MUST-301 Lessons

The students enter the room, and the first thing they notice is the sharp smell of soap in the air; all around them are enchanted objects cleaning. The room itself looks tidier than ever, if a little damp still. 

My apologies for the timing, class! I thought the classroom could use a bit of spring cleaning. If your work area needs drying, feel free to cast the Quick-Drying Charm upon it. Now that everyone’s seated though, let’s get started! This lesson will be about machines similar to our previous lesson, but I hope that it isn’t too dry. Pun intended!

Just like in wizarding homes, Muggles’ homes tend to get dirty. I’m sure you have had someone scold you at some point for dragging mud into the house, or to clean your dishes after you’re done using them. Cleanliness is important to all kinds of people, and living in a perpetually dirty environment has been proven to cause a poor state of mind. 

Spells such as the Washing Up Charm, the Scouring Charm, and the Cleaning Charm are useful spells when wanting to clean up one’s home. But without magic, one has to rely more on physical effort. As we discussed in the previous lesson, us magic users have developed spells in order to make our workload easier and more efficient, and Muggles developed their own ways to do so, usually by way of electric machinery. This is the case with cleaning as well.

Cleaning Around the Home

At its core, cleaning is simply about removing dirt and debris from areas where they should not be. So the goal of any cleaning device is to do just that. A common place that gets dirty in every type of residence is the floor; our shoes track in plenty of grime that most people do not want in their home. Muggle devices that are used to treat this problem include vacuum cleaners (often referred to by other names, such as a hoover in the UK or a sweeper) and carpet cleaners. 

A vacuum cleaner is a common device every Muggle has in their home, and it’s a fairly simple concept. It’s good at cleaning up after larger debris, such as food crumbs or dirt. It works by creating a vacuum of sorts- that is, it is something that sucks things up. (You may learn about the true vacuums we have in space in your Astronomy class!) This sucking will pick up any large particles on the floor, leaving a clean surface behind. Any waste that is collected will be stored in a bag or in a compartment so that the Muggle can simply dispose of it all in a convenient way. Vacuum cleaners are sometimes large to hold more debris and for more sucking power, or can be smaller and handheld, using batteries for energy. As we’ve discussed in a previous lesson, Muggle inventions with batteries can sometimes work in the hands of witches and wizards, but not always. In the case of a handheld vacuum, you may be disappointed to know they tend not to work unless they’ve been altered in some way to work off the magical energy that surrounds you. But never fear, a good cleaning charm would generally do the trick to get rid of large messes!

Sometimes a Muggle may have a mess that requires more care than a hoover can afford. Carpet cleaners are much more industrial than vacuum cleaners. The difference between these two machines is a similar difference between a simple tidying up charm to a full-blown Scouring Charm. One’s simply more powerful, and does not need to be done for everyday messes. 

A carpet cleaner works by applying water and soap to clean more difficult spots with smaller particles of debris. Soap in general works by being extremely basic (a phrase that has made many Muggle friends of mine laugh by the way, even though I’m not sure why!). In the same way acids can eat through materials, so can extreme bases. Soap is one such item. The science of bases and acids and pH values is bit unnecessarily complicated to cover today, but suffice it to say that strong bases can be ever much as damaging as strong acids. Bases are used to eat away at grime, which is why they’re used in soap and carpet cleaning.

Floors are not the only items that everyone owns that can get dirty. Whatever type of clothing you are wearing - whether it be comfortable wizarding robes or the outlandish fads of Muggle wear (more on those later this year!) - will get dirty over time. A Muggle invention that has helped many people is the washer and dryer.

Before washing and drying machines were invented, clothing and fabric had to be washed by hand. This is a difficult and time-consuming chore, which led to many people not washing clothes as often, changing their clothes much, nor experimenting much with different styles. Because after all, why buy a new silk dress when it was so hard to wash it? Fancy and expensive clothes were reserved for only the richest of people (such as royalty) and were saved for special occasions. 

The first known washing machine invention was in the late seventeenth century, but they did not catch on as well because you still had to power it by hand! The machine did not become as efficient or easy to use as it is today until about 1900. The drying machine that accompanies a washer was not invented until 1940. 

