Pre-war automatics

[classiccaprice]

So, imagine it's 1941, your well off and you decide to buy an automatic washer and clothes dryer? What are your options? Do they match?

I know Bendix, Westinghouse and Blackstone all had prewar automatic washers. Did anyone else?

 

[launderess]

Don't believe there were many automatics by 1941. Bendix and few others, but market was still heavily dominated by semi-automatics (wringer and twin tub) washers.

FDR issued the call for America to be an "arsenal of democracy in late part of 1941. As such nation's manufacturers responded by ceasing production of consumer goods, and began tooling up for war production. Once entry of US into WWII was official production of non war goods (including appliances) was limited (rationing) if not stopped for duration.

http://gdonna.com/living-like-the-past/laundry-during-the-1930s-and-1940s/

IIRC manufacturers could still invest in R&D for new products and machines, hence the boom in all sorts of appliances that came in post WWII years.

If you can find copy of Consumers Union (eventually became Consumers Reports), from 1940 and 1941, should likely find details on what laundry appliances were on offer.

 

[bradfordwhite]

If you were "well off" you most likely had servants or a service to do the laundry.

 

[launderess]

Once war effort began in earnest

Servants of all sorts often became difficult to find. War work opened up tons of jobs for women. Far more exciting going to work in a factory or something than cleaning someone's home.

Women also were joining WACS, WAVES, and other forces, nursing corps, etc...

Men of course were either being drafted or signed up.

Actually WWII time was one of last big hey days for laundry services. With so many women working outside the home, servants (including laundresses), hard to find, and new (or old) washing machines, ditto, sending things out to laundry seemed easiest option.

Feminists often complain that post WWII boom years that saw huge push of women to return back into homes, also saddled them again with laundry duty. Sure all the new automatic washing machines, tumble dryers, and even ironers made job easier than say using wringer washer, but they didn't load and unload themselves.

Maytag and other manufacturers ran adverts for duration of WWII and bit after telling housewives and others they should be "patient" waiting for new washers to be available. This and via adverts and other means those with washing machines (along with other appliances) were asked (or told) to take care of what they had to keep it going for duration.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/223465058975?hash=item34078e329f:g:0sQAAOSw9GhYmiAN

https://www.ebay.com/itm/363643147500?hash=item54aad214ec:g:UbcAAOSwN35c1QO3

Thing also to remember is while majority of homes wired for electricity by 1941 had some sort of washing machine, there were still many areas of USA that were off grid so to speak. Many didn't have indoor plumbing, central heating/hot water, and rest of what was needed for an automatic washing machine. That would have depressed sales. Semi automatics could be another matter.

It wouldn't be until the major infrastructure build out of post WWII era that electricity came to many rural areas of country.

Other worry for automatics was the housing shortage, and fact many lived in urban areas in multifamily housing. The post WWII rush to suburbs with new homes that had all mod cons was a boon for appliance sales.

Maytag's first automatic washing machine was launched in 1949.

Whirlpool (then still 1900 Corporation) launched their first fully automatic washing machine in 1948.

https://www.whirlpoolcorp.com/wp-content/uploads/history_100years_factsheet.pdf

General Electric came out with AW6, their first fully automatic washing machine in 1947. https://www.automaticwasher.org/cgi-bin/TD/TD-VIEWTHREAD.cgi?4484

So we see none of the "big three" had fully automatic washing machines prior to WWII.

Bendix started selling their fully automatic washer in 1937, but by 1941 they were only in < 2% of American homes.

https://evolutionhomeappliances.weebly.com/washing-machines-mid-20th-century-automatic.html

 

[turquoisedude]

There were rumours of a Canadian-built Beatty automatic washer that was around in 1940. I have only ever seen an archive picture of the machine being demonstrated at some kind of a convention in Atlanta, Georgia - if the machine made it into production, it wasn't made for long as Beatty jumped to wartime production. It was well into the 1950s before the Beatty Brothers factory in Ontario actually made a name for themselves building automatics for the Canadian market.

