What are your earliest and favorite appliance memories?
UPDATED 3/1/2022 -- I finally tracked down the washing machine of my childhood.
Grew up with a 1972 Sears Kenmore Heavy Duty belt-drive washing machine in the house (22611 series, non-suds model) -- white porcelain exterior with light off-white/cream background on the plastic control panel, dark brown background on cycle selector, with cycles demarcated by mustard-yellow lines and lettering/numbering, two-speed motor, three major cycles (Normal, Permanent Press, Delicate), standard dark-tan three-blade agitator (NOT the roto-swirl or adjustable), dark-granite-finish perforated basket, three basic water levels (LO-MED-HI), three wash/rinse water temperature selections (HW-WC-CC), dimpled chrome selector knobs, cycle knob was pull-to-select/push-to-start, timer advanced in 2-minute increments, deep-rinse cycle indicated by a dot (.) in each of the major cycles. The Permanent Press cycle had a bizarre 8-minute "Cool Down" cycle that ran exclusively in slow speed, spent the first 2 minutes draining half the water, then simultaneously agitating and refilling with cold water, then agitating for another 2 minutes, then repeating the whole process again before advancing to the extract/rinse cycle. Matching dryer looked nearly identical in detail, but wasnt nearly as interesting of a machine.
That Kenmore 22611 model was the reason I developed an obsession with automatic washing machines in early childhood. It was a hydro-electro-mechanical marvel to me; I spent hours upon hours (much to my mothers dismay) watching it run through every cycle and setting combination, memorizing every sound--the soothing "woo-woo" of the motor, the "buzz-click-clunk" and "zim-zim" of the spin cycle, and the rhythmic mouse-scratch-like sound and time-predictable pings and clicks of the cycle selector as it advanced through each 2-minute increment. I have never found another washing machine as complexly interesting as that one, or as good-looking as that models simple, sleek, purposeful design.
My grandparents on my mothers side had an identical washer/dryer set purchased the same year, but with an avocado green finish instead of white.
My grandmother on my fathers side had a 1960s Sears Kenmore 500 washer with a transparent plastic dial that had the cycle markings printed in reverse order from ours (the dial and all of its markings advanced instead of the pointer). It had a darker granite basket with a black, 4- or 5-blade (I believe?) agitator with a more rounded cap, and a standard (non-self-cleaning) water filter that water cycled through and poured back into the basket during agitation.
What is the history of appliances you have owned?
Under construction...
Have you ever worked on, repaired and/or restored any major appliances?
No; just always been fascinated by electromechanical automatic washing machines.
