The electric household

[whirlpolf]

Please join me on my visit today:
I went to "TECHNOSEUM" (technology museum of Mannheim) to the special exhibition "the electric household".
Unfortunately, I discovered this only yesterday while it will end on Sunday.
So I hopped in the car to see it!

Here is the original link:
http://www.technoseum.de/ausstellungen/die-sammlung-2/
Ok, they are bragging a bit ("we have Europe's largest vacuum collection with about 400 models") - I am pretty sure quite some many here can outdo this easily. Personally I know some guy with 480 privately owned machines.

Nevertheless, the lady (who can be seen on their page as well) was VERY friendly and served me free coffee made in a modern, yet retro-style percolator.
We chit-chatted along about this and that and then some other technical detail while I was taking pics meanwhile.

This exhibition made my day! I was humming the commercial tunes on my way back to the car ;-)

My photos can be found on the main link.

Enjoy!
Joe

PS: I posted the same thread over at vacuumland.org, see there.

http://wetterwolf.bplaced.net/theElectricHousehold/album.html

 

[tomturbomatic]

Thanks!

Your pictures are great. You must have had fun there. In the first picture labeled "electric kitchen" there is something sitting on top of the washing machine. Do you remember what it is? It looks like a sump pump, but it must be something more interesting.

 

[kenmoreguy89]

Nice Joe!

Tom...I know you know..

Looks like one of those portable "agitators"/ up&down plungers, like the AMI, supposed to agitate the water if immersed in a tub...
These kind of things were made worldwide in those years...
There were also similar ones supposed to wash with ultrasound....rather vibrations.
Of course they didn't work....
As far as I know in this country such things like ultrasonic were sold by reps in mobile truck shops...at fairs festivals and so on...so no one could return..LOL
They lasted shortly....

 

[tomturbomatic]

Ah, poor performance coupled with a short life; like a bad love affair. Thank you.

 

[hydralique]

I have been to that museum, it is so much fun!

 

[kenmoreguy89]

I meant...

Short life on the market.....people soon realized that vibrations ( they were basically huge vibrators) couldn't clean their clothes as they expected and they ain't exactly ulstrasound...you know, in those times people were a little naive.
Do not know about life of the appliance......I suppose they were soon discarded...

 

[kenmoreguy89]

Apparently Westinghouse also made a similar thing:

Pardon Our Interruption...

 

[kenmoreguy89]

Here is an Aussie model of those sonic stuff:

 

[combo52]

Ultra-sonic Washers

The basic problem with these devices is you still have to have heated water, good detergent, a way to extract the dirty wash water from the washed clothing, then you have to rinse the dirty water from the fabrics, spin the excess water from the fabrics and dry the clothing.

 

[tolivac]

That immersion "washer" reminds me of an in tub portable water messager.

 

[chestermikeuk]

Rinse, Clean, Cook

Thanks Joe for posting the fab pictures and glad you got to see the final exhibition - looks like this one should run, would have made a great meeting venue!!

Some seriously heavy pieces of laundry there, and all those vacs, is that clear model a Z55?

Ta for sharing!!

 

[whirlpolf]

Mike, a Z55 suggests...

...an Electrolux (as far as I know).

(and sorry for the delay, I had a busy weekend)

No, this is a Progress vacuum (a Stuttgart company, they were strong in the 30s to 80s, later they were swallowed by AEG, who in turn was quickly absorbed by Electrolux (while being annilihated by this) = but don't quote me on the real order of things, it went very quickly back then.

See models here: http://staubsauger-progress.de/html/progress_bodenstaubsauger.html

Hope this helps.
Joe