How does a washing machine work?

          A washing machine is an electrically operated machine used to clean dirty clothes. Most washing machines have a round drum that spins to wash the clothes. The clothes tumble over each other as it turns, which helps the detergent to clean them.

          In a modern washing machine, a set of buttons allows the user to select a pre-programmed cycle of washing, rinsing and removing the water. At the start of the cycle, water pours in through an electrically controlled inlet valve. Once the water reaches a certain level in the drum, this is detected by a sensor that turns off the inlet valve. The pressure of the water in the inlet pipe helps to shut the valve firmly. If required, the water is then heated by the machine’s heating element. Once the preset temperature is reached, a thermostat switches off the electric supply to the heater. The dirty clothes are cleaned by the detergent mixed in water in the spinning drum. The clothes are rinsed in clean water to remove the soapy water.

           The clothes may be washed and rinsed several times in the washing machine to get them really clean. Then they are spun very quickly to remove most of the water so that they may dry quickly. This forces droplets of water out of them by centrifugal force. After spin-drying, the clothes can be air-dried or dried in a tumble dryer.

           Washing machines, now a day, are being used on a large scale. They save time and labour of washing the clothes.