1950 Frigidare washer

[spaniel50]

I was reading the consumer reports testing of the early automatic washers and was surprised to see the Fridgidare washer was rated not acceptable because it tangled the clothes. My grandparents had an early 1950 Frigidare washer and dryer. They used them until they moved out of their home in the 1980's. They were very dependable and my grandmother loved them so much. I do not remember any problem with tangling the clothes but I do remember she was very particular how much was put in the washer and how the clothes were loaded in the washer. Is there any truth in the tangling story? My parents had a 1960's Frigidare Jet cone washer and matching dryer. They lasted until just a few years ago and again I don't remember any clothes tangling. What's the true story from you experts?

 

[laundryshark]

Properly Loading Any Washer

Reminds me of the 1950 TV ad for a Frigidaire washer, which is available in the "Videos" section of our Web site. Anyway, I can't speak for Frigidaires, but can generally say that clothes are less likely to come out of any washer all knotted up or tangled if they are loaded in a certain way, (and don't overload any machine). A general standard I use with our coin operated Whirlpools is no more than three fourths filled with clothes. They come out clean the first time and are less likely to come out twisted and tangled with one another.--Laundry Shark

 

[rocketeer500]

Don't know why she did that.....

But my mother would sort the clothes (colors and whites) by weight or "bulkiness"; the heavier items on the bottom first, then the lighter items on top. She would never overload the machine. She'd do an extra load or wait until there were more items later to make up a full (3/4 tub) load. All of the wash would come out fine and there was no issue of torn or ripped items, and the machine didn't dance around the laundry room.

I always thought this very curious as the agitator would mix up all of the nice sorting anyways, right? Well, when I first moved out and was doing my laundry myself, I didn't do the pre-sorting; just threw as much into a coin machine as I could (at that time, it'd cost 50 cents for a washer, so it was either: do laundry or buy a pack of smokes). I found the hard way that by overfilling and not pre-sorting, the heavy items would tend to twist and knot, which would cause other items in the wash to become tangled and rip at the seams or at the most-worn areas.

Since I use a front loader now, I don't worry about the sorting issue, as I don't have an agitator to contend with, but I don't like overfilling, as the machine tends to "walk around" or vibrate like a frieght train. So, there may be some truth with Consumer Reports in the early top loaders.

 

[laundryshark]

Makes Sense to Me

Your mother's laundering method sounds like what I do on a routine basis. Definitely makes for successfully washed loads.--Laundry Shark