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The ventilator was a machine that you hand cranked with a metal drum that rotated over a fire. This invention was created by M. Pochon, a French inventor. It was created to try and speed up the air drying process. Since it was over an open flame, it would leave clothes usually smokey, burnt, or on fire. -
Hanging clothes up with a line, not necessarily a machine but definitely a tool. They would use a clothesline, and would clip or hang their clothes on it for the sun and air to dry it. The clothes line was likely to be made by sailors, they used their rope to hang their clothes. However in the 1800s, American Stephen Woodward made the rotary clothesline. Universally, the clothesline was the most common way to dry your clothes in the 1800s. -
George T. Sampson wanted to fix the ventilator invention. He wanted to fix it because when he was a slave he had to hang up clothes and it was hard. Sampson added a rack to go over a stove, instead of using heat from an open fire. This was important because the machine didn't smoke or burn the clothes. These dryers were used for a while into the 19th century. Sampson is credited for helping create the modern clothes dryer. -
J. Ross Moore lived on a North Dakota farm. He didn't want to hang wet clothes outside in the middle of the winter anymore. At the time he got a stove and put it in a shed, he hung his clothes there to dry. Over the next 30 years, he partnered with Hamilton Manufacturing. They created a drum-type electric heater and fan model. It let you dry your clothes inside, whenever you wanted. This dryer stands out because it was the first one to become useful and convenient. -
Dryer manufacturers decided to add a lot of new controls, and moved them to the front of the dryer. They added a timer, an exhaust, temperature controls, and a cool-down cycle. They also had 30-inch-wide dryers using a pressure system, which were the first offered to the public and are still used till this day. They also made lint collectors a standard feature in clothes dryers during this time. -
A combined effort of dryer manufacturers (through the advancement of technology) were able to create drying sensors that shut off the power when the load was dry. In addition to this, appliance manufactures had also created dryers with permanent press cycles. -
2000-2025
We have both dryers and washing machines together. Different dryer companies will compete with each other to have the best features for sells.(money) All dryers now have features like gentle drying, stainless steel drums, many different cycle options, bigger/larger sizes, etc. Some even have smart apps allowing you to stop or start your laundry from anywhere you go.