All-in-Ones & Timers

Washer-dryer machine by Westinghouse Electric Corp.,Columbus, Ohio, c. 1950s (920126).

In the 1950s, some manufacturers, like Westinghouse, took the drying feature one step further (920126). Their device washed, spun and dried clothes in the same unit. The front-loading washer-cum-dryer was equipped with a scale to determine load size. One major setback of the all-in-one was that it did not allow the operator to wash and dry two loads simultaneously. This effectively extended the time needed to complete the laundry.

One command washed and spun clothes dry. Beatty Bros. Ltd., Fergus, Ontario, c. 1940 (840716). A glass window on the lid allowed a view of the wash without stopping the action. Photo courtesy of Imager.

Timers
Women were partially released from the constant monitoring of the washing machine with the introduction of the clock timing mechanism. A bell signalled the completion of the wash cycle and the cessation of the operation was added (840716). By the 1950s, control devices evolved from timers used to set short or long cycles, to "dashboards" dotted with push-buttons that offered combinations that covered every conceivable type of load (870246). The "control-panel" required the operator to understand fabrics, colour, detergents and softeners. A woman's specialized knowledge determined not only the wash time and cycle type, it also cemented her role as the main operator of the increasingly mystifying machine. "Control," a word often associated with the choices offered by the array of push-buttons, took on another meaning. With the increasingly complex and exclusive nature of laundry, women were perhaps less in control of their time, and of washing technology, than they imagined.