100 years of Miele washing machine:From brawn to brain

100 years of Miele washing machine:From brawn to brain

This year the washing machine celebrates its 100th anniversary: Back in 1901, Carl Miele and Reinhard Zinkann built their first wooden-tub washer and, in doing so, took a decisive step in the history of domestic appliances. Put poetically, this development was eventually to liberate the housewife from the drudgery of the scrubbing board.A century ago, Monday's work was hard graft and toil. On the eve of the big day, dirty laundry was sorted and steeped in soda lye. At the crack of dawn next morning, wood and coal would have to be carried in and a fire kindled. With bended back, the work continued: Soaked laundry had to be wrung out, rubbed with soap and stains scrubbed. By the time this was complete the laundry could be thrown in the water in the tub, which by now had reached the boil. With a wooden paddle (and a fair portion of elbow grease) the laundry had to be jostled and kept in motion in the tub. Once washing in boiling water was over, the laundry items had to be rubbed individually on a washboard - with hands chapped from wringing garments in soapy water. And rinsing was no easier either, as the process had to be repeated time and time again to ensure the thorough removal of lather. This was followed by blueing, bleaching and rinsing once again, washing woollens in lather and cleaning the wash tub. After washing came wringing, ironing and the starching of collars and table cloths. And Monday's fallout was still noticeable on Friday.And then, all of a sudden, a wooden tub washer, nothing more than a glorified butter churn designed by two young entrepreneurs from Herzebrock one year previously, arrived on the scene to put paid to laundry-day blues. Both machines relied on a cross-shaped wooden paddle inside the tub: On the one it churned cream into butter, on the other it jostled laundry.Strong arms were still necessary, though, to keep the laundry in motion. By 1904, though, even that changed: The agitator was now belt-driven: A leather drive belt connected an external motor to the machine. By 1914, the washing machine was a self-contained unit with its own electric motor.In the Thirties, metal tub washers were to slowly usurp their wooden counterparts. But Miele's unbreakable wooden tubs continued to be built through to the Sixties before finally being displaced by sheet metal. The first metal casing was enamelled in 1938. Since those early days, the art of enamelling has been perfected and has come to stand for the quality of Miele appliances.During the Fifties, the washing machine conquered more and more homes. In the early days, laundry had to be transferred dripping wet from the washing machine into a spin dryer - an unpleasant and messy business. But that stopped in 1956 with the introduction of the fully automatic washing machine, able to wash and spin in one and the same drum.This was followed just a few years later by single-knob controls - still today the best approach to programme selection on the market. In the quest for even better technical solutions, 1978 marks an important milestone with the introduction of microcomputers and sensor electronics. Solid-state controls today are the brains of every washing machine (and all other major domestic appliances) at Miele. Microprocessors, sophisticated circuitry and application-specific software form the basis for such innovations as programmes for hand-washable woollens and silks. Electronic controls have also made great contributions towards reducing water and electricity consumption. Over the past 20 years, consumption of both power and water has been reduced by 70%.

Thanks to the Update function which allows new and modified programmes to be downloaded onto an existing machine, Miele washing machines are future-proof - increasing the likelihood that Miele washing machines will continue to satisfy customer requirements far beyond the centenary of the first wooden tub washer.