Can you help me identify grandma's washing machine???

[charleskirby66]

So, when I was a kid, I was more fascinated by washing machines and garage door openers than vacuums. (My how times have changed.)

I remember my grandma had matching white washer and dryer. The thing that sticks out most for me was that, while the machine was in the wash or rinse cycle, water would shoot out from the top of the drum and into a frisbee-like plastic filter that was placed atop the agitator. I used to love to watch the water fill that filter with lint and other nasties.

The following video shows an example of the water shooting out of the top of the drum, although this is NOT my grandma's machine. Hers was white and probably from the 70s or 80s. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

http://https//youtu.be/BpLn8PAgU3U?t=1m13s

 

[kirby519]

GE made washing machines with a lint filter that was mounted on top of the agitator. Don't know of any other manufactures that did that. GE also had a mini tub that mounted over the agitator for small or delicate loads at one time.

My favorite machine was the whirlpool washer with the "Surgelator agitator" (late 60's early 70's) have yet to find a washing machine that washed clothes as well as that machine. Any size load from bed sheets to blue jeans. All came out clean. Didn't hurt that we had detergents at the time that actually worked with out having to buy 6 additives to get clean laundry in the end. Oh yes and they used more water than it takes to just get them wet.

 

[suctionselector]

Nice machines.

They were great machines, we had a similar variant over in the UK. Even though front loaders make up around 98% of washing machine bought in the UK, Hotpoint made traditional top loading style machines for 20+ years until about 1998/1999.

My grandmother had a Hotpoint 9605, like in the link below, it has the tray on the agitator. The idea is that the water is regurgitated from the bottom of the tub to the top, so the clothes are sprayed. The filter tray catches all the fluff and lint, so at the end of the cycle you take the tray off and rinse all the lint away. Its quite a clever system.

 

[kirbysthebest]

Sounds like you are describing a GE Filter-Flo. These were excellent machines, bit of a water hog by today's standards. General Electric built these machines until around 1995.

 

[charleskirby66]

Thanks guys!

@suction - Awesome machine and thanks for the input!

@kirbysthebest - YES! That's it! I found videos of it on YouTube and was immediately taken back to the 80s! The video in this link is of a machine like my grandma's! I don't remember the mini-basket, but that's an awesome idea. Wow I'd love to own one of those machines, with matching dryer of course. LOL

http://https//youtu.be/g9zIgX6hnkA

 

[tolivac]

In my small washer collection have a Hotpoint "Rim-flo"that uses the basket rim as the lint filter.Works well-has the ramp agitator.When I first got the machine-only filled little over half way-adjusted the fill so it just goes to the top of the agitators blades--much better!Circulates the load rather than just beating it and splashing.Bought the machine from the swap shop here-it must of been a builders model-minimal cycles.It just does the job!In between cycles I just pick the lint out of the rim and throw it in the trash rather than letting the machine pump it into the septic tank.

 

[charleskirby66]

Thanks guys!

@kirby519 - Thank you for your help, also! Sorry I missed you, was so excited to have found the Filter Flo!

@tolivac - You're lucky to have such a filtration machine!

 

[bikerray]

My parents had a Maytag that trapped the lint in the top of the agitator.

The washing machine I always liked was the Frigiaire where the cone would go up and down, pumping the water and circulating the laundry. I also loved the little Westinghouse front loaders from the 50's and 60's.

 

[kirby519]

Biker Ray

I remember seeing the washing machine with the cone that goes up and down advertised on TV when I was a kid. That was cutting edge technology then. Looked like a nice concept. I remember my grandmother saying she wouldn't have one, as that action would be hard on the clothes.

I did know some one that had a machine like that and they said it worked very well.

Now if you really want to go back in time. Think after the wash board and before the electric wringer washer. My grandmother (born 1913) used a hand pumped washing machine. She said that was a real work out especially if you wanted your white clothes white like her mother did. My Great grandfather was handy and found an electric motor and rigged it to the washer. What a labor saver that was. Great Grandpa was my grandmothers hero that day.

How things have changed in the past 100 years. And we think we have hard work to do with all the equipment we have today to make out lives easier.

Kirby was one that lived up to there promise of "More leisure time for you." My grandmother taught me how to use her Kirby and how to clean to her level of satisfaction. All she had to do was pay the electric bill and keep extra belts on hand. I did the bull work and she supervised. (Boy was she smart)

 

[tolivac]

The Hotpoint washer is getting more use since I bought it from the forgotten corner of the swap shop-will have to go there and see whats in the forgotten corner again!And you get things at a good price if moved to the corner.