who made the first apartment size dryer in the u.s.?

[dryclean1]

As it seems in my search for info on home laundry machines. the only apartment size dryers seem to have made an appearance only as early as 1970. Did anyone make one before this era? any info would be most appreciated. thanks Bill thhe drycleaner

 

[vacerator]

Hoover

I think made the first compact washers with spin dryers.
Was it Whirlpool, or Westinghouse?

 

[tomturbomatic]

I believe that if you will look at old sears and monkey wards catalogs, you will see that they were offering these earlier. I don't know who was making the strange things for Wards, but Proctor Silex was making a portable pair for sears in the 50s. We have had threads about them. 

 

[pulltostart]

Not really apartment models,

but I've seen full-page advertisements as early as 1953 for matching Whirlpool 24" wide automatic washers and dryers.  These were marketed to the builder community as a sales tool and the ads are in 'House + Home" magazine.

 

lawrence

 

[alr2903]

Spiegel sold the odd ball (without a door) made by naxon/naxxon?  The porthole was small.  When CU tested it it would dry clothes.  It also exhausted through the porthole no lint filter and it would sometimes expel a small item.  This was during the 1960's.   A

 

[combo52]

First real compact dryers

Whirlpool made a 24". 120 dryers for Sears in the late 1960s, dryer is still in production today.

 

[tomturbomatic]

Maytag / Hoover came out with a portable 120 volt dryer in 1969, the DE-50. It looked like a juvenile or not-quite-grownup HOH inside. I thought that a Maytag fan would have noted that milestone.

 

[kd12]

Westinghouse Spacemates may have been the first dedicated apartment-sized washers and dryers in the US. Started making them in the late 50s.