Accessed 11/01/2010]

Bellis, M., (2009) History of Washing Machines. Available at http://inventors.about.com/od/wstartinventions/a/washingmachines.htm [Accessed 11/01/2010]

Bobolicu, G., (2008) History of the Washing Machine. Available at http://gadgets.softpedia.com/news/History-of-the-Washing-Machine-031-01.html [Accessed 11/01/2010]

Procter & Gamble, (2009) The History of Washing. Available at http://www.scienceinthebox.com/en_UK/pdf/history-of-washing.pdf [Accessed 11/01/2010]