We often are asked about statistics, especially around washing machines and this one shows just how affluent that we have become as a nation in the UK as almost all UK households now own a washing machine.
The humble washing machine is often cited as being a hero of both liberation through automating much of the laundry process and economic wealth yet by many people the importance of their washing machine is massively understated.
The chart below shows the trend in washing machine ownership over the past forty years in the UK using figures from the Office of National Statistics (ONS).
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By the time we get to last year, 2012, 97% of UK homes have a washing machine.
To highlight why the washing machine is so important in modern life and, how much they have become commodities over the decades, just watch Hans Rosling’s TED talk in the video below.
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