Washing machines are used to automatically wash clothes, bed sheets, towels and other fabrics. It is one of the most essential home appliances for many household nowadays. Since its introduction, manual washing is no longer common. Women do not have to worry about incurring bruises on their hands due to detergent bars.

Washing machines are electric powered. It comes with a motor which rotates the drum. The constant rotating motion spins the dirty clothes inside. Modern washing machines include a spin dryer and automatic timer.

During the 1990s, manufacturers of washing machines have developed the use of microcontrollers for the timer. It is one of the greatest improvements compared to the mechanical timer. This has led to incorporating the technology with some of the machines.

The company of Staber Industries introduced the System 2000 version. This washing machine was launched during 1994 and it is a top loading washer and was considered as the most efficient among other models.

The Whirlpool Corporation introduced its own model in 2001 called Calypso. This is also a top loading washing machine and deploys a vertical axis high efficiency system. The wash plate located under the tub allows the laundry to be tossed and bounced while water and detergent are sprayed into the fabrics and clothing.

Sanyo, one of the leading appliance manufacturer has developed the first ever drum type version. This washing machine makes use of a patented technology called Air Wash. This machine only consumes 50 litters of water. This model was released during 2006.

Since the use of washing machines has increased tremendously, one of the major concerns is on how to conserve water. This has led to the development of a washing machine that can be used with just a cup of water. This was developed by the University of Leeds in 2008. So modern washing machines now have water control levels depending on the load of dirty clothes.

As years passed, washing machines have been continually improved to meet the demands of consumers. The latest variants of washing machines include the front loading and top loading.

The top loading washing machines are very popular in the United States, Canada, Australia and other countries in Europe. The laundry are loaded inside the machine through its top opening and sealed with its air tight door.

The front model washing machines are widely used in Asia, Middle East and Europe. The laundry is loaded through the front opening which has a small window. Since this type of washing machines does not require too much water, a small amount of soap is sufficient. This type is therefore water saving.

Top loading washing machines are more complicated in terms of its mechanism because it consists of a clutch, crank and gearbox in order to finish the washing cycle. But these washing machines were developed with the use of direct drive motor system for a more simple operation. Modern electronic chips have also been used for a more efficient and better performance.

Many features have been added with latest models of washing machines which include child locks for safety, a time indicator, and steam.

Additional features of modern washing machine include the ability to rinse after washing. These machines are also safe for the environment and are more economical than early models of washing machines. These models are also more energy efficient and are more effective in cleaning and rinsing large amount of laundry.

Industrial washing machines are much larger and used for business or commercial purposes such as hotels and laundry services. Commercial types of washing machines can accommodate large amount of laundry and are more powerful compared to other types of washing machines such us those used for household. Commercial types of these machines usually come with durable casing with more features but are more expensive. It usually consists of automated timers with more versatile spin dryers.