FLUFFED AND DRIED
It might be a telltale sign of age, but it really wasn't that long ago when people did their laundry with a "machine" that basically did little than shake up the clothes and linens in a tub full of water. Settings such as "rinse" and "spin" lurked in the future, and your dryer was none other than a rope strung across the yard or the alley.
It's not likely to generate nostalgia for those old, labor-intensive times, but we must admit one of the more fascinating exhibits at the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Mich., is a display of home appliances over the years -- starting in the 1800s, no less.
If you're old enough to remember, you might work your way through the washing and drying machine displays to where you find yourself saying, "Gee! It looks just like my Mom's." If you're of a somewhat younger vintage, you might be amazed at what people were using in 1958.
Can't get to Dearborn? Well, we have a little resource for you. It seems to have been put together by a group of people with lots of time on their hands and a passion for old appliances. In fact, if you can handle 3MB on your bandwidth, you can download a video of a classic Whirlpool washer/dryer combination in the final spin and dry cycle.
No kidding. Browse by classicappliances.com/MUSEUM/Whirlpool/Museum-Whirlpool.htm and you, too, can own a washer/dryer video of your very own!
The front page of this virtual museum is at classicappliances.com/index.html. Check it out -- but never mind staring at the motion picture and daydreaming!
Meanwhile, the Dearborn museum is unique because its exhibits actually are scattered all over the country. Digital photos, sounds, facts, figures, and video complement the listings. There is a discussion and message board area if you are a closet classic appliance repair person or need a few tips from experts.
If classic appliances can be interesting, this is the place for it.
(Comments? Questions? Use the delicate cycle and send them to [email protected])
