Cleans whiter than white

Ewww! A washing-machine-and-toilet combo

Responding to the challenge laid down by MySpace legend Mrs Clayton [sadly no longer there] to write a blog about washing machines, here's my humble contribution...

Ten "Interesting" Things About The History Of Washing Machines

• Evidence of ancient washing soap was found at Sapo Hill in Rome, where the ashes containing the fat of sacrificial animals was used as a soap.
• In Roman times a fuller would whiten clothing by treading on it in a bucket full of fermented urine.
• The earliest washing "machine" was the washboard, invented in 1797.
• Lonnie Donegan became famous in the 1950s for playing skiffle (which included a washboard) with hits such as Does Your Chewing Gum Lose Its Flavour and Rock Island Line.
• The use of soap for washing increased throughout the second half of the nineteenth century after the tax on it was abolished in 1853. Washing was generally done with a "dolly", or pole with bars attached to the end for agitating the clothes in a bucket or "possing-tub".
• The earliest hand-driven washing machines were constructed entirely from wood, later machines made of metal permitted a fire to burn below the washtub, to keep the water warm throughout the day's washing.
• The first electric-powered washing machine was "The Thor", with a galvanized tub and an electric motor, invented by Alva J. Fisher of Chicago in 1908.
• Hotpoint, founded in 1911, made around 800,000 washing machines in 2007 in their factory at Bodelwyddan in Clwyd, North Wales.
• Servis, a company that provided washing machines on hire as well as to buy [I know, my mother rented her precious twin-tub from them], produced the first washing machine to be controlled by a microchip.
• The most famous song that features a brand of washing machine in its lyrics is Greased Lightning from Grease. All Miele washing machines work on the Hydromatic system where specially designed drum ribs with fins scoop up the water and carry it to the top of the drum, before releasing it onto the laundry from above, ensuring efficient soaking.

Less well known is this fitting tribute...

Sikk - My Washing Machine

The Washing Machine Museum