HISTORY OF WASHING AND IRONING
Ever since a man discovered fabrics and started using them for clothing, he started to look after it as well, and tried to keep it clean. Many ancient drawings show groups of people gathered at the river bank, soaking their clothes in the water in order to wash it.
Soon after, early man had realized that beating of fabrics against the rocks makes the washing process more effective and clothes cleaner. This is how the first ''washing machine'' was born.
Even though the first soap, made from ash and animal grease, was initially intended to be used for hygienic purposes, people soon started using it for washing their clothes as well. In order to save soap and achieve a better
cleaning effect, they would first rub the soap onto the fabric, and then tread on it. For clothes that were badly soiled, warm water was used, and it was also noticed that hand rubbing, no matter how hard it was, made the washing process more effective. So, hand washing became customary 4500 years ago.
From then on, all the way to modern washing machines whose powerful technology itself controls the laundering process, everything developed in a fascinating pace. Treading was replaced by beating the fabric with sticks or striking it against rocks, which drained it at the same time. This method is still in use in some remote parts of the World.
Ever since a man discovered fabrics and started using them for clothing, he started to look after it as well, and tried to keep it clean. Many ancient drawings show groups of people gathered at the river bank, soaking their clothes in the water in order to wash it.
Soon after, early man had realized that beating of fabrics against the rocks makes the washing process more effective and clothes cleaner. This is how the first ''washing machine'' was born.
Even though the first soap, made from ash and animal grease, was initially intended to be used for hygienic purposes, people soon started using it for washing their clothes as well. In order to save soap and achieve a better
cleaning effect, they would first rub the soap onto the fabric, and then tread on it. For clothes that were badly soiled, warm water was used, and it was also noticed that hand rubbing, no matter how hard it was, made the washing process more effective. So, hand washing became customary 4500 years ago.
From then on, all the way to modern washing machines whose powerful technology itself controls the laundering process, everything developed in a fascinating pace. Treading was replaced by beating the fabric with sticks or striking it against rocks, which drained it at the same time. This method is still in use in some remote parts of the World.
Then, to make the rubbing of clothes easier, wooden boards were introduced. The idea of continuous tumbling of the laundry which made the washing process more effective, turned out to be a revolutionary discovery. In the 17th century, the first washing machine was built: it comprised a drum for linen to be put into, and it was turned around by hand. This principle remains the operational ground for modern washing machines.
As manual spinning was too laborious, electrical motors were used to replace man power and save time. First washing machines with electrical motors appeared by the end of 18th century. From then on, things developed rapidly.
Gradually, everything we need today was built into the washing machines. It started with burners (fire, then gas) which were used to heat the drum and the water in it, continued with increasing the drum size in order to increase the amount of washed laundry, and ended up in installing high speed motors.
This is exactly the washing machine as we know it today... Naturally, everything is neatly arranged in the form of a metal box with various programs which basically free us from operating the washing process ourselves. The underlying method remains the same: linen is still being washed by spinning and tumbling. The dirtier the linen, the more space it needs inside the drum, plus more detergent and warmer water.
Alongside washing, the process of ironing developed as well. At the beginning, in order to straighten them, people would apply heavy weight over their clothes. All the way back, during the Roman period, a wooden press appeared, but it still wasn't the ''real thing''. The first irons were actually stone plates that pressed the laundry. However, since the linen got straighter if these plates were hot, people soon started to heat them in the fire before use. This is how the first iron was invented, over 2300 years ago.
As manual spinning was too laborious, electrical motors were used to replace man power and save time. First washing machines with electrical motors appeared by the end of 18th century. From then on, things developed rapidly.
Gradually, everything we need today was built into the washing machines. It started with burners (fire, then gas) which were used to heat the drum and the water in it, continued with increasing the drum size in order to increase the amount of washed laundry, and ended up in installing high speed motors.
This is exactly the washing machine as we know it today... Naturally, everything is neatly arranged in the form of a metal box with various programs which basically free us from operating the washing process ourselves. The underlying method remains the same: linen is still being washed by spinning and tumbling. The dirtier the linen, the more space it needs inside the drum, plus more detergent and warmer water.
Alongside washing, the process of ironing developed as well. At the beginning, in order to straighten them, people would apply heavy weight over their clothes. All the way back, during the Roman period, a wooden press appeared, but it still wasn't the ''real thing''. The first irons were actually stone plates that pressed the laundry. However, since the linen got straighter if these plates were hot, people soon started to heat them in the fire before use. This is how the first iron was invented, over 2300 years ago.
As with washing machines, the evolution of a modern iron was fast, yet logical. The main problem was its practicality. The iron got the form that it has today somewhere in the 13th century.
The body of the first iron was full, which made it quite heavy, and it was heated either by placing it in the fire, or hot coal (or gas burners later on). However, all of these methods were quite unsatisfactory, because fire and coal residue made the clothes dirty.
This is why the iron body was made hollow, and hot coal or burning stones were put into it. When gas was introduced, gas burners were used to heat the plate inside the iron, and this function was eventually replaced by the use of electricity. With modern irons, we do not need to sprinkle our clothes before ironing, they can produce and let out steam under pressure automatically, while the plate heating is regulated by a thermostat, depending on the type of fabric.
We could tell You a lot more about the evolution of washing and ironing; introduce the invention of the first driers and tumble driers, open a whole new chapter on the invention of chemicals that make the process of modern laundry washing more effective. But this story would probably be too extensive.
Our aim was simply to help You see the world of washing and ironing from another perspective, and to show You that people looked after their hygiene and appearance from the very beginning, trying to afford the best in the most convenient way.
Today, we represent the pyramid-top of this story!
The body of the first iron was full, which made it quite heavy, and it was heated either by placing it in the fire, or hot coal (or gas burners later on). However, all of these methods were quite unsatisfactory, because fire and coal residue made the clothes dirty.
This is why the iron body was made hollow, and hot coal or burning stones were put into it. When gas was introduced, gas burners were used to heat the plate inside the iron, and this function was eventually replaced by the use of electricity. With modern irons, we do not need to sprinkle our clothes before ironing, they can produce and let out steam under pressure automatically, while the plate heating is regulated by a thermostat, depending on the type of fabric.
We could tell You a lot more about the evolution of washing and ironing; introduce the invention of the first driers and tumble driers, open a whole new chapter on the invention of chemicals that make the process of modern laundry washing more effective. But this story would probably be too extensive.
Our aim was simply to help You see the world of washing and ironing from another perspective, and to show You that people looked after their hygiene and appearance from the very beginning, trying to afford the best in the most convenient way.
Today, we represent the pyramid-top of this story!
