<description>&lt;p&gt;Under your worktop there's an icon quietly sitting there, transforming people's lives.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Without it, you would be still taking a weekly trip down to your local river, or washhouse, to get your clothes clean.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Adding hours of domestic chores to everyone's week.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The washing machine is a silent part of the civilised world (apart from when its on a fast spin), but no one talks about them. They are so integral to our modern lives. We wash our clothes in the 21st century without a second thought, but these clever machines that sit so humbly in our kitchens and utility rooms, have revolutionised our lives over the last 100 years.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Today's design can trace it's roots right back to the 1750s, in fact a lot of the design elements can still be seen in the latest machines.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Host, Ben Diamant; a Creative Innovator and inventor of consumer goods, finds out:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;How the first washing machines took over from washing clothes in rivers&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;The first designs were simple but very effective&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Why the idea was so innovative, it spread quickly across the globe&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;That their features are still visible in washing machines today&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Why the washing machine has never had its "big bang" moment&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;And how the future is focused on sustainability&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;Ben is, as always, joined by design expert Phil Staunton, founder of D2M, to pick over the wonder of washing machine's design.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This episode's guest, looking at the future of automated clothes washing, is Laura Tuck, R&amp;amp;D Lead at The Washing Machine Project - who provide accessible washing machine solutions for communities without electricity.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;FOLLOW THE SHOW:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.instagram.com/whytfpod/"&gt;https://www.instagram.com/whytfpod/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/why-the-fork-podcast/posts/?feedView=all"&gt;https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/why-the-fork-podcast/posts/?feedView=all&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;LINKS&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/laura-tuck-meng/"&gt;https://www.linkedin.com/in/laura-tuck-meng/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.thewashingmachineproject.org/"&gt;https://www.thewashingmachineproject.org/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/bendiamant/"&gt;https://www.linkedin.com/in/bendiamant/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/philstaunton/"&gt;https://www.linkedin.com/in/philstaunton/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.design2market.co.uk/"&gt;https://www.design2market.co.uk/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Concept and Podcast production by: &lt;a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.gingerwizard.co.uk/"&gt;https://www.gingerwizard.co.uk/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>

Why the Fork: Everyday design for curious minds

D2M Product Design

Why the Washing Machine? The revolutions of social change

AUG 27, 202545 MIN
Why the Fork: Everyday design for curious minds

Why the Washing Machine? The revolutions of social change

AUG 27, 202545 MIN

Description

<p>Under your worktop there's an icon quietly sitting there, transforming people's lives.</p><p>Without it, you would be still taking a weekly trip down to your local river, or washhouse, to get your clothes clean.</p><p>Adding hours of domestic chores to everyone's week.</p><p>The washing machine is a silent part of the civilised world (apart from when its on a fast spin), but no one talks about them. They are so integral to our modern lives. We wash our clothes in the 21st century without a second thought, but these clever machines that sit so humbly in our kitchens and utility rooms, have revolutionised our lives over the last 100 years.</p><p>Today's design can trace it's roots right back to the 1750s, in fact a lot of the design elements can still be seen in the latest machines.</p><p>Host, Ben Diamant; a Creative Innovator and inventor of consumer goods, finds out:</p><ul><li>How the first washing machines took over from washing clothes in rivers</li><li>The first designs were simple but very effective</li><li>Why the idea was so innovative, it spread quickly across the globe</li><li>That their features are still visible in washing machines today</li><li>Why the washing machine has never had its "big bang" moment</li><li>And how the future is focused on sustainability</li></ul><p>Ben is, as always, joined by design expert Phil Staunton, founder of D2M, to pick over the wonder of washing machine's design.</p><p>This episode's guest, looking at the future of automated clothes washing, is Laura Tuck, R&amp;D Lead at The Washing Machine Project - who provide accessible washing machine solutions for communities without electricity.</p><p>FOLLOW THE SHOW:</p><p><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.instagram.com/whytfpod/">https://www.instagram.com/whytfpod/</a></p><p><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/why-the-fork-podcast/posts/?feedView=all">https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/why-the-fork-podcast/posts/?feedView=all</a></p><p>LINKS</p><p><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/laura-tuck-meng/">https://www.linkedin.com/in/laura-tuck-meng/</a></p><p><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.thewashingmachineproject.org/">https://www.thewashingmachineproject.org/</a></p><p><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/bendiamant/">https://www.linkedin.com/in/bendiamant/</a></p><p><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/philstaunton/">https://www.linkedin.com/in/philstaunton/</a></p><p><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.design2market.co.uk/">https://www.design2market.co.uk/</a></p><p>Concept and Podcast production by: <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.gingerwizard.co.uk/">https://www.gingerwizard.co.uk/</a></p>