Home appliances make life a lot easier. Sure, you need to clean, repair and replace them, but they are the luxuries we can no longer live without! Crowley’s Homeworks offers many choices of appliances with the latest advances in energy efficiency and technology. Appliances have changed significantly over the last 50 years, and will likely continue to evolve. Here are the histories of our most important home appliances in Houston, MO:
- Stove: Used for home heating and cooking, this was one appliance people depended on the most. The first gas stoves were introduced in the early 1850s, but the idea did not come around immediately. Only a small percentage of Americans owned a gas stove over the next few years. By 1912, however, electric stoves entered the market and since they did not require a gas line, they were considered more convenient. Now, both options serve households well and the choice depends mainly on personal preference.
- Refrigerator: Storing food was frequently more problematic than cooking it. Food poisoning was common before the first refrigerators came out in the early 1900s, even though the Romans successfully cooled food centuries ago. Ice boxes were common and worked well as long as it was not a hot summer day. The first patent for an electric refrigerator was approved in 1914, and that was the first refrigerator that did not require ice to work. By 1944, 85 percent of households contained an electric refrigerator, and models with icemakers entered the market in 1952. Magnetic strips that kept doors closed appeared a few years later, and that feature still remains on modern Energy Star refrigerators.
- Dishwasher: The first patent for a dishwasher was registered in 1850, but that concept did not take off. It was not until 1893 that the idea surfaced again. Josephine Cochran, the daughter of a steamboat operator, was tired of servants breaking her fine china. She introduced her dishwasher model in the Chicago World’s Fair, where it was a wonder to all who saw it. However, the operator needed to add water to it since it did not connect to plumbing. That development emerged in the 1920s, and heated drying gained a patent in the 1940s. Dishwashers became a common go-to appliance in the 1970s, by which time nearly every household had one.
- Microwave oven: Many people remember their first microwave oven purchase in the 1970s or 1980s, but it was invented earlier than that. The first patent in 1940 created an unmarketable appliance, but that changed in 1947. Called the Radarange, it weighed nearly 800 pounds and was over six feet tall—not something you would keep in a stove hood or on your counter! Countertop microwaves arose in 1967, and the appliance became extremely popular. Top sales occurred between 1970 and 1975. Now, with its cooking speed and even more compact structure, the microwave is an essential appliance for every kitchen.
If you need to replace home appliances in Houston, MO, visit Crowley’s Homeworks. We offer knowledge, expertise and customer service you will never find in a big box store. Visit us today to see what we offer.