How the Washing Machine Changed the World

Jordan Berry [00:00:00]:
How the Washing Machine Changed the World what if I told you one of history’s most revolutionary inventions is quietly humming in your laundry room? In the grand sweep of innovation, the washing machine might not sparkle like the smartphone or airplane. Yet this unassuming appliance transformed daily life around the globe, redefining labor, gender roles, and even our standards of cleanliness. For laundromat owners and anyone who’s ever tossed in a load of dirty clothes, the story of the washing machine is a surprisingly epic tale, one of human ingenuity and social change. Imagine it’s the 19th century and Monday is wash day. At dawn, you haul heavy buckets of water from the well, heat them over a wood fire, and fill a wooden washtub. You spend hours soaking, scrubbing and wringing clothes with a washboard and sheer muscle power. After rinsing everything, you twist and squeeze out water by hand, then hang garments under the sun to dry. The entire laundry process could consume an entire day’s work.

Jordan Berry [00:01:10]:
And that’s not counting ironing later. It was exhausting, monotonous labor, often relegated to women or dedicated washer women. And yet it had to be done regularly to keep a household running. Without modern plumbing or electricity, laundry was truly backbreaking. In those days, people generally owned fewer clothes and washed them infrequently. In fact, doing laundry often could be seen as a sign of poverty. The wealthy could afford big wardrobes and might wash clothes only every few months. By contrast, poor families with fewer outfits had no choice but to wash more often.

Jordan Berry [00:01:51]:
Despite the toil, cleanliness was valued, but the ability to achieve it was limited by sheer manual labor and time. One historical account notes that a single load of clothes might require four hours of washing by hand, plus more for drying and ironing. It’s no wonder that laundry was dreaded and commonly assigned to maids, laundresses or women of the household as their primary chore. Human ingenuity to the Rescue the drudgery of hand washing clothes led many inventors to ask, could a machine do this instead? As early as the 18th century, experimenters were sketching out contraptions to ease laundry work. The first patent for a quote unquote washing machine was issued in England in 1691. A crude device by today’s standards, but it shows how long we’ve been trying to automate this chore. Throughout the 1700s and 1800s, various designs emerged. Hand cranked drums, basins with paddles, and even early steam powered washers.

Jordan Berry [00:02:56]:
In 1851, American inventor James King patented a hand powered drum washer Often credited as the first mechanical washing machine. A few years later, Hamilton Smith introduced a rotary version. 1851, improving on King’s design. These devices still required lots of manual effort, but they hinted at a future where laundry might not need literal elbow grease. The turn of the 20th century brought the game changer electric power. In 1908, the Hurley Machine Company of Chicago introduced the first electric washing machine, the Thor, invented by Alva J. Fisher. For the first time, a motor did the twisting and agitating of clothes so people didn’t have to.

Jordan Berry [00:03:43]:
The Thor had a galvanized drum and even a patent by 1910. Early electric washers were not without quirks. Many still used separate wringers to squeeze water out, which could be quite dangerous. Grandma’s mangled fingers were no joke. But electricity eliminated the hardest part of the washing the scrubbing motion. Now a machine could beat the dirt out for you. The real breakthrough was the fully automatic washing machine. In 1937, Bendix Home Appliances unveiled the first domestically available automatic washer.

Jordan Berry [00:04:19]:
The machine did everything in one drum wash, rinse and spin dry without the user having to intervene. Early automatics were pricey and even had to be bolted to the floor because their spin cycles were so rough that they could quote, unquote, walk across the room. But automatics set the template for the modern washer. After World War II, as economies boomed and consumer goods became more affordable, the washing machine quickly went from a luxury to a must have home appliance. The washing machine didn’t just clean clothes, it helped clean away centuries of limiting social rules. Before modern appliances, keeping a household running demanded an enormous amount of time, largely burdening women. In 1900, the average American housewife spent about 58 hours per week on domestic chores like laundry. By 1975, that number dropped to about 18 hours.

Jordan Berry [00:05:14]:
That’s a remarkable liberation of time and energy, almost like reclaiming a full time work week. The impact on women’s lives was profound. By freeing up hours of drudgery, the washing machine helped enable more women to enter the paid workforce and pursue education and interests outside the home. In 1900, only about 5% of married women in the US had a job outside the home. By 1980, more than 50% did. Technology in the home was a key undercurrent in this shift. As one economics professor noted, these innovations change the lives of women by significantly cutting down the time spent on household tasks. To illustrate this change, consider a personal story told by educator Hans Rosling.

Jordan Berry [00:06:04]:
In the 1950s, Rosling’s family in Sweden got their first washing machine. On the very first day using it, his mother put a load of laundry in, then sat young Hans down and said, now the machine is doing our work. We can go to the library. In Rosling’s eyes, it was magic. The machine turned dirty clothes into free time and knowledge. As if by wizardry. The washing machine’s impact rippled far beyond individual homes. It helped fuel a massive appliance industry that created jobs and economic growth.

Jordan Berry [00:06:39]:
More companies sprang up and thrived by building washers. The demand for specialized detergents exploded. Electricity usage grew. Even the layout of homes changed. And for those who couldn’t afford a personal washing machine, a new business model emerged. The self service Laundromat. To this day, laundromats remain vital in many communities and provide a necessary service to millions. Efficiency and sustainability also became important.

Jordan Berry [00:07:08]:
Early washing machines gulp down water and electricity. But newer designs have made huge strides. High efficiency modern washers can use only 20 to 60% as much water and energy as older machines, thanks to smart sensors and better drum designs. Multiply the water and energy savings across millions of loads and the environmental impact is significant. Despite all this progress, it’s sobering to remember that not everyone in the world has access to a washing machine. Even today, roughly half of the global population still washes clothes by hand. The full revolution of the washing machine is still ongoing. Two humanitarian efforts are underway to introduce affordable manual or pedal powered washers to communities without electricity.

Jordan Berry [00:07:55]:
The social and economic benefits we’ve seen could extend to even more people as this technology spreads beyond labor and economics. The washing machine also subtly shifted cultural norms. When laundry became easier, standards of cleanliness evolved. A century ago, wearing the same dress repeatedly was normal. Today, we expect clean clothes all the time. The washing machine helped raise hygiene standards and turn laundry day into an any day routine. It’s also been a status symbol. In the 19th century, if you could afford not to do laundry, that showed wealth.

Jordan Berry [00:08:33]:
By the 1950s, owning a washing machine showed modernity. Today, clean, bright laundry is just expected. Over time, the image of the woman chained to the washtub began to fade, replaced by the modern household, where laundry is a shared or automated task. Eight minutes isn’t really enough to list all the ways the washing machine changed the world. But one thing is clear. This humble appliance was a catalyst for profound change. It saved labor and time on an epic scale, played a supporting role in women’s liberation. It spurred economic growth.

Jordan Berry [00:09:08]:
It even influenced our culture. And it continues to evolve. So the next time you’re loading your washing machine, whether at home or at your local laundromat, take a moment to appreciate this unsung hero of the household. That simple fact of pressing start is the result of centuries of innovation and a driver of social transformation. From washboard to wi fi connected washers, we’ve come a long way. Thank you for watching and and here’s to the loads of change brought by the washing machine. If you thought this was interesting, check out a brief history of laundromats link down below.