There's a second, bigger drum outside the inner drum that you cannot This one is an exhibit at Think Tank, the science museum in Birmingham, England. There was no spinning to get the clothes dry: instead, you had to use a wringer (also called a mangle) fitted to the top of the machine (a pair of rollers through which you fed the clothes to squeeze out the excess water). This GEC electric washing machine, dating from 1935, was much more primitive than today's machines. Instead, there's a paddle in the middle of it calledĪn agitator that turns the clothes around in The drum is mounted about a verticalĪxis but doesn't actually move. In a toploader, moreĬommon in the United States and Asia, you open a lid on top and drop Has lots of small holes to let water in and out and paddlesĪround the edge to slosh the clothes around. The door from the front and the whole drum rotates about a horizontal axis In a front-loading clothes washer, common in Europe, theĭrum faces forward. The rubber seal (gasket) stops water leaking out through the door. The holes let the water in (from above)Īnd out (from below). Paddles turn the clothes through the water. Water-but there are actually two drums, one inside the other. Think of aĬlothes washer and you probably think of a big drum that fills with The basic idea of a clothes washer is simple: it sloshes yourĬlothes about in soap suds for a while and then spins fast to remove A very brief history of clothes washing machines.What's the difference between a front-loader and a top-loader?.

Why do washing machines need so many programs?.

Washing machine drum