The first English patent under the category of Washing
machines was issued in 1791. A drawing of an early washing machine appeared in
the January 1752 issue of The Gentlemen's Magazine, a British publication.
Jacob Christian Schäffer's washing machine design was published 1767 in
Germany. In 1782, Henry Sidgier issued a British patent for a rotating drum
washer, and in the 1790s Edward Beetham sold numerous "patent washing
mills" in England.One of the first innovations in washing machine
technology was the use of enclosed containers or basins that had grooves,
fingers, or paddles to help with the scrubbing and rubbing of the clothes. The
person using the washer would use a stick to press and rotate the clothes along
the textured sides of the basin or container, agitating the clothes to remove
dirt and mud. This crude agitator technology was hand-powered, but still more
effective than actually hand-washing the clothes.
More advancements were made to washing machine technology in
the form of the rotating drum design. Basically, these early design patents
consisted of a drum washer that was hand-cranked to make the wooden drums
rotate. While the technology was simple enough, it was a milestone in the
history of washing machines, as it introduced the idea of "powered"
washing drums. As metal drums started to replace the traditional wooden drums,
it allowed for the drum to turn above an open fire or an enclosed fire chamber,
raising the water temperature for more effective washes.
It would not be until the 19th century when steam power
would be used in washing machine designs.
In 1862, a patented "compound rotary washing machine,
with rollers for wringing or mangling" by Richard Lansdale of Pendleton,
Manchester, was shown at the 1862 London Exhibition.
The first United States Patent titled "Clothes
Washing" was granted to Nathaniel Briggs of New Hampshire in 1797. Because
of the Patent Office fire in 1836, no description of the device survives.
Invention of a washing machine is also attributed to Watervliet Shaker Village,
as a patent was issued to an Amos Larcom of Watervliet, New York, in 1829, but
it is not certain that Larcom was a Shaker. A device that combined a washing
machine with a wringer mechanism did not appear until 1843, when Canadian John
E. Turnbull of Saint John, New Brunswick patented a "Clothes Washer With
Wringer Rolls." During the 1850s, Nicholas Bennett from the Mount Lebanon
Shaker Society at New Lebanon, New York, invented a "wash mill", but
in 1858 he assigned the patent to David Parker of the Canterbury Shaker
Village, where it was registered as the "Improved Washing Machine".
Margaret Colvin invented the Triumph Rotary Washer, which
was exhibited in the Women's Pavilion at the Centennial International
Exhibition of 1876 in Philadelphia. At the same Exhibition, the Shakers won a
gold medal for their machine.
A 1876 advertisement published in Argentina.
Electric washing machines were advertised and discussed in
newspapers as early as 1904. Alva J. Fisher has been incorrectly credited with
the invention of the electric washer. The US Patent Office shows at least one
patent issued before Fisher's US patent number 966677 (e.g. Woodrow's US patent
number 921195). The "inventor" of the electric washing machine
remains unknown.
US electric washing machine sales reached 913,000 units in
1928. However, high unemployment rates in the Depression years reduced sales;
by 1932 the number of units shipped was down to about 600,000.
It is presumed that the first laundromat opened in Fort Worth,
Texas in 1934.[dubious ..discuss] It was run by Andrew Clein. Patrons used
coin-in-the-slot facilities to rent washing machines. The term
"laundromat" can be found in newspapers as early as 1884 and they
were widespread during the Depression. England established public wash rooms
for laundry along with bath houses throughout the 19th century.
Washer design improved during the 1930s. The mechanism was
now enclosed within a cabinet, and more attention was paid to electrical and
mechanical safety. Spin dryers were introduced to replace the dangerous power
mangle
By 1940, 60% of the 25,000,000 wired homes in the United
States had an electric washing machine. Many of these machines featured a power
wringer, although built-in spin dryers were not uncommon.
