- The washing machine is definitely a wonder of the modern household gadget word. The art of washing clothes by hand has disappeared, as nearly every household has become washing machine dependent to keep clothes clean. If you wonder how this machine managed to replace washing clothes by hand and how the washing machine keeps clothes clean, read on to understand this interesting process.
- To understand how a washing machine cleans, you must understand the components of washing machines. The body of a top loading washing machine is made of two steel tubs. The inner tub is movable and has an agitator fixed at the bottom of the tub. The inner tub is perforated to expel water after the wash. When the inner tub spins, the water leaves the machine. The outer tub is fixed to the body of the washing machine and holds the inner tub. The outer tub enables the inner tub to move without hitting any other mechanism in the machine. The plumbing of the washing machine consists of two water lines: one for hot water and one for cold. The plumbing in washing machines has the three functions of filling the washing machine with water at the right temperature, re-circulating wash water from the bottom of the tub to the top during the wash cycle and pumping out water during the spin cycle. The washing machine has a unique mechanism of two pumps in one, and the motor that drives the pumps can reverse direction for pumping in water for the wash cycle and pumping out water for the spin cycle. The drive mechanism or agitator in the inner tub has the same mechanism of a gear box and agitates the clothes and the water to wash the clothes and force out water during the spin cycle.
- Front-loading washing machines have a different mechanism. These washing machines do not have an agitator. The tub is angled in such a way that the clothes are agitated by gravity.
-
To clean clothes the program of the washing machine should be set correctly. You should choose the load settings among small, medium, large and extra large. The temperature for the wash spin cycles needs to be correctly set. The settings for how the machine should agitate the clothes whether delicate, knit, permanent press or heavy needs to be adjusted. The length of the cycle depending on how dirty the clothes are should be set. Once the detergent and clothes are put and the electricity is switched on, water is filled by the machine into the tub and the agitator stirs the clothes. After some time the water is drained out and the clothes are spun to remove most of the water. The tub is again filled with water and the agitator removes most of the soap. The water is again drained and after spinning the clothes the machine gives us our clean clothes.
With this simple mechanism the washing machine keeps clothes clean and takes a load of washing off the shoulders of the modern home.
