The Wringer
The cliche, “You look like you have been put through the wringer” came about because of this most awesome invention; The Wringer Washer by Maytag. Maytag was not the only company that made the wringer washer, but its the one who made the first ones. This post is not about Maytag, but the invention.
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| Maytag, 1907 |
My grandmother used a wringer well into the 1980’s until my aunt and mother bought her a proper washer. I love that old wringer washer. It mesmerized me as a child because I instinctively knew how dangerous it was. The wringer part of the machine, I believed, was the most terrifying of the whole contraption.
The Wringer of the 1900’s was not the first machines to help with washing clothes and fabrics. Humans have been trying to figure out how to make washing day a bit less mundane and relieve the backbreaking work of using a wash tub, hot water, soap, a paddle, and a wash board. Washing took most of the day, and needed to be started early to make sure the clothes got on the line in time to be dried. The last part of that statement will come along later with a dryer, but these first machines tried.
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| Maytag, 1911 |
The first used hand cranks to agitate the water with the previous mentioned material less the wash board. It still required a lot physical labor. In 1907, Maytag had a wonderful machine which was also hand powered which cut down the washing process down but not totally efficient. The wringer itself was not added until 1909 along with a outsource for power to drive the agitator. A few years later, they were fully electric and washday became a welcomed day. the 1911 models (model 41 and 42) came with a reversible wringer which meant that once an article of clothing was run through one way, then the process could be reversed the other day, wringing out more water. The wringer itself swag over the tub so that the water would go back in the tub and not all over the floor. Because not everyone had electricity in the home, all the models until the 1930’s came in a hand powered model as well. They made the switch from cypress wood tubs to metal proclaim washing tubs in the middle in the 1930’s and solidified the shape of the wringer washer.
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| Maytag, 1940, Model 41 and 42 |
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| 1909, The Hired Girl Model |
The later models came with hoses for easy filling of hot water, and a drain hose. All using a pump underneath the outside casing. The agitator had a lever, which dropped the motor to stop the action of the agitator and to switch the motor power to the wringers. The wringer was turned on by disengaging the agitator, turning off the safety switch on top of the wringer and then switching the motor to the wringers. Once one was ready to begin the wringing process, one would left the lever, hit the switch, and begin wringing.
The Wringer is such a marvel. It was a welcomed addition to any home though it could be dangerous. This machine led to the modern washing machine, which replaced the wringer in the 1950’s. But for my grandmother, who used her Maytag Wringer Washer from 1940 to 1986, is a testament to this modern invention.
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