What got you fascinated with laundry machinery in the first place?

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Retromania: I'm sure DADoES will correct me if I’m wrong, but to me it looks like the dispensers inside the lid of a Maytag Neptune TL washer, and yes it fills through the lid. I was going to say the GE Dispense All fills thru the lid, but it doesn’t. It just flushes recirculation water thru the lid after it’s washing or rinsing.

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What got me fascinated with laundry machinery…

I don’t know that there is a single moment that I can pin point. I have just always been fascinated with anything mechanical, but for some reason I was always drawn to washing machines, just like a moth to a porch light.

As far back as I can remember, whenever my family would go visit anyone, I would always seek out the laundry room and the washing machine.

A few short stories….
(The following occurred when I was between the ages of 5 or 6 thru 9 or so.)

I remember visiting a woman’s home when and finding a Philco or Bendix combo in the laundry room (of course I had no idea what it was at the time). I can’t remember if it was already running or if the woman started it for me, but I did hear / see it humming along. I think it was drying now that I think about it.

During a visit to another home I discovered a green Hoover twin tub in their garage. I thought it was so cute that I wanted to take it home! However I was stopped by my mother after I wheeled it down the driveway in and attempted to load it in our car.

I don’t remember exactly how it was acquired, but I ended up with a (1950’s?) gas dryer sitting outside in my back yard (we didn’t have a clothes dryer until many, many, many years later). I now know it was gas because I was able to plug it into an extension cord and make it work. Anyway… I remember climbing inside it and me telling my brother to turn it on. I think I only did 2 or 3 revolutions before I told him to turn it off. Another time, OK a few times, I tried to turn it into a front load washer. I added clothes and stuck in the garden hose in an attempt to fill it with water. Of course it never held any water, but all the clothes got wet and it sounded like one of the newest FL washers (almost no water), IF you had the door open.

Also, at some point within this time, after asking to have one, then begging and begging and begging… my parents bought me a Suzy Homemaker battery powered washer for Christmas. I can’t even begin to tell you how many sets of “D” batteries I went through…. LOL I played with it and played with it and played with it until the “transmission” finally broke.

I almost forgot to add… Every time we would go to my grand parent’s house, I would go to the “back porch” to see if my grandmother was doing laundry. If so, I would always sit and watch her early 50’s Westinghouse slant front washer do it’s thing. She would ALWAYS chase me out of there… but I usually found my way back…. that is until she would get really angry and bring out the “switch” and swat me with it! I fondly remember the smell of the hot water and either Dash or ALL detergent!

Then about 2.5 – 3 years ago after my relationship ended, a free washer presented itself and that was the beginning of my…. now extensive collection!

Kevin[this post was last edited: 6/8/2011-14:32]
 
My neighbor used to have a green/white Suzy Homemaker washer which I really liked when I was a kid! I wanted one like it (there was a store in my town that old plenty of new in box vintage toys, electronics and sports equipment and they still had these new in boxes in the late seventies/early eighties! Instead, my parents got me (from the same store) an even older, crank operated toy washer with an orange plastic tub.

The first thing I thought when I got my green/white Frigidaire GMini washer was that it looked very similar to my neighbor's Suzy Homemaker washer! Even the Agitub looked very similar (but I think her's was dark colored instead of white!).

I'm wondering if GM copied these toy washers with it's Agitub models!

philr++6-9-2011-01-34-42.jpg
 
I just looked at pics and a video of Suzy Homemaker washers and they look even more similar to my GMini washer than what I remembered!

Kevin, that's yours?

 
Aspergers

My Mom's 1959 1 cycle Hotpoint washing machine and Aspergers! I have a bad case of ADHD to go along with it! I take Welbrutrin 300mg to help keep me on focus.

I could not pay attention in school, church, funerals or weddings. Anywhere I had to sit still. However when my Mom did laundry I could literally sit and watch the Hotpoint and stay still for hours. It had a claming effect on me. Strange the sight and sound of a running washing machine still has a claming effect on me some 50 years later. The washer fascination started when I was 5 years old.
 
Suzy Homemaker washer

 

 

Phil, 

 

That's the video I shot while at Robert & Fred's wash-in, May of last year.   The washer I had was the same, but still had the clear plastic lid.   Very cool little toy... it brought back memories!

 

Kevin
 
My Mom's 1959 1 cycle Hotpoint washing machine and Aspergers!
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OMG! I never thought of that. I have Asperger's and ADHD (less) too. I think Aspy gave me my knack for machinery to a good extent. And of course made machines much more fathomable than people. Both misbehave now and then but with machines there is always a good reason.
 
My fascination began about age 3 when I used to stand on my mom's kitchen footstool and watch her 55 Hotpoint with red agitator and those wonderful illuminated temp buttons (like Robert Unimatic's). Then I branched out to watching my aunt's 56 unimatic imperial every saturday morning and my great aunt's 59 GE filter flo with seafoam green activator cap and copper filter pan (which eventually became ours after we moved into her house after her death). I loved our neighbor's 58 Kenmore because of how all the cycles were different colors on the control dial and the "mysterious" wash n wear cycle. I wanted my mom to buy one but she would have nothing to do with a Kenmore. She said "only an idiot would design a washer that drained all the dirty water back through the clothes instead of spinning it out." She was used to her solid tub Hotpoint with it's famous overflo rinse.
 
