The abolition of slavery provided a great impetus to the development of domestic household appliances, since housewives no longer had unpaid domestic servants to do their work for them.  Women now had to do the housework themselves, and many mechanical labour saving devices were developed to help them such as a handle-driven dishwasher.

The early work on magnetism and electricity done by Michael Faraday, Nikola Tesla and George Westinghouse provided the power by which to convert mechanical devices into electrical devices, and the modern household goods industry was born. An interesting fact is that although Edison did most of the earlier work it was not his DC current system but the AC power system, originated by Tesla and developed by Westinghouse, which was to open up the electrical appliance retailers market.

The vacuum cleaner came onto the domestic market in 1908, and the refrigerator followed shortly after once it was possible to fashion a small motor that required no lubrication. By the 20s and 30s, washing machines and dishwashers were common, though not in the form that we know them, and they were not cheap. There were no retailers discounts offered then!  The Hammes In-Sink-Erator came along in 1927:  even garbage disposal had become electric!

As the industry developed and became more efficient and relatively low cost, the cheap electricals industry grew with it. The clothes dryer came along in 1935, and radios that did not rely on batteries were common.  Other appliances that came along between the two World Wars were the electric kettle (Arthur Leslie Large), the blender (Stephen Poplawski) and the Sunbeam Mixmaster (Ivar Jepson).

There have been many discussions on who developed the toaster – probably the most common domestic electrical appliances.  The very first was British:  the Eclipse being unveiled by Crompton & Company as early as 1893, but it is thought to have a tendency to melt and start fires. The first commercial toaster was General Electric’s D-12 of 1909.

Although the first electric stove was produced in the 1890s, it was not until the 1930s that it was able to compete with the gas cooker, and even now many people prefer to cook with gas. The industry developed at a rapid pace after World War 1, and just about every mechanical household appliance now has its electrical equivalent.

When they first began to appear on the market, domestic appliances were believed to be the housewife’s dream, and greatly improve the efficiency with which domestic chores could be carried out.  The retail industry flourished and one supplier after another began to manufacture a range of small domestic appliances.

However, rather than being labour saving, they created a shift in expectation of domestic hygiene and cleanliness, and women found that they were expected to use them more and more frequently.  While a carpet would previously have been cleaned monthly, they were now expected to be vacuumed daily. The same was true of washing clothes and cleaning utensils. They did save on labour, but the housewife’s work was not reduced:  she was simply expected to work more often.

Initially such goods were available only to the upper and then later the middle classes due to their cost.  However, as their use became more common, prices began to drop, and electricals become more common.  The retailer was able to pass on reduced manufacturing costs to the consumer and discount electrical appliances store began to appear on the High Street.

Electrical Appliance Buying Guide

There is a very wide range of electricals available, and there are different things you should be looking at in each appliance you purchase.  However, with domestic appliances in general, there are a few factors that you should take into consideration before making a purchase.  Some relate to health and safety and others to the supply in your household, and these can be especially relevant if you are buying cheap from a discount retailer or supplier, or even second hand.

At the risk of doing them a disservice, a small discount store might not have the same expertise as a larger national retailer, and although you can get some great bargains from such stores, you have to keep your eyes open and make sure that what you are purchasing is appropriate to your needs.  If you do so, then there are bargains to be had from buying at a small UK shop rather than from a large national discount store.

1.  Make sure that the supply needed suits your own domestic supply.  The standard voltage of a UK domestic electricity supply is 220 - 240 volts, the same as the rest of the world except North America, Japan and parts of South America where it is 100 – 127V.  Make sure that the product you buy meets the UK standard.

Now such retailers are common, and consumers have such a large choice that they use online comparison sites to do their online shopping uk and compare one discount supplier with another, and to find which store can meet their needs at the cheapest price.