06/09/2026
My washing machine broke and it made me think about what a miracle this machine is...and how I'm thankful to live in this great country. Here's what I mean.
Both Justin and my parents were working class and our humble American home owned a washer...AND a dryer.
I find this amazing.
For 1000’s of years, humans washed their clothes by hand. Within two decades of the invention of electric wringer washers in the 1920s, 60% of homes with electricity in the US owned a washer.
The automatic tumbler washer was brought to market in the 1950s. However, even in the early 1980s, many Americans were still using electric tumbler washers (like my mom). Fully automatic washers were expensive so you could only find them in laundromats.
Fast forward to today, 85% of US homes have a magical automatic washing machine. In the UK, over 97% own a washer.
Over 2 billion people worldwide own a washing machine.
They connect to WIFI, have more cycles than we need, and lightly fluff the delicates. Homebuilders have created a special “laundry room” just for this essential chore.
I find this absolutely fascinating.
Before the washing machine, moms would spend 6-8 hours every week just washing clothes. It was a tiring effort.
Thanks to the magical washing machine, my mother had time to read books and take me for nature walks where she taught me to appreciate Idaho’s outdoors.
Today, I get to do this with my daughter.
I’m empowered to be a realtor, a working mom, a wife, enjoy books, explore Idaho with my favorite hobbies of hunting and biking…greatly thanks to our washing machine.
I think it’s one of the greatest inventions ever.
I’m writing this to pause and thank the innovators, the steel mills, the processing industries, the assemblers, the energy industries, the shipping companies, the advertisers, and the retailers who create human progress.
Not one single person could do this alone.
In fact, thousands of people in hundreds of industries, all doing what they do best, create the miraculous washing machine.
Now that’s amazing!
- Anngela