What are the two types of home appliances?

Machine for household uses

Home appliance

Numerous home appliances may be used in kitchens

IndustryFood and beverages, health careApplicationKitchens and laundry roomsWheelsIn some casesExamplesRefrigerator, toaster, kettle, microwave, blender

A home appliance, also referred to as a domestic appliance, an electric appliance or a household appliance,[1] is a machine which assists in household functions[2] such as cooking, cleaning and food preservation.

Appliances are divided into three types: small appliances, major appliances (also known as white goods)[3] and consumer electronics (brown goods).[4]

Definition

Given a broad usage, the domestic application attached to home appliance is tied to the definition of appliance as "an instrument or device designed for a particular use or function".[5] More specifically, Collins English Dictionary defines "home appliance" as: "devices or machines, usually electrical, that are in your home and which you use to do jobs such as cleaning or cooking".[6] The broad usage, afforded to the definition, allows for nearly any device intended for domestic use to be a home appliance, including consumer electronics as well as stoves,[7] refrigerators, toasters[7] and air conditioners.

History

Early 20th century electric toaster

While many appliances have existed for centuries, the self-contained electric or gas powered appliances are a uniquely American innovation that emerged in the early twentieth century. The development of these appliances is tied to the disappearance of full-time domestic servants and the desire to reduce the time-consuming activities in pursuit of more recreational time. In the early 1900s, electric and gas appliances included washing machines, water heaters, refrigerators, kettles and sewing machines. The invention of Earl Richardson's small electric clothes iron in 1903 gave a small initial boost to the home appliance industry. In the Post–World War II economic expansion, the domestic use of dishwashers, and clothes dryers were part of a shift for convenience. Increasing discretionary income was reflected by a rise in miscellaneous home appliances.[8][9][self-published source]

In America during the 1980s, the industry shipped $1.5 billion worth of goods each year and employed over 14,000 workers, with revenues doubling between 1982 and 1990 to $3.3 billion. Throughout this period, companies merged and acquired one another to reduce research and production costs and eliminate competitors, resulting in antitrust legislation.

The United States Department of Energy reviews compliance with the National Appliance Energy Conservation Act of 1987, which required manufacturers to reduce the energy consumption of the appliances by 25% every five years.[8]

In the 1990s, the appliance industry was very consolidated, with over 90% of the products being sold by just five companies. For example, in 1991, dishwasher manufacturing market share was split between General Electric with 40% market share, Whirlpool with 31%, Electrolux with 20%, Maytag with 7% and Thermador with just 2%.[8]

Major appliances

Swedish washing machine, 1950s

Major appliances, also known as white goods, comprise major household appliances and may include: air conditioners,[10] dishwashers,[10] clothes dryers, drying cabinets, freezers, refrigerators,[10] kitchen stoves, water heaters,[10] washing machines,[10] trash compactors, microwave ovens, and induction cookers. White goods were typically painted or enameled white, and many of them still are.[11]

Small appliances

The small appliance department at a store

Small appliances are typically small household electrical machines, also very useful and easily carried and installed. Yet another category is used in the kitchen, including: juicers, electric mixers, meat grinders, coffee grinders, deep fryers, herb grinders, food processors,[12] electric kettles, waffle irons, coffee makers, blenders,[12] rice cookers,[7] toasters and exhaust hoods.

Product design

In the 1960s the product design for appliances such as washing machines, refrigerators, and electric toasters shifted away from Streamline Moderne and embraced technological advances in the fabrication of sheet metal. A choice in color, as well as fashionable accessory, could be offered to the mass market without increasing production cost. Home appliances were sold as space-saving ensembles.[13]

Consumer electronics

Consumer electronics or home electronics[10] are electronic (analog or digital) equipment intended for everyday use, typically in private homes. Consumer electronics include devices used for entertainment, communications and recreation. In British English, they are often called brown goods by producers and sellers, to distinguish them from "white goods" which are meant for housekeeping tasks, such as washing machines and refrigerators, although nowadays, these could be considered brown goods, some of these being connected to the Internet.[14][n 1] Some such appliances were traditionally finished with genuine or imitation wood, hence the name. This has become rare but the name has stuck, even for goods that are unlikely ever to have had a wooden case (e.g. camcorders). In the 2010s, this distinction is absent in large big box consumer electronics stores, which sell both entertainment, communication, and home office devices and kitchen appliances such as refrigerators. The highest selling consumer electronics products are compact discs.[16] Examples are: home electronics, radio receivers, TV sets,[7] VCRs, CD and DVD players,[7] digital cameras, camcorders, still cameras, clocks, alarm clocks, computers, video game consoles, HiFi and home cinema, telephones and answering machines.

Life spans

A survey conducted in 2020 of more than thirteen thousand people in the UK revealed how long appliance owners had their appliances before needing to replace them due to a fault, deteriorating performance, or the age of the appliance.

Appliance Longest average estimated lifespan Shortest average estimated lifespan Washing machine 21 years 13 years Tumble dryer 24 years 17 years Dishwasher 22 years 13 years Built-in oven 29 years 23 years Fridge freezer 