How Has Technology Created a More Efficient Washing Machine?

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The word “Laundromat” was coined by George Edward Pendray, an employee of the Westinghouse Corporation. In 1936, the very first Laundromat in the United States opened for business in Forth Worth, Texas and was run by Noah Brannen” (Answerbag, 2010). Laundry has always been a chore. However thanks to technology we now able to clean clothes at home as effectively as a laundromat.

Stephen Butler a professional launderer once said, “The general idea, of course, in any first-class laundry, is to see that no shirt or collar ever comes back.” Technology has enabled truth to inhibit this quote in that the mechanisms of today’s washing machines create not only have created a better product but a more efficient one as well. Washing machines now are water and energy saving devices with simpler designs that contain less moving parts thus using less water and ensuring less wear and tear on the product providing an economically smart system. The idea of the laundromat came to life as population continued to rise and people began moving from homes in the country into apartments in the city. Britain’s first self-service coin-operated launderette opened in 1949 and according to the National Association of the Launderette Industry (NALI), numbers in the UK peaked at 12, 500 in the 1980’s but have since have dwindled to just 3,000. (BBC, 2010)

The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) stated that choosing a machine that lowers water increases efficiency. However the size machine chosen also plays a role. Most conventional clothes washers use approximately 40 gallons of water per use however large capacity efficiency models use less than 25 gallons per cycle. Additional savings can be found by switching to high efficiency elect...

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