Rolls 'Rapide' washing machine with dust cover

maker:
Rolls Razor Limited
Rolls "Rapide" automatic twin-tub washing machine, c1962 Rolls "Rapide" automatic twin-tub washing machine, c 1960

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Rolls "Rapide" automatic twin-tub washing machine, c1962
Science Museum Group Collection
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

Rolls "Rapide" automatic twin-tub washing machine, c 1960
Science Museum Group Collection
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

‘Rapide’ automatic twin-tub washing machine, with textile dust cover, by Rolls Razor Limited, Cricklewood, London, England, 1960-1965

Rolls ‘Rapide’ automatic twin-tub washing machine sold for £60 and was made on an assembly line in the Rolls Razor factory in Cricklewood, where prospective customers could view the process. By 1962, Rolls had secured 10% of the market and was the third largest manufacturer of washing machines in Britain. Many Rolls machines were sold by door-to-door salesmen who signed customers up to hire purchase deals.

The wash tub agitates the washing in hot soapy water. Wash times are a fraction of those for automatic washers. Typically, a wash would agitate for 5 minutes or less. However, the washing has to be rinsed separately. To do this, it must be transferred to the other (spin) tub to be spun at high speed, which pushes water out of the clothes. The first spin removes soapy water from the wash cycle. (Many users would recover this water back into the the wash tub to wash the next load in). Clean water is then added and spun through the clothes in order to rinse them. A final spin is done to get the washing as dry as possible.

Details

Category:
Domestic Appliances
Object Number:
2000-272
Materials:
copper (alloy), electronic components, paint, plastic (unidentified), rubber (unidentified) and steel (metal)
Measurements:
overall: 750 mm x 760 mm x 540 mm, 40kg
type:
washing machine
credit:
Rosina, Naomi

Parts

Dust cover for Rolls 'Rapide' washing machine

Dust cover for Rolls 'Rapide' washing machine

Green textile dust cover for ‘Rapide’ automatic twin-tub washing machine, Rolls Razor Limited, Cricklewood, London, England, 1960-1965

Materials:
textile
Object Number:
2000-272/2
type:
dust covers