LK Wringer Washer

Wringer washing machines remained popular up north (Canada) for several reasons primarily...

First was fact that Canadian manufactures already had production down of those machines. Everything needed could be sourced within the country for most part, production was simple (compared to automatics), production was already set up, etc.... Automatic washing machines either would have had to be imported from United States, or setting up of new plants and so forth in Canada. There had been a big push to get more manufacturing done within Canada as opposed to importing (NAFTA didn't exist yet), so there you are on that front.

Next there was a large demand still by many Canadian housewives who saw automatic washing machines (top or front loading) as wasteful with water and offensive.

This came from face many parts of Canada remained quite rural well after WWII, this and or places lacked the indoor plumbing required to handle automatic washing machines.

As such women (or anyone else) still did washing the old fashioned way, heating water on stoves etc.. Even if they did have plumbed hot and cold water the idea of using each change of water once was seen as wasteful.

Read that such women read adverts advertising how laundry was rinsed in three, four or more fresh changes of water (likely an early front loading washer), were indignant at such wastefulness. They wrote to the newspapers about it.....

These were housewives living on farms, mining camps, but women living in other areas had quibbles as well.

Think have gotten things correct, but here is link to paper one read on matter:
instruct.uwo.ca/geog/9322/Parr19...

It is interesting that late as 1968 51% of Canadian households with a washing machine had wringer type, while only 32% had fully automatic.

This explains why you find so many wringer washers (some often in near new condition) on offer in Canada. Production and buying went on far longer as primary washing machine compared to USA.


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Post# 1118467 5/27/2021 at 10:07 (1,063 days old) by maytaglvr (Columbia Heights Mn 55421)
Checkrate/Likes Looks to be in good condition www.facebook.com/marketpl... View Full Size

Post# 1118541 , Reply# 1 5/28/2021 at 01:22 (1,063 days old) by Launderess (Quiet Please, There�s a Lady on Stage)
Checkrate/Likes 1 Made by Whirlpool. You have to give WP credit for upping their game on wringer washers until decided to pull the plug. In the end it was just themselves, Maytag (market leader), and Speed Queen battling it out for the conventional (wringer) washer market for most part. There might have been a few smaller players, but most had left the market either totally, or just concentrated or fully automatic washers. Hard to believe Maytag didn't stop making wringer washers until 1983.

Post# 1118550 , Reply# 2 5/28/2021 at 04:41 (1,063 days old) by qsd-dan (West)
Checkrate/Likes When did Whirlpool stop making a WW? I'm guessing it was in the 70's.

Post# 1118553 , Reply# 3 5/28/2021 at 05:17 (1,063 days old) by Launderess (Quiet Please, There�s a Lady on Stage)
Checkrate/Likes IIRC Whirlpool stopped making wringer washers early 1970's (1971 or 1972 comes to mind). General Electric ceased production of wringer washers far earlier (about 1954) having seen writing on wall, they announced company was focusing on fully automatic washing machines. By 1960's only Maytag, Speed Queen, Amana (I think, but may have been made by SQ), Montgomery Wards, and Whilpool/Kenmore made up market. Truth to tell as post WWII years ran on Consumer Reports and other groups were doing a number on wringer washers. With each year bringing not only more new automatic washing machines on market, but also things got better decade over decade. Far as CR and some others were concerned wringer washers were a dangerous relic of the past that should be consigned to dust bin of history.

Post# 1118563 , Reply# 4 5/28/2021 at 08:29 (1,063 days old) by jamiel (Detroit, Michigan and Palm Springs, CA)
Checkrate/Likes For completeness, I think there was one manufacturer in Canada during this time (GSW) which still turn up in the northern part of the US occasionally.

Post# 1118565 , Reply# 5 5/28/2021 at 09:09 (1,063 days old) by Tomturbomatic (Beltsville, MD)
Checkrate/Likes 1 It would be neat to put a light in the lint filter to illuminate the washing action and help find stray small items.

Post# 1118572 , Reply# 6 5/28/2021 at 11:12 (1,062 days old) by Launderess (Quiet Please, There�s a Lady on Stage)
Checkrate/Likes Wringer washing machines remained popular up north (Canada) for several reasons primarily... First was fact that Canadian manufactures already had production down of those machines. Everything needed could be sourced within the country for most part, production was simple (compared to automatics), production was already set up, etc.... Automatic washing machines either would have had to be imported from United States, or setting up of new plants and so forth in Canada. There had been a big push to get more manufacturing done within Canada as opposed to importing (NAFTA didn't exist yet), so there you are on that front. Next there was a large demand still by many Canadian housewives who saw automatic washing machines (top or front loading) as wasteful with water and offensive. This came from face many parts of Canada remained quite rural well after WWII, this and or places lacked the indoor plumbing required to handle automatic washing machines. As such women (or anyone else) still did washing the old fashioned way, heating water on stoves etc.. Even if they did have plumbed hot and cold water the idea of using each change of water once was seen as wasteful. Read that such women read adverts advertising how laundry was rinsed in three, four or more fresh changes of water (likely an early front loading washer), were indignant at such wastefulness. They wrote to the newspapers about it..... These were housewives living on farms, mining camps, but women living in other areas had quibbles as well. Think have gotten things correct, but here is link to paper one read on matter: instruct.uwo.ca/geog/9322/Parr19... It is interesting that late as 1968 51% of Canadian households with a washing machine had wringer type, while only 32% had fully automatic. This explains why you find so many wringer washers (some often in near new condition) on offer in Canada. Production and buying went on far longer as primary washing machine compared to USA.

Post# 1118624 , Reply# 7 5/28/2021 at 19:33 (1,062 days old) by combo52 (50 Year Repair Tech Beltsville,Md)
Checkrate/Likes *Whirlpool Wringer Washers* WP stopped WWs at the same time they stopped producing the most complex and advanced laundry appliance ever built for consumers at the same time. Both the WWs and the Kenmore Combination Washer-Dryers were both built in St Joseph Michigan, Both were discontinued in late 1971 John L.