These two devices are aptly named, as one washes a full load of clothes, and the other dries them. They are almost always housed next to one another, so it’s easy to transfer clothing items between the two. Washing machines work by filling the basin in the middle with clothes, then applying soap (called detergent, in this case). Optionally, you can add in other liquids such as fabric softener which, as you might suppose, softens the fabrics you are washing.

You’d then close the door which locks the device to prevent any messes. The user turns dials to whatever setting they need - the amount of water needed, what kind of clothing is being washed, etc. - then presses start! The machine will use water and the detergent to swirl around the clothes, cleaning off any debris that may be on them. The machine will beep when the cycle is finished, and the door will unlock. 

There are many different types of washing machines. Over time, many improvements have been made. Some have the door open from the front (like in the picture) and others have the door on top. Some washing machines have been adapted in today’s world to be “smarter.” These modern washing machines have the capability to be started on a delay (so you do not have to be present) or can be started completely remotely. Who knows what advancements will be thought up of next? Whatever model the Muggle is using, the washing process is pretty much the same. After the washing machine has finished its cycle, the user can then remove the damp clothes and place them into the next step, the dryer.

The dryer works in a similar manner. Clothes are placed inside the basin, but no soap or extra additions are needed. (Although sometimes one may put in a small special sheet called a dryer sheet, intended to prevent clothes from building up too much static electricity. Not everyone uses these while drying though.) The door is then shut, and the appropriate dial is once again moved to the right setting. This is often as simple as choosing between “more dry” and “less dry,” or is sometimes in minute measurements. While it seems like a long time for us, who have drying charms, most dryers run for about an hour! But think about it - that is still much quicker than waiting for the clothes to dry naturally, which could have taken all day!

Not every Muggle home has a washer or dryer though. Whether it be to save space or money, some Muggles find it easier to take their clothes to a place that houses dozens of washers and dryers. This place is called a laundromat or sometimes a launderette. At a laundromat, users can bring in as many clothes or other washable fabrics as they desire and rent washing and drying machines. Launderettes were first found in large urban areas where homes were small and didn’t have the appropriate space for a washer and dryer of their own.

These laundromat machines will first need payment - generally a couple Muggle coins inserted into the appropriate slot will suffice. The specific kind of coin will depend on what country you are in. After paying, one may run the machines like any other washer or dryer. Once the clothes are washed and dried, the user will leave without needing to do anything more. These establishments are quite handy, I find!

The last contraption I’d like to discuss today is called the dishwasher. It is a large and heavy device that is installed into a Muggle’s kitchen. As the name suggests, it is used to wash the dishes dirtied after cooking or eating. Before dishwashers, Muggles only could wash the dishes by hand, so this device makes the job a lot easier.

The process is fairly straightforward. Dishes are loaded into the dishwasher as they become dirty. Once it is full, Muggles will put specially made dish soap into the appropriate spot and close the door. Most dishwashers have options for what cycle the dishes should be washed with, such as ‘normal,’ ‘pots and pans’ (a heavier cycle) and ‘quick clean’ (a lighter cycle). Once the option is chosen, the dishwasher will begin to run. It will fill with hot water that mixes the soap, and then is circulated in the chamber in order to wash every dish. Clever, isn’t it?

Conclusion

Thank you for your attention today everyone! These lessons may seem a bit difficult to understand, but I assure you it is important to see the inventions of Muggles, even if you never plan on using them in the future. Muggles are just as creative and inventive as we are, and that can surely be seen in the devices that they’ve created. If ever you want more explanation about how a machine works though, please feel free to contact me directly and we can discuss it more in depth.

Next week we will be discussing the many ways Muggles get to where they need to go but, before then, you have a quiz to complete for me.

Sources:

http://www.toptenreviews.com/home/vacuum-carpet-cleaning/best-upright-vacuum-cleaners/ 

http://www.carpet-rug.org/cleaning-essentials-home.html 

http://www.lg.com/ca_en/washing-machines/lg-WM3550HVCA-front-load-washer 

https://www.inquirer.com/photo/inq/laundry-cafe-philadelphia-photos-20190916.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washing_machine 

https://www.today.com/home/do-you-load-dishwasher-wrong-t29566

https://www.popsci.com/resizer/Cg8IPkkXd9bzv1QjJw4Y7Dc4LkI=/760x516/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-bonnier.s3.amazonaws.com/public/G6O5LTRTPFEL5AFFWBMRI2W454.jpg