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Today the fully automatic washing machine is irreplaceable in Germany's households as well as our everyday life. Until now it was a far way of development. Especially for women the washing machine means a huge relief in managing the housework. Washing clothes was and still is a main task for women all around the world. Even in historical traditions women already fulfilled this task. The job to wash is the oldest one women do. In our modern society the task does no longer exist. But in developing countries it is still practiced this way. Washing clothes was a hard job until the end of the19th century. Women usually washed their clothes in rivers, ponds and lakes. The clothes were cleaned by rubbing and knocking on stones. Later also brushes were used. At first only cold water without any chemical additions was taken. Later they tried to gain better results with help of sand and ashes. After that the laundry was put into the sun. So it was bleached. Later on hot water was used. At that time the first laundries developed. But it was still a long way to the contemporary washing machine.
In 1767 the Regensburger theologian Christian Schäfer tried to facilitate the process of washing with the first mechanically working washing machine. He built the agitating wing washing machine. This hand-operated machine was to replace washing clothes by hand. Later there followed drum washing machines, which where operated by a crank. These ones inspired Alva J. Fischer to invent the first electrically working washing machine in 1901, which could be used in households with the spread of electric current. The first ones didn't have caustic solution pumps and there were no extra functions. The first fully automatic washing machine was available in 1946(America). In Germany there was a daily rent service for washing machines around 1950. Today, a washing machine could be found in nearly every household. The fully automatic washing machine independently deals with the very hard work that in former times women had to cope with. The fully automatic washing machine developed to the most important household gadget, especially for larger families. Without one, every household would have to take 24h every month for washing their clothes into account.
In 1946 the fully automatic washing machine makes its way to America. So many laundries developed. We could say it was like a boom. Especially in big cities many laundries established that still exist. Because of a lack of space and the expensive rents only a few people have a washing machine in their flat. Some houses use one washing machine together which is placed in the cellar. Most people are going to laundries for washing. These are also meeting points for people where they can talk, laugh, etc. at the same time. According to price range there is even a cafe or a restaurant in or next to the laundry.
The grandson of Carl Miehle, Rudolf Miehle said: \"The invention of the washing machine is one of the biggest technical revolutions of the 20-th century\"! In addition one can only add that without the washing machine the Emancipation of the women would be not so far progressed. No woman in Germany would give her washing machine away voluntarily.
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