The World’s Best Invention, probably

I spend a lot of time in my car daydreaming during the week. Some of it is useful, some of it is not. Today may just have been the former – you decide.

It’s been a while since the washing machine was invented, 1904 to be precise, although it wasn’t until 1951 that the first automatic washing machine came about (it never ceases to amaze me what you find on the internet – The history of washing machines!). Then Dry cleaning took off, as one franchise-offering company states:

“…the tremendous growth the dry-cleaning industry has enjoyed for the past 20 years…”

Dry cleaning is good because you’re clothes come back clean and ironed, but bad because it’s expensive and needs big machinary. Some companies are going overboard trying to create crease-free fabrics, other fashion houses are trying to convince us the in way of wearing clothes is creased. Then, my brain thought, the clothes only get creased because the clothes get all crumpled up going round in circles in the washing machine. How about either: a) a washing machine that sprays water etc onto your clothes whilst they are hung up (you could have a cupboard in your house converted into a shower-cubical-esque magic washing machine that dries too!), or b) a waching machine where clothes go in neatly folded, one garment on top of the other like a magazine rack.

Genius, thought my brain, that could make me rich. It’s filed in my head next to wheelchairs for kids that have caterpillar tracks like tanks so that they can go cross-country or onto the beach.

Genius. Don’t go stealing my ideas now.

PS. My idea became wobbly when I discovered that the dry-cleaner was actually invented in 1825 using technology from the early 18th century!