 

[bradfordwhite]

Laundress, thanks for the info. 

 

He did say PRE-war.

 

Why one is specifically concerned about that <span style="text-decoration: underline;">particular point</span> in time.....?  Whatever.  1977 would be more interesting to me.

 

[tomturbomatic]

RE Reply #5

Maybe it depends on your age and appreciation of history. I remember the machines mentioned. I have seen them in homes and I have seen ads for them in magazines. I knew the people who owned them. I was too young to do more than look and ask to be lifted up to look inside, etc. I wish that I knew how to read when mom's home economist friend came by the house and tried to convince her to buy a Duomatic. She had the book open, but I could not read yet and I knew better than to touch a book without permission. There were a lot of really neat independent engineering ideas in the late 30s and early 40s, but most of that vanished when inventors and engineers got defense jobs and never returned to their abandoned workshops.

 

[classiccaprice]

Its more I'm curious what automatic washers were available just before the war. Just doing a little research and was curious. I appreciate the "firsts" info Launderess, that may come in handy later.

 

[lotsosudz]

A hundred years of history

Before they bastardized, and destroyed all the quality, they ever stood for! They wull never produce a product, I would stand behind ever again!
Hugs
David

 

[launderess]

"Its more I'm curious what automatic washers were available just before the war."

Ok then, short answer to your query is nil to none... Bendix and maybe one or two smaller outfits (cannot find mention anywhere in off cuff research), but that was far as things went automatic washing machine wise in US market.

Bendix tied up a number of patents, not just for H-axis washing machines but other bits you need for a fully automatic washing machine.

One of largest issues of course were timers. That device is the brains of any automatic washing machine, and without you've got nothing more than semi. You also need transmissions and motors that (hopefully) would be permanently self lubricating, out of balance sensors/devices, pumps....

By timers one means the whole thing, cams, motors, etc... everything we associate with fully automatic washing machines seen say post WWII.

https://patents.google.com/patent/US2561348A/en

https://www.freepatentsonline.com/2563738.html

You also needed "spin drying" capability, something patents early as late 1930's claim to have sorted.

https://www.casemine.com/judgement/us/5914c9f1add7b049347f6768

These and other bits were clearly being worked on by various manufacturers, inventors and others all in aim of coming up with fully automatic washing machines.

Bendix shook things up with their front loader that was fully automatic, just as in similar way semi-automatics with spin driers instead of mangles.

There was a steady drum beat from consumer groups, women's publications by say middle to late 1930's condemning power wringer washers. But many women didn't warm to twin tubs, and couldn't have a Bendix because they needed bolting to solid foundation.

 

[launderess]

Other part of puzzle was what one has already stated, huge numbers of American homes lacked electricity, indoor plumbing, central heating and hot water even late as 1940.

Without proper plumbing (including water coming out of taps at proper pressure), and electricity fully automatic washing machines were useless.

https://livinghistoryfarm.org/farminginthe40s/life_26.html

https://www.aceee.org/files/proceedings/2004/data/papers/SS04_Panel1_Paper17.pdf

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rural_Electrification_Act

There was also something else going on...

Makers of washing machines of all sorts were in battle against two forces, laundresses and commercial laundries.

Laundry for centuries was one of the first household chores anyone who could afford either sent out, or hired someone else to do it.

From huge steam laundries to "French Hand Laundries" there was quite a market going after household's laundry. These services in turn picked on laundresses as "ignorant" "dangerous", "lazy", etc.... Owners of laundries were politically active enough to get local laws passed basically outlawing what had been a common practice for ages; women taking in washing done in their private homes).

With spread of electricity and arrival of washing machines (semi automatic or whatever), by 1930's makers of washers began a PR campaign of their own to sell product. They preyed upon a housewife's fears of disease and contagion to get her to do laundry in her own home. Besides it was "free labor". Well it wasn't but no one thought much of women's time and so forth back then anyway.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/loca...7eccc6-d54c-11e3-95d3-3bcd77cd4e11_story.html

So you see there isn't just one answer to your query, a coming together of various forces brought about invention then wide spread adoption of fully automatic washing machines.

