The Colourful History of Domestic Appliance Spare Parts

Sometimes in our comfortable modern society we forget how lucky we are and there is a tendency to take consumer goods for granted.  All too often there is an attitude of simply replacing products, such as domestic appliances, when something goes wrong with them, instead of taking a little effort to diagnose the problem and seek the appropriate appliance spare parts.

This is not a luxury the inventors of these early domestic appliances could afford.  The pioneers that brought us such appliances as washing machines, fridge freezers and microwave ovens never had the luxury of simply being able to replace the spare parts on their new machines with one off the shelf, as they simply did not exist.  If a working part wore out quickly or broke they would literally have to make a newer, more durable, one that would be more hard wearing and reliable.

It is because of their perseverance that we now have domestic appliances that are built better, cheaper and longer lasting than ever before, but this should not be used as an excuse to be blasé about owning them and the recommendation should always be to find domestic appliance spare parts whenever the need arises. After all, if the spark plugs needed changing on your car, you would not simply go out and buy a new vehicle, would you?  The same should also apply for your domestic appliance too.

Below I have done a little research about the history and development of the aforementioned domestic appliances and some of the facts make for intriguing reading.

Washing Machines

• The earliest English patent for a washing, or wringing, machine was in 1691

• Early mariners used to wash their clothes by dragging them in a bag for hours behind the ship.

• Before electricity and running water a typical wash load would need at least 50 gallons of water.

• The main challenge to early washing machine manufacturers was to produce a machine that replicated the rubbing of the clothes against a washboard without tearing the garment to pieces.

• Over 9 out of 10 homes in the UK have a washing machine and the total yearly cost of electricity to power them is thought to be over £2 billion per year.

Fridges and Freezers

• Commercial fridge and freezer units were in use 40 years before the domestic versions, but used toxic chemicals that were prone to leaking.

• 60% of households in the U.S owned a fridge by the 1930’s but it was not until the 70’s that the appliance really took hold at the same level in the UK.

• The first artificial refrigeration unit was demonstrated in 1748 by William Cullen at the University of Glasgow.

Microwave Ovens

• The idea for the microwave oven first came about when a scientist testing a new vacuum tube called the magnetron, in 1946 as part of a radar experiment, noticed a chocolate bar in his pocket had melted during the test.

• The first commercial microwave was launched in 1947 weighing 750 pounds, was 6 feet tall and cost $5000.

• The heat inside a working microwave oven is the same as the room temperature.  The microwave heats the food evenly by rapidly vibrating the water and fat molecules causing friction. 

So, by looking just a little bit into the amazing history of our most common domestic appliances, we can see just how lucky we are to have the convenience of the modern versions and how they should be treated with the care and respect their past deserves them. 

If your domestic appliance ever needs repairing, try looking for the appliance spare part first before simply casting it aside for a new one.