History of the Washing Machine Timeline

During the nineteenth century, steam power was first used in washing-machine designs as inventors competed to develop labor-saving laundry equipment.

Throughout the nineteenth century, England established public washrooms for laundry alongside bathhouses, providing communal facilities for washing clothes.

The term laundromat can be found in newspapers as early as 1884, marking the emergence of a name for commercial self-service laundry facilities.

Electric washing machines were advertised and discussed in newspapers as early as 1904, signaling the beginning of their public commercial presence.

United States electric washing-machine sales reached 800,000 units in 1928, demonstrating substantial adoption before the Depression.

Laundromats were widespread by the time of the Depression, providing shared access to washing equipment during a period when household purchases declined.

High unemployment during the Depression reduced sales, and the number of washing-machine units shipped in the United States fell to about 600,000 in 1932.

By 1940, 60 percent of the 25 million electrically wired homes in the United States had an electric washing machine.

Research argued that the spread of household appliances during the twentieth century reduced labor required for household production and contributed to increased paid employment among married women.

From the latter part of the twentieth century, increasing attention was paid to washing-machine efficiency, with regulations enforcing some standards. Older federal standards before January 2011 did not limit unheated rinse-water consumption.

For a 3.5-kilogram load, the average Australian cycle including rinsing and spinning lengthened from 2011 to 2021 from 99 to 144 minutes for front-loaders and from 55 to 59 minutes for top-loaders.

Around 2012, eco-indicators were introduced that could predict energy demand from customer-selected programs and temperatures.

A study covering 23 European countries estimated an average of approximately 0.5 kilograms of carbon-dioxide equivalent per wash in 2014.

Between about 2015 and 2017, Samsung and LG Electronics offered stacked and optional washer configurations, while manufacturers added features such as mid-cycle loading, built-in sinks, and detergent dispensers.

At IFA 2017, Samsung released the QuickDrive, a front-loading washer with a single drum and a counter-rotating impeller mounted at the back of the drum.

Bendix Home Appliances, a subsidiary of Avco, introduced the first domestic automatic washing machine in 1937 and applied for a patent that year.

The Bendix Home Laundry Service Manual, published November 1, 1946, described a heavy-duty two-speed gearbox used to change drum speed.

General Electric introduced its first top-loading automatic washing-machine model in 1947.

Despite material shortages during the Korean War, automatic washing-machine sales in the United States exceeded sales of wringer-type electric machines by 1953.

One early automatic-washer design was invented in 1957 by Winston L. Shelton and Gresham N. Jennings, both then General Electric engineers.

Servis released the Selectronic 301 in 1976, described as the world's first microcontroller-operated washing machine.

Hotpoint UK became the second manufacturer to produce a microcontroller-based washing machine in 1980 with the Microtronic X2000, using a Texas Instruments TMS1000-family chip.

Fisher & Paykel first introduced this type of washing-machine motor in the Australasian market in 1991; such motors later supported high spin speeds and long warranties.

New Zealand-based Fisher & Paykel introduced its SmartDrive washing-machine line in Australasia in 1991, before entering the North American market around 1998.

Staber Industries released the System 2000 in 1994, identified as the only top-loading, horizontal-axis washer manufactured in the United States.

British inventor James Dyson launched the CR01 ContraRotator in 2000, using two cylinders rotating in opposite directions.

Whirlpool Corporation introduced the Calypso in 2001, the first top-loading vertical-axis high-efficiency washing machine.

Maytag introduced its top-loading Neptune TL FAV6800A and TL FAV9800A washers in 2003.

The CR02 launched in 2004 and became the first washing machine to gain the British Allergy Foundation Seal of Approval.

In 2006, Sanyo introduced a drum-type washing machine with an Air Wash function that used ozone as a disinfectant, described as a world first for home-use drum washer-dryers.