In the olden days, washing clothes was a very cumbersome job. This was because of inadequate resources at their place of stay. Thus people had to pack off their clothes and then carry it over to the river or creek and then start washing them. Often they had to hit the clothes against the rocks for removing the stains and filth. However, today that is not the case. The invention of washing machines has made this cumbersome task a very simple one, provided you don’t consider pressing a button a difficult task. Compared to the yesteryears, when they were mainly considered as a luxury, today it has become a necessity.

Once you go out into the market, you get to see a wide variety of washing machines as well as only washers or dryers. With such a wide range, it may often confuse a person as to which would suit them best. You will be able to understand your need only if you know what to expect. For knowing what is to be expected, it is mandate to know the basic working functionality of an appliance as well as possess a simple knowledge of the features. This will enable you to select the right kind of appliance to fulfil your requirements.

Each and every appliance that you buy is accompanied by an instruction booklet which you must always read before using the appliance. The manual also informs you about the methods by which you can enhance the device’s performance. Using a washing machine is as simple as setting the correct temperature and wash settings, fill water and detergents through the inlet and load clothes. Finally start the cycle and wait till the end of cycle buzzer.

Now, the washing machine starts its operation. The timer is considered to be the brain if the washing machine. The timer is the one that controls each and every section of the washing machine. In fact, timer also decides how much electricity should be supplied at each stage. Depending on the wash cycle and the temperature, the respective solenoids open up to fill water. Once water reaches the predefined level a pressure solenoid checks the pressure of water in the tub and then cuts off the supply when required. When the supply is cut off, the water inlet solenoid is closed and a signal is sent across to the motor to begin the washing cycle.

In the washing cycle, the clothes are moved and shifted in such a way that the detergent reaches all the clothes evenly. Now the detergent performs the cleaning process. Once the washing phase is completed, the machine drains off all the soapy water and takes in fresh water for rinsing. Once the rinsing is thoroughly done, the machine switches to spin mode for drying. In the spin mode, the machine exerts a centrifugal force to extract water from the clothes. Thus generally in the spin mode the clothes at whirled at a very high speed. Also a sensor is placed on top of the machine that pauses the cycle as soon as the lid is opened only to resume it later once the lid is closed.

With technological advancements, lot of changes are taking place. Recently, some washing machines are using steam cleaning technology. However the basic washing and drying process is going to remain more or less same.