Vintage Consumer Report Film: Methods Exposed!!

[frigilux]

I was watching a film from 1960 about Consumer Reports and did a screen-capture of them testing a Frigidaire washer. You'll notice the detergent is being sprinkled around the top of the load. Isn't it supposed to go inside the agitator?

I realize this not a real testing situation and they're probably using actors, anyway, but thought you might like to see it. Anyone recognize the year/model of this Frigidaire?

 

[DADoES]

That looks like one of the "diaper washer" models, yes?

 

[sudsmaster]

Maybe they were adding Pixie Dust.

 

[jetcone]

1960

Deluxe Model, small tub three ring agitator, multimatic mechanism except I think the deluxe of 1960 had only one speed choice.

Bad people not loading the detergent dispensor!! Bad!

Dadoes why do you call it a
"diaper washer"??

j

 

[toggleswitch]

Was it because it was the BOL- ostensibly for young couples on a tight budget?

and perhaps no *cold* setting IIRC-

 

[bobbyderegis]

Diaper Washer!

Love it!
Bobby in Boston

 

[Designgeek]

And is it just me, or does it look like that washer is overloaded just a bit...?

 

[peterh770]

I think there is a POD ad for the Frigidaire Deluxe washers, saying they are just right for young families because of the price point and the soak cycle. The ad shows a woman folding diapers, with mountains of clean diapers around her and the offending diaper-soiler playing at her feet. Because of this ad, we nicknamed these BOL Deluxe Frigidaires "diaper washers". In the dictionary, you will find it listed right after "burpalator" but before "flapalator".

 

[tomturbomatic]

Maybe this just shows their Maytag bias since Maytag instructions stated that the detergent was to be sprinkled on top of the load.

 

[frigilux]

I'm surprised anyone would instruct a washer-user to pour detergent on top of the load. You'd think it would be dissolved/distributed more quickly by putting the detergent in first, followed by the clothes. I suppose the supercalasplashariffic Kelvinator might be an exception to that rule....

 

[veg-o-matic]

Betcha it's not detergent they're adding, but sand for the Sand Disposal Test.

veg

 

[sudsmaster]

I think the idea was to add the clothes, let the washer fill with water and start agitating, and THEN add the detergent. In this way the detergent would be fairly quickly dissovled, and the fabrics would not be subjected to a pocket of superconcentrated detergent as they might if the detergent was added first. This might be more of a concern for solid tub machines.

 

[tomturbomatic]

Well, you could not open a Maytag while it was agitating to add anything. Maytag had so many complaints about bleach damage to fabrics because of the poor agitation and the fact that it stopped when the lid was raised, that they came up with the delayed bleach dispensing system in the TOL washers. Machines without the dispenser had the directions that the user measure the bleach (up to a cup)into a one quart container then fill the container to the top with water. While briefly lifting the cover, you were to pour the water around the agitator and immediately restart the washer. The lint filter agitators were a definite plus in this case because the agitation would cause the bleach solution to be drawn into the agitator and dispersed at the bottom of the tub. While Maytag maintained that it was more important to move water through the clothes than clothes through the water, which is not completely true because you need both, in the instruction booklet I have for the 4 AM, it cautions that any item added after agitation starts should be completely submerged. That was just a hint that the agitator action would not pull it under.

Detergent burn was a real danger with the early and highly caustic detergents and could very easily happen with detergent sprinkled on top of the clothes load. I, too, think having it on the bottom would give a better distribution and ensure more rapid dissolving of the powder. My mom was used to Maytag wringer washers where you filled the tub, started the agitation, added the detergent, then the clothes. That was the way she loaded both of our Kenmore automatics.

 

[rinso]

Veg, I totally agree. I'm old enough to remember some of CU's testing methods back then, and sand disposal was one of the areas they addressed. Obviously, solid tub washers are at a disadvantge here. Maybe that's why we no longer see them.

 

[frigilux]

In the film, the dialogue accompanying the above photo said something like "Tests are executed with scientific precision. Here, a carefully measured amount of detergent is added, blah-blah-blah...." In the film, you can see that it's detergent. My little snapshot didn't capture that very well.

 

[tomturbomatic]

Decades ago, John and Jeff worked for a company that did work for a Maytag coin-op launderette. They wondered why so many of the machines had all of this powder detergent in the cabinet. Over time, as they went back to the place, the mystery was solved. Maytag's loading instructions said to load the clothes, put the detergent on top and then slide the coin meter in to start the washer. Instead of loading up to the top ring of holes in the tub, people loaded up to the top of the outer tub. The washer filled, not wetting the part of the load up that high and not doing anything with it until the spin. Then the spinning dry clothes up that high just spun the powder over the side of the outer tub and into the cabinet.