What are your earliest and favorite appliance memories?
-mom had a 1953 Crosley Rollamatic, a semi-automatic. We lived in a tenement with no plumbing to accomodate an automatic. It had a big flange on top that fit into the opening for the tub. The tub was made of a rubber-like material called Resilloy. You had to fill it manually with a hose. It went through the agitation, then as it pumped out the vacuum of the water discharge collapsed the sides of the tub and mashed the clothes onto the agitator (the flange acted like a big cork - you couldnt open the lid when it was pumping out). At the end, youd hear a "shoomp" sound meaning that the vacuum was released. Effective, but clothes were a mess of wrinkles! You repeated the process for the rinse cycle. Mom used it until she got her first Kenmore TL around 1967. We never had a dryer until 1965, and my parents sold THAT with the house in 1993! I bought a General Electric "Mobile Maid" portable dishwasher in 1969 when I went to work, tired of hearing mom & my sister arguing over the dishes every night. It worked great, no repairs, and they sold that too with the house in 1993. Mom & dad also had a 1948 Westinghouse refrigerator, the exact same one that the Cunninghams had on "Happy Days". They got it at a discount when they were married because my aunt worked at a Westinghouse plant.
What is the history of appliances you have owned?
-Currently a GE TL and electric dryer, Whirlpool electric stove (smoothtop)and Whirlpool TF. Also BOL Frigidaire DW. Previous rental unit came equipped with Imperial gas cooktop and wall oven, 1960s vintage. I also have a 1940s Westinghouse Roaster-Oven, still works great! Also a 1940s Farberware percolator with chrome carafe, sugar bowl and creamer; finally a 1940s General Mills Tru-Heat dry iron.
Have you ever worked on, repaired and/or restored any major appliances?
