philr
Well-known member
I agree that top loaders can be more dangerous if a kid is left sitting at the top of the dryer to see the washer operating (my parents and my aunts showed me their washers while they were operating when I was a kid, but without their help and supervision, I couldn't access to the top of the washer!). But I like the idea of having the controls and lid inaccessible to unsupervised children.
When I was a kid, my father pressed on the lid safety switch of his Inglis BD washer with a spoon to let me see it spinning but he was supervising me while doing that! Also, I often asked my parents to show me the controls on their range because I couldn't reach them by myself!
My father allowed me to turn on the fluorescent light which had no starter so I had to hold the button for a few seconds (it took quite a few times before I got it!). When I was a bit older, I was also able to reach the door safety switch on my parent's bottom-hinged Inglis dryer quickly enough that it wouldn't stop if it was already running. That probably explains the number of heating element failures on this dryer (there was no drum light in the dryer but the elements would glow at the back of the dryer after the door was opened a few seconds and the air circulation stopped!).
At least, I never did dangerous things like my cousin who dried her cat in the dryer after it fell in water! I think her mother noticed it quickly enough so the cat wasn't hurt (I wasn't born then) but this must have been a bad day for the poor cat!
Now, we're back in the mid-1950's again as many new ranges and clothes washers have their controls accessible to kids at the front. Who knows what would have happened if I could have reached these controls by myself when I was a kid. I'm sure I would have been able to turn on a few red lights on the range while my parents were not supervising!
When I was a kid, my father pressed on the lid safety switch of his Inglis BD washer with a spoon to let me see it spinning but he was supervising me while doing that! Also, I often asked my parents to show me the controls on their range because I couldn't reach them by myself!
My father allowed me to turn on the fluorescent light which had no starter so I had to hold the button for a few seconds (it took quite a few times before I got it!). When I was a bit older, I was also able to reach the door safety switch on my parent's bottom-hinged Inglis dryer quickly enough that it wouldn't stop if it was already running. That probably explains the number of heating element failures on this dryer (there was no drum light in the dryer but the elements would glow at the back of the dryer after the door was opened a few seconds and the air circulation stopped!).
At least, I never did dangerous things like my cousin who dried her cat in the dryer after it fell in water! I think her mother noticed it quickly enough so the cat wasn't hurt (I wasn't born then) but this must have been a bad day for the poor cat!
Now, we're back in the mid-1950's again as many new ranges and clothes washers have their controls accessible to kids at the front. Who knows what would have happened if I could have reached these controls by myself when I was a kid. I'm sure I would have been able to turn on a few red lights on the range while my parents were not supervising!
