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by LeonB 387 days ago
Washing machines created a revolution where we could now expend 1/10th of the human labour to wash the same amount of clothes as before. We now have more than 10 times as much clothes to wash.

I don’t know if it’s induced demand, revealed preference or Jevon’s paradox, maybe all 3.
3 comments
B1FF_PSUVM 387 days ago
> We now have more than 10 times as much clothes to wash.

OK, but I doubt we're washing 10 times as much clothes, unless are people wearing them for one hour between washes...

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jjk166 387 days ago
> We now have more than 10 times as much clothes to wash.

Citation needed.

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tim333 387 days ago
I saw some research once that the hours women spend doing housework hasn't changed. I think because human nature, not anything to do with the tech.
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Auracle 387 days ago
That's nonsense. It used to take women a full workday per week just to wash clothes.
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tim333 386 days ago
https://robinmarkphillips.com/household-appliances-made-life...

I've done some 3rd world travel without washing machines for a while and my laundry was once a week dunk stuff in the sink for 5 minutes with shampoo + rinse water, wring and hang up. I don't buy the whole day being necessary thing.

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AStonesThrow 387 days ago
Well, now we can own more clothes! And we can wash them more often! And rather than specialist washerwomen, everyone can/must use the laundry-room robots!
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