POD 5-21-2020 WH Wartime Ad for Laundromat Automatic Washer

[tomturbomatic]

WOW! What a blue kitchen! I am intrigued by the equal-size containers on the shelf behind the children. The containers are numbered 1 through 4. What is interesting about that is that Westinghouse ranges used to have their surface units numbered 1 through 4 in blue porcelain on the white porcelain cooktop and similar numbers beside the surface unit controls. I have not seen too many canister sets with equal sized canisters.

 

The housewares in the ad are beautiful.What do you suppose those dark blue counters were made of? The illustration is signed by Victor someone whose last name is blocked by the banner. His use of color is amazing. Back when pictures in magazines were painted by illustrators as opposed to being photographs the colors were deeper and more intense which is one of the joys of looking at old magazines.

 

Two references at the bottom are strictly from the war years.   The time for the program: 2:30 EWT and the mention of the Blue Network. Eastern War Time was a national Daylight Saving Time to help conserve electricity and was in effect from February, 1942 through September, 1945. The Blue Network was an interesting invention of early radio broadcasting when NBC had a Blue, Red and, on the west coast, an Orange Network that usually carried separate programs but could be combined for special events. You can find more information by Googling Blue Network.

 

[frigilux]

The mighty Westy slant-front (nearly) ready for launch. My, how washday would be altered over the next few years, what with every manufacturer working on the debut of their particular automatic. What an exciting time it must have been. Wouldn't be long before many homes had dishwashers, as well.

Countertops: My guess for the countertop behind them is linoleum. That doesn't appear to be the case with the one they're working at. All in the artist's eye, I guess.

The kids' aprons: So that's where the '80s got their shoulder pads, eh?

EWT: I learn something nearly every time I log in to AW. If this was the '50s we'd be a shoo-in for the Good Housekeeping Seal Of Approval, lol. Thanks, Tom!

 

[circlew]

I agree that the countertops are most likely linoleum, as that material was highly promoted for such uses. The color selection then was excellent, as evidenced by flooring catalogs of the time.

 

I see a yellow Hall China covered container on the counter. It looks like those that came with Westinghouse refrigerators & roaster ovens.

 

[seedub]

I chuckle each time a mfg in these P-O-D makes the statement: "(the machine) cleans itself and shuts itself off," as though there's some kind of high-tech process that happens at the end of the cycle, and not what actually happens - that the self-cleaning process goes on *as* the laundry is being cleaned.

 

[jeb]

seedub; I think this statement just reminds the housewife that after the laundry is done she doesn't have to hose out the tub and rinse tubs and remove the sediment under the agitator and unplug the machine like her old wringer washer. Not unlike the line "your hands never have to touch the waster" in some automatic ads.

 

[launderess]

That is correct

Part of drudgery with wash day by and or semi-automatic machines was the setting up of all those tubs and whatever. Then came cleaning up afterwards including washing out either stationary or tubs of semi-automatic washers.

When soap was queen of wash day either way you'd have muck, scum and other gross matter that needed to be removed from tubs. If allowed to dry it became not unlike what one sees in bathtubs or showers. A layer of crud that would contaminate next wash day.

 

[circlew]

Also, unless it was in a basement or other area with the floor sloped to a drain, mopping was likely needed.

 

[tomturbomatic]

For the excellent reasons listed above, that is why the "modern" HE machines that do not use as much water are not as self cleaning when used in poor laundering practices like cold water washing. Modern dishwashers can be the same way with too little water and too few water changes to successfully carry away the food waste.  Both situations have spurred the market for washing machine and dishwasher cleaners.

 

[moparwash]

The countertops are most likely Westinghouse Micarta

 

[tomturbomatic]

Great answer, just like GE kitchens used Textolite, their laminate product.

 

[cornutt]

Mopping up

That's why the floor in my maternal grandmother's laundry room (she would not buy an automatic) eventually rotted out.