Self Correction
Was saying that 10 minute wash times were the norm in the machines of the 50's , citing Frigidaire and Maytag. Then on my bike ride with an brisk autumn air-cooled head, I remembered that the early Whirlpools had 20 minute washes as does Robert's '47 GE. So there goes my 10 minute warrrrsh theory. **chuckle**
In another realm, the automatic timers on the wringers I've had are as follows
Speed Queen 8 !!!!!!! pretty darn brief
Visi-Matic 20 (5 bonus minutes, unmarked between 20 and HOLD)
Norge "Heavy," no minutes listed, just soil levels, but it's 9, 10, or 11--I forget which
Easy Spin 20 (Not automatic, just a chime)
And the Hoover, of course, at 4
So I guess the wash time was whatever they damn well pleased ;'D. Would it be a fun thread to let everyone give the time ranges on their machines. That way we could find a normative range and a mean, medium, and mode for the number lovers among us. Calling Eugene Frigilux.