- Social Factors
Biological
People typically wash their clothing at lower temperatures to save both time and energy, but washing your clothing at lower temperature can affect a person’s health. According to the daily mail, “some estimates say the average washing machine could contain 100 million E. coli at any given time. Low temperature used when washing is not strong enough to kill disease-causing bugs that can find their way into our washers. Researchers say that the temperature of the water while washing should be at least 40c or that a detergent containing bleach is used to fight spread of infection. Another problem we face is when we mix our clothing. A perfect example of this would be a family member that works in the food industry and comes home and washes their work clothing with the rest of the family. This could potentially spread E. coli or salmonella to the other people in the household. Detergent is something important people need to take into consideration when making that purchase there are two kinds of detergent. There is non-biological detergent this contains bleach to help clean and disinfect, and then there are biological detergents that rely on enzymes to digest and rinse away proteins and compounds that produce dirt. Any families best bet is to use higher water temperature and keep a like clothes together not mixing work clothes and casual clothes. Men and women tend to do laundry different women care more about organization, while men tend to just throw a pile in the wash when they run out of things to wear.
Social
The creation of washing machines made women’s duties in the house easier and helped them to get the work done quicker. There was a time when women had to set aside a whole day in the week and dedicate it to doing laundry for the family. “These devices allowed women to move out of their homes and get involved in more productive activities than washing clothes, especially paid work (Wade, 2012).” If anything washing machines have given women more freedom in their life, than before when they were forced to be glued at home to complete household duties. Washing machines have been a help and continue to be in each household making it easier for everyone.
Cultural
Washing machines have made a lot of people’s life easier, but a lot of people especially in developing countries still can’t afford a washing machine or don’t have the proper resources. No matter what the case may be each culture can agree on one thing when it comes to washing clothes we all want to get our clothes clean in an efficient way to help avoid sickness. With a study done on household laundry behaviors in India, Brazil, and UK they found that the people like to have maids to help with the household chores daily or weekly. In this study they found that, “Participants bought washing machines based on price, brand and energy rating, with the perceived benefits of a certain technology also important (Spencer, 2013).” Indians only wash clothes in hot water when a family member is sick, because they relate heat with hygiene rather than cleanliness. In Brazil their goal is to wash as much clothes as possible, with nearly half of the population owning washing machines using cold water to run them is normal in their culture. In the UK almost the whole population owns a washing machine, they look at the most important factor when purchasing a washing machine being the price they look for the best value. In the UK they wash their clothing at temperatures between 40 and 60 degrees and don’t have any form of help when it comes to household chores. Each culture is a little different when it comes to washing clothing, but they all want to accomplish the same goal getting their clothing clean.
Economics
In many developing countries in the world people don’t have the money or proper resources to own or utilize a washing machine. “There’s a fascinating twist in the economics of the washing machine: billions are yet to have their clothes washed in one (Wade, 2012.)” Most of the world’s population still can’t afford to buy a washing machine, it is considered a luxury item to them. In some countries where people are homeless and living on the streets, a washing machine wouldn’t benefit them even if they could afford it. With so many of these developing countries without electricity or piped running water to properly run a washing machine their resources limit them. “In India an estimated 400 million to 500 million people don’t have electricity in their homes (Wade, 2012).” In the world we are starting to see growth in developing countries and people are being lifted out of poverty. So a washing machine could be seen in these countries future with the positive economic changes occurring.
Political
A problem we continue to run into time and time again is the amount of water and energy it takes to power washing machine. This not only affects the people in the household especially those of big families who are hit with large bills from running the washer, but it also affects the environment. The amount of water we use to operate these machines will one day catch up to us in a bad day. According to the consumer report of 2015 companies are now trying to build washing machines that save water and money.
Educational
The average person can operate a washing machine no matter what their educational level is. Most families purchase washing machines have them delivered and installed in their homes and briefly read the directions to understand how to operate the machine. In today’s world society relies heavily on technology helping them get through their daily routines. A washing machine is no different, it has allowed people to procrastinate on their laundry and throw it in and push a button that does all the work for them. Appliances like this has given people more freedom and time to get things done, but it has also forced them to rely on technology again to get a task done. Society is moving away from hands on activities and focusing more on the technology that can do most of the work and get the job done in a timely manner.
