A lot of us do not think about when or where the washing machine or dryer was invented. It is just something we need and use every week. Early sea voyagers used to wash their wearable wares by throwing ‘em in a tethered bag and tossing them overboard to drag behind their ships. Lucky for us the first washing machine was invented in 1782 by H. Sidgier of Great Britain. The first mass marketed washing machine in the U.S. was called The Thor and used to use close to 50 gallons of water per wash. Today’s washers use almost 2/3 less water. The cost of an electric washer in the 1920s was $81.50.
Whether your dryer is gas or electric powered you can thank Pochon from France who created the hand-cranked version in the early 1800s. Although in 1936 the electric clothes dryer with patented manual wringers was still primarily used in homes throughout World War I and II. The dryer wasn’t a household item until the 1960s because they were too cost prohibitive. Thankfully, we have large capacity, energy efficient washers and dryers to use today.
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