In contrast semi-automatic and even doing wash still by hand dominated large parts of Europe post WWII well into 1950's or beyond.

 

[circlew]

My grandparent's home in rural southern Mississippi didn't get electricity until around 1948, and at that time an electric water pump was installed. My mom spoke of her mother doing laundry up until that time in wash tubs, and a big iron cauldron (witch's pot) if it needed boiling. They got a GE wringer machine as soon as the facilities were available to run it, but water still had to be heated on the stove, as no water heater was installed until the late 60's.

 

[tomturbomatic]

I don't know the purpose of your research, but true research involves going to primary sources. Launderess's information is correct, but without citations to title, volume, number and page of print resources describing or discussing brands and model numbers, it's not going to be accepted by any reputable publication or historical organization. You need to use a large research or public library, find the back issues of consumer testing and shelter magazines from the late 30s into 1942 to get the information you desire, then check the indexes for the following years to look for followup information. The positive side of this is that if you like to read, it is enjoyable research.

 

[classiccaprice]

It's more informal than anything. Curiosity if another manufacturer had an automatic before the war other than Bendix, Westinghouse, Blackstone and potentially Beatty now.

 

[classiccaprice]

I appreciate all the assistance.

 

[kd12]

Jacobs Launderall

Curious if anyone knows whether Jacobs started before the war. The earliest mention I can find for their Launderall is 1947, but the machine design really has a pre-war look to it, like a Bendix.

 

[foraloysius]

Here's an old thread about a pre-war Westinghouse:

https://www.automaticwasher.org/cgi-bin/TD/TD-VIEWTHREAD.cgi?57349

 

[petek]

Being as Westinghouse was the fiercest over all competitor of General Electric for decades into the 1940's and 50's where were they in the laundry fray? Anywhere, nowhere?

 

[launderess]

Like nearly everyone and their mother, yes Westinghouse had washing machines pre-WWII era.

https://www.automaticwasher.org/cgi-bin/TD/TD-VIEWTHREAD.cgi?80723

In 1939 North Carolina a Westinghouse wringer washer new set you back a whopping $59.95 USD

Old thread from archives showing what was on appliance market in 1939:

https://www.automaticwasher.org/cgi-bin/TD/TD-VIEWTHREAD.cgi?15720

Back to Westinghouse...

Bit from link posted above by Moi..

"Westinghouse began touting the features of automatic washers and building demand in 1944, before it even had machines to sell. It had test-marketed the “Laundromat” model before the war and began to advertise this machine that “fills itself with water, washes, rinses, spins the clothes amazingly dry, and then shuts itself off.” No more filling the washer from the taps; starting, monitoring, and stopping the machine; lifting heavy wet clothes to run them through a ringer or move them to another tub; rinsing again; and wringing again (Strasser, 1982, pp. 267-269). The second picture below shows a 1945 ad for the Westinghouse Laundromat with makes reference to the military, "When mother's little helpers make a mess of K.P....you need a Westinghouse Laundromat."

Now here's the kicker..

Apparently Westinghouse did indeed have a fully automatic H-axis washer on market early as 1939. Production ceased rather quickly due to ramp up of war effort. When allowed to resume appliance production Westinghouse didn't want bother of coping with older "Laundromat" washers, so offered people generous trade in terms.

IIRC key thing about Westinghouse's washer was unlike Bendix models it not require bolting down to floor.

https://www.automaticwasher.org/cgi-bin/TD/TD-VIEWTHREAD.cgi?63515

Westinghouse advertised their "new" Laundromat automatic washers heavily in many markets during WWII years. This again even though they did not have a single appliance to sell. It was all about building demand.

https://www.ghostofthedoll.co.uk/re...laundromat-washing-machine-adverts-1944-1945/

At least one lucky member managed to nab a 1940 Laundromat washer.

https://www.automaticwasher.org/cgi-bin/TD/TD-VIEWTHREAD.cgi?57349