110 years on, the washing machine is the nation’s favourite household appliance according to the Ideal Home Show 2018
When it comes to one household appliance the UK can’t live without, the washing machine makes a clean sweep, according to research by the Ideal Home Show 2018 sponsored by Zoopla.
Prior to its opening, the exhibition taking place at Olympia London from 17 March to 2 April, surveyed over 19,000 social media followers of this spring’s event. The washing machine emerged as the clear favourite, with nearly 30% of the total votes going to the household laundry appliance during the knockout competition.
In the first round of voting, juicers were pitched against coffee machines, with the juicer squeezing out caffeine by a resounding 84% to 16%. The washing machine whitewashed the tumble dryer by three to one, while the iron scorched vacuum cleaners by 86% to 14%. Britons know which side their bread is buttered, with 86% preferring to hang on to their toaster rather than their kettle.
In round two the washing machine pegged the juicer out to dry with 94% preferring clean clothes over fresh orange juice, while the toaster triumphed over the iron. In the final appliance showdown, 97% of respondents made it a clean win for the washing machine versus toaster.
The Ideal Home Show first opened its doors 110 years ago in the same year that Thor, the first electric-powered washing machine by the Hurley Machine Company of Chicago, was mass-marketed in the USA. Electric washing machines made their first appearances at the Ideal Home Show in the 1930s, although weren’t in general UK use until the post-war 1950s.
The show became established as a launchpad for home design and domestic innovations. In the 1920s ‘novelty’ appliances including an electric kettle, heating stand and ‘heated toast rack’ had to be identified with labels, and a dishwasher comprised plates placed in a rack, with hot water sprayed by hand from a rubber pipe. A portable wireless exhibited in 1922 was promoted as ‘able to receive messages from as far afield as Paris without the use of an aerial’.
This year’s show homes focus on enhancing every centimetre of livable space, including a modernised Victorian terrace ‘Innovation Home’ featuring virtual reality and digital technologies, alongside ‘Liv-in’ beach huts, and specially-designed outdoor pods providing office or extra bedroom space in the garden.
The Ideal Home Show 2018 features six sections: Interiors, Home Renovation, Gardens, Style, Homewares and Home Accessories. With over 600 exhibitors, visitors can enjoy exclusive offers and a packed programme of talks and demonstrations from celebrities and expert guests. Celebrity chefs and drinks-industry experts also take to the Foodie Stage and Drink Station within the co-located Eat & Drink Festival, with free access for Ideal Home Show visitors.
To book tickets visit www.idealhomeshow.co.uk