While manufacturers aimed to eliminate the drudgery of laundry, mechanical devices only alleviated part of the problem: the tasks of washing and wringing. In rural areas, for example, women hauled wash and rinse water from a well outside. Even with the help of the kitchen pitcher pumper, most women still needed to lug water to and from the stove and the washing machine. Much of the physical effort, (like hauling, heating, filling, and draining) had not been eliminated. In addition, these devices still required a power source, namely a woman's arm.

A hand powered washer supplanted by an electric model, 1924, Ontario Hydro Archives (HP 1364).

The electrification of wash technology occurred in the early 20th-century. During this period, washing machines usually resembled their manual predecessors in shape -- usually a curvilinear tub or drum supported by legs and sometimes even in material -- cedar or cypress tubs with cast iron components. Manufacturers of manual machines often made the technological leap by simply adding an electric motor to their product. A motor, rather than muscle power, now moved the mechanism. Although early electric washing machines still operated on the principle of the dolly, rocking scrub board and vacuum cup wash action, manufacturers nevertheless faced a number of technological challenges.