Childhood washers....
Dads parents-
This grandma was my favorite. She used to let me vacuum and play with different stuff to my hearts content. She noticed me one day sitting on a box staring silently into the window of the washer, which was RARE for me as I was NEVER silent EVER! Gram went out an bought me a little green stepstool so I could pull up and sit and watch the whole process from start to finish. Most of my fondest washer memorie were in her basement quietly watching that Laundromat. I miss that lady so.. However, my gram was very frugal, used the cheap Amway powder that came in the huge barrel, which I believe smelled like lemons, and used the very CHEAP pink fabric softner. There was plenty of "Revolving Agitator" action, but NEVER any suds to speak of...
Her washer then was I was very young was a 1963 Westinghouse Laundromat LBB-30 and matching electric dryer. It wasn't the program computer model, but one down from it I believe. I used to watch that thing for HOURS. There is a pic of the day with the lady having money thrown out at her, into her apron. That was the machine, or was VERY close to it.Up at the cottage, on the back porch she had her earlier Maytag Master Wringer with a pump red agitator, release bar and the fancy Maytag insignia on the front. Helping her open up the place one year I believe 1988-89, we were washing up all the blankets and sheets, pillowcases, towels all the things that were stored there over the winter. Towards the end of the wash, doing up a thick blanket; I ended up putting my hand thru the wringer almost to the knuckel's. It hurt like hell, but suprisingly no bones were badly broken, if at all. The doctors gave me a perscription and put my hand in a brace type of thing. The rest of that two weeks was really not that bad, but anytime I tried to use my right hand, it throbbed like a SOB...LOL Her next set came before the wringer incident. She ended up buying a 1983 Maytag Fabric Matic Extra Large Capacity set. I came to her house one Friday in the first grade on one of my weekend to be with my dad, and my beloved Laundromats were gone, replaced by these almond right dial boring makers. The dryer finally died in 2004 and she passed in 2006. My youngest cousin, who is a new mommy has grams old Fabric matic washer. It still churns away in her apartment...(She has a hookup)
Moms parents- Had an early 70's set of Lady Kenmores. In fact there was one just found in white like hers ( the washer) in a recent thread. I was NEVER permitted to look at, or fool with them tho. My gram bought herself a new Maytag Fabric matic pair in 1979 when my mother did, and has the washer still. The dryer is a newer Norgetag Performa thing.
My mother- We had a Maytag Fabric Matic set MOL that my folks bought in 1979 from J.W. Knapps in Lansing Michigan. Those lasted thru some pretty rough times for my family, including many basement floods, several timer rebuilds and so forth until 1990 or 91, when the washer and dryer were replaced by a cheap White Westinghouse set. We had moved from the first house, and our new place was in the country. ( Of course we had well water at the time, and the tub turned orange on it's maiden wash we left that washer and dryer in that house.
No one cried...
We lived in an apartment then for a few years, and in the basement of the place were several old Filter FLo's half of which were missing their filter pans.Our next house (my most favorite) of all our houses came with a late 1960's Whirlpool set that had the controls all on one side in the little box. The rest of the panel was a shorter metal thing. There was a POD of a Brastemp recently that had an close looking machine to our set. That was the pair that the dryer caught on fire when we were not home drying a load of towels from the pool party we had the night before. It ruined our laundryroom, and what was beneath it in the basement, not to metnion smoke damage everywhere...Those were replaced thankfully when my great grandmother went into a home just a few months later (we went to the laundrymat during that time we were rebuilding the laundry and renovating the house) with her TOL Right Dial Maytags in that same boring beige color. Great Gram had bought those in 1988. By then I had come to appreciate the Maytag sound and washing ability by then. I loiked those machines quite alot. Those Maytags lasted utnil just recently. Imagine my suprise when I came home to do some laundry one weekend ( as I now am an apartment dweller for the time being, and my Frigidaire front loaders are in storage)...she had a BRAND NEW WASHER and DRYER!!
When I flipped on the overhead flourescent lights I about cried....She now has a new Whirltag washer and dryer the Maytag Centennial series. BLAH... When i asked her why..she said that the old one smelled funny and I just wanted new...I need to get my own place back. At least I can see clothes sloshing over and over again with my own washer...
Most aunts and uncles had BOL or MOL Kenmroe sets. and I do not remember seeing many of them growing up. I was usually looking for their vacuum cleaners. Washers were merely incidental at the time.I do rememebr my nice friend and neighbor Mrs. Wright at the first house having a mid 60's GE Filter Flo set with a lighted backgaurd. The set that I found in Detroit a few weeks back, was the identical match to what she had. So I assume she got hr set in 1965-66 or so...There are a few more machines that I remember, but arent; anything fun or to whrite home about. In Michigan, you either had Maytag, Whirlpool General Electric or Sears Kenmore it seems.
Chad
