Washing machine facts for kids
A washing machine is a machine that washes dirty clothes. It contains a barrel into which the clothes are placed. This barrel is filled with water, and then rotated very quickly to make the water remove dirt from the clothes. Most washing machines are made so that detergent (liquids or powders) can be put into the machine. These can help make the clothes cleaner.
Contents
Operation
Washing machines have ways to control how the machine operates. Some of the possible controls are:
- temperature of the water
- time of the wash cycle (before the soapy, dirty water is rinsed out)
- number of wash cycles before completing
Types of washing machines
Washing machines may be fully automatic or partly automatic.
Semi-Automatic Washing Machines
Semi-automatic washing machines have separate sections for Dryer and Washer. These washing machines are often termed as semi-manual as here you have to manually put clothes into washer tub, put water & detergent according to your laundry size, and once washing is finished, you again have to manually put washed clothes for drying in dryer section. These are mostly cheaper machines.
Fully-Automatic Washing Machines
Fully-automatic washing machines are easier to use. They have only one section for washing and for spin-drying. Once you put clothes in a fully-automatic washing machine, it automatically takes required quantity of water, detergent and just with one click provided your washed & dry clothes.
Washing machines may load from the top or the front.
Front loading
A front loading washing machine has a door in the front. The clothes to be washed have to be put in and the door closed before the barrel can fill with water. This type of machine can have a clothes drying machine stacked on top to save space on the floor. Because of the water used, the washing machine is heavier than the dryer so the washer is at the bottom.
Top loading
With a top loading washing machine, the opening is at the top. The barrel can be filled with water and soap before the clothes are put in for washing. This type of machine can not have anything placed on top of it because of the opening there.
Stacked washer and dryer
Sometimes a washing machine and a clothes dryer are put together. The washing machine is usually on the bottom of the stack because the water in it makes the machine heavier than the dryer. In this arrangement the washing machine may be front-loading or top-loading. For the top-loading washing machine, room must be left to open the door at the top to add the clothing to be washed. A front-loading washing machine can have the dryer sitting on top of it.
Images for kids
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A typical front-loader washing machine
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A 1923 electric Miele washing machine with a built-in mangle
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The Washing Machine Museum in Mineral Wells, Texas
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A Hoover 0307, manufactured from 1947 to 1957
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A 1950s model Constructa
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A see-through Bosch machine at the IFA 2010 in Berlin shows off its internal components.
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General Electric Filter-Flo top loading, vertical axis machines in laundromat. The pans on the inside of the lid are placed atop the agitator, and wash water is pumped through the perforated pans to collect lint. (California)
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European top loader with horizontal axis rotating drum (2008)
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German laundry centrifuge to extract water from laundry. The advent of automatic washing machines with spin cycles made such specialized appliances largely obsolete by the 1970s.
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Commercial washing machines and dryers (at left) in a self-service laundry (Paris, France)
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"Woman's Friend" machine (c. 1890)
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See also
In Spanish: Lavadora para niños
