The Highly Functional and Indispensible Small Washing Machine
The small washing machine is considered the main appliance in most households of developing countries, especially in the Asian and African continents. These are highly valued by most homeowners there, because the very presence will eliminate the need to hand wash all the clothes, linens, towels, even blankets which can be very heavy and place a physical strain on the women. Although heavy hand washing is a part of everyday life for these women, the presence of the small washing machine will be considered a valuable investment.
Small washing machine saves hours
Traditionally, these women would take up their load of wash down to the river, and join the countless other women who also go down to do some hand washing. They could spend several hours down there chatting, or simply exchange the latest gossips with one another, and leave their homes and the remaining housework to other members in their household. Then they would have to come back up with their clean wash, and hang the items out to dry before they continue on with the rest of the housework. Most of these women only dream of having their own small washing machine, and look in envy at those whose husbands could finally afford to purchase one for their wives.
Most small households in these developing countries actually save up for several years just to get their small washing machine. Although they are considered cheap, they also are considered a status symbol in some communities. The wife who has a machine is considered to be beloved by her husband, who cares for her physical well being. So it is not beyond belief, for anyone to conclude that love is part of the decision in purchasing this equipment. It may take years to save enough money to buy the small washing machine, but once you own one, it will save you years in the time that you would have spent, washing by hand, and walking to the water source and back. Thats love.
Types of small washing machine
The small washing machine comes in two types: the single tub and the dual tubs. The single tubs small washing machine needs to be loaded with water for each cycle, and cannot spin the clothes free of the water. The clothes that are taken out of the tubs have to be physically removed and wrung out several times by hand before they are hung out to dry under the sun.
The dual tubs small washing machine have the washing and the spinning capacities. The small washing machine , however, does not rinse on its own. Again, they have to be loaded with water for every cycle, and then the wet clothes have to be manually transferred to the spinner. The damp items are then again hung out to dry under the sun.
Although the small washing machine is cheap, it is definitely time saving for the housewife, and it definitely makes it easier for her to do other things around the house, removing the need to look for the nearest laundry store, or in rural settings, the nearest water source.
Small business using the small washing machine
There are even some enterprising housewives in these developing countries that make use of their small washing machine as their main tool for a business. They go around their community and ask for laundry jobs which they do with speed using the machines. Their services usually also include the ironing. This gives most of the smaller households extra income. It has been proven that those women who actually own the washing machines get their jobs done faster, thereby becoming very competent and competitive.
The capacity of the small washing machine cannot be compared to the industrial ones; they usually range from 2.5 kilo capacity to 6 kilo capacity. Smaller households can rely on the smaller machines if there are only one or two people using it. However, it would get overworked and may break down fast, if it is used and treated like a large capacity machine. This will cause the motor to burn up fast, and would need to be replaced.
Small washing machine is for city slickers too
But it is not only developing countries that use the small washing machine. Those living in small apartments in big cities, or in urban communities, that are residing some distance away from the nearest laundrette, will find that the machine is very useful. The drying, however, will have to be dealt with.
The newer small washing machines are actually closer in functions to the automatic ones, and some even have digital control. However, these are more expensive and sometimes they do not react well with power fluctuations common in rural areas. The manual knobs are actually more efficient when it comes to these problems.
Despite its being a very basic machine, the small washing machine continues to be a hot item to sell.