Laundromats and washing machines changed the lives of people everywhere around the turn of the 20th century. Before their invention, people toiled for hours hand washing and wringing heavy wet clothes in the brutal dark ages. The earliest forms of equipment can’t even be classified as washing machines since they were so dangerous, people literally disfigured themselves just washing clothes!
Those who couldn’t afford a house servant or the perilous early washing equipment, pooled their resources to use a large copper tub over a fire. Eventually, a reasonable washing machine came into existence, fittingly during the Great Depression. Naturally, the vast majority of Americans could barely afford food, much less a washing machine. That disconnect gave birth to the “washateria” or laundromat. Here’s the history of the laundromat and the machines that brought them into being.
The Washateria
The earliest laundromats were a godsend, even if they don't look it. (thebronxchronicle)
The term laundromat wasn’t coined until the 1940s. Therefore, when C.A. Tannahill rented out his machines by the hour in Fort Worth, Texas, he called it a “washateria.” “Washateria” came from mashing “wash” and cafeteria together, in hopes of conveying washing with the practicality of a cafeteria.
Booming Business
While old Tannahill sounds clearly short on creativity, he wasn’t short on business. People flocked to his state-of-the-art establishment to rent four machines by the hour. Unfortunately, the concept of dryers lay many decades away. So people would schlep their clean but wet clothes back home to hang on the line.
Coin Laundry
This was a step up but still a long day at work. (NJairqualityductcleaning)
Texas residents went with the bizarre name but the rest of the country more sensibly went with “coin laundry,” “coin wash,” or launderette. Finally, in the ‘40s, the marketing department for Westinghouse got their act together and the laundromat was born. Instead of cafeteria and wash as their base words, they went with laundry and automatic. That’s why they made the big bucks.
Westinghouse Electric’s Contribution
The name was supposed to be for their own machines but like Kleenex, “laundromats” took over and put a much-needed stake in “washateria’s” heart. The brain wave also cribbed from “automats,” which were essentially early versions of fast food restaurants where you slotted in your nickel in exchange for a meal. For a few years, some people stubbornly went with their own spellings like “laundrymat” or “laundry mat” but they all at least agreed on the name. Over in the UK, they stuck with “launderette” in accordance with their love of quaint words.
The Laundromat Revolution
During World War II, the government actually suspended their production in favor of war manufacturing. However, they did allow appliance manufacturers permission to do research and development on their products. Since laundromats had made their way into almost every city in America, the option remained but the machines were old. Thanks to the lack of evolution, most laundromats still used the same machines from the ‘30s and ‘40s.
The Laundromat Boom
When the war ended, the major companies put their innovations to work. Years of R&D introduced coin operated machines as the next leap forward. The coin operated machines allowed laundromats to substantially cut costs by employing fewer people and become 24 hour operations.
Running 24 hours a day opened the door for wide swaths of people previously unable to use the service. Throughout the ‘60s and ‘70s, laundromats thrived like shopping malls in the ‘90s. They did especially well in urban areas where they became the singular option for lower-income residents
Home Washing Machines
The "modern" landromat. (Pinterest
Early home washing machines could double as medieval torture devices. A large sewing machine affixed to a mobile camper stove approximates their bizarre appearance. These early contraptions required a huge amount of energy. Often, the woman of the house would spend hours of physical labor just to clean the family’s clothes. That is why Hans Rosling, a Swedish statistician, recognized by Times as one of the 100 most influential people in 2012, declared the washing machine “the greatest invention of the industrial revolution.”
The Ultimate Feminist Invention
As home washing machines improved, the incredible labor toll was lifted from many women. Suddenly the improved efficiency of many home appliances, chiefly the washing machine shattered the antediluvian social requirements of millions of women. According to Professor Emanuela Cardia, from the Department of Economics at the University of Montreal, "These innovations changed the lives of women." The result is that women flooded the workforce. In 1900, five percent of married women had jobs. In 1980, that number jumped to 51 percent."
Laundromat’s fate
Look like a good time? (Pinterest)
From the ’80s into the 21st-century laundromats saw a steep decline. The cost and convenience of a home machine far exceeded anything a laundromat could offer. Big cities where space comes at a premium still depend on them but the heydays of laundromats ended long ago.