I was always fascinated watching my mom doing our laundry in her Maytag wringer washer. This started in the early 1950's. Then my aunt and uncle purchased a Frigidaire Unimatic in 1952, and nothing in my world would ever be the same.
 
washer fascination

Mine began with my Mothers Slantfront westinghouse also.For as long as I can remember I have loved washing machines.I spent hours watching that machine run.My Grandmother had a 63 kenmore 800 that I loved and a neighbor had a 50s bendix combo.I have spent my entire working career repairing washers and dryers.I should also mention I too also have a serious case of Aspergers.I have long wondered if there were others like me on this site and now I know.
 
Evolution of laundry machine facination

When I was two I can remember sitting on top of the washing machine watching the agitator and the water flowing out of the filter on our Whirlpool-RCA washer. I also remember liking the knobs on the machine. In 1966 we got our GE filter flow with matching dryer. I was in heaven. I liked the lighted consol,the switches and buttons, the filter pan, of course the filter flo, the lid design. In 1975 the filter flo started getting green transmission fluid all over the clothes. The new Maytag arrived in May. I loved the sound of the Maytag. Such a nice quiet hum to it. I liked to watch the clothes wash in it and compare it to the GE filter flo. I liked the lint filters on both machines. The GE seemed to look more modern, contemporary. The Maytag looked more solid, better quality to me.  How the machines mechanically worked was just a general interest, not a facination.
 
I know....

When our Frigidaire washer couldn't be repaired anymore we bought a GE Filter-Flo. I don't think I seen a washer since that had a filtration system quite that easy and good. I also liked the way we woul sprinkle our wash powder in the tray. That GE was a workhorse!
 
My parents had a TV & appliance store, and we lived behind the store. It was just an extension of our house. So, for as long as I can remember, I have been involved with washing machines, even going on service calls at the age of 4 with my father. It was not unusual to go into the store, and to see a Blackstone transmission on the workbench. I'm still amazed at the engineering that went into developing them.

Even though there were times when you would rather not be laying on someone's damp, dirty cellar floor, you would still have the satisfaction of keeping a washer going. When you have to go to a customer's house, you realize that there are all kinds of people in the world, and you are able to interact with all of them.
 
I,m also Asperger and i think that the sounds from the machines calmed me down when i was young.

My family used to have an Hoover Keymatic 3224 and a washer i dont know the name of. The unnamed machine had a drop down door and looked similar to Bauknecht Wa 451. The machine was quite noisy and jumped around on the floor when unbalanced.

The Hoover Keymatic however was very silent and stabile. I loved the clicks and clunks from that machine.

Our neighbours had an early candy machine that was cool to watch and listen to.
When visiting friends i was often allowed to watch their machines. At that time many had Electrolux or Asko machines.
 
sounds and more

What got me interested in washers and dryers was the sounds of the machines. I remember when I was at the laundry, I'd watch the machines in action and stick my head in an open front loader. My fascination really kicked into overdrive with my filter-flo set. Whenever my parents did laundry, I'd sit there and listen to the water splashing and smell of the soap. I'd still sit by my GE post-filter-flo pair when we got it when the filter-flo died. All the while, I got interested in the parts and how they worked. I still sit by my lg pair, one of which is the Kenmore version. Both of which are matching. My mom still has hers. And yes, they have windows.
 
laundry and dishwashing

I'm still interested in doing laundry and washing dishes in the dishwasher. I love the sounds of the different pumps, wash actions, types of blowers in dryers and more. I'd love to see what the direct drive whirlpool looks like on the insides where the good stuff is.
 
Appliance "Sickness"

My father managed a store that sold furniture and appliances (Frigidaire and Maytag) and so it seemed to just..."be".

One of my earliest memories, while I was still riding a tricycle, was the Saturday afternoon delivery of our new Maytag Highlander, this would replace the current Norge Timeline and would begin my fascination in appliances.

Not long after, the folks built a new house...complete with a Magic Chef kitchen (dishwasher, double oven, four-burner range top, and vent-a-hood)...ALL in coppertone (this was, afterall, THE 60's)! I remember the dishwasher, most of all, because it had a pilot light and was, as my father said, "Loud as a thrashing machine." It was a spin tube design and, as I recall, the accompanying literature instructed the owner to give the tube a manual spin, prior to operation. My mother was never very fond of this machine so, when it ceased to function, my father installed a new Frigidaire (also in coppertone).

I spent some of my youth as the "help" (delivering/setting up appliances) at the store and enjoyed the "characters" that worked with my father, but most of all...ALL of those new appliances! Part of my memories include...the smell of the new appliance AND those cardboard shipping boxes; the new boxes of Tide in all Maytag machines; the Frigidaire refrigerator/freezer model that had a pedal to open the door; the Frigidaire "Movie Theatre" (a film playback device in which one could view films detailing the appliance line); the Maytag "mini" washing machine; the plastic food strategically placed in the appliances (this was 60's "staging"), funny...those pork chops never seemed to get done; and, among others, the introduction of Maytag's first dishwasher. This portable top loading machine was equipped with a store display plastic top, so that one could view the washing action. LOVED it! Plug it in and, woooooosh, the thing flies into action---water swirling and thrashing about!

Attached are images of two remaining, and very aged, store window decals advertising the Frigidaire appliance line. Additionally, images of machines similar to our Highlander and Maytag's first dishwasher. Gone are the 60's coppertone and 70's poppy, as well the movie theatre (I snooped about on my last visit, but to no avail), but present are a wealth of memories. Thanks for allowing me to share a bit of it with you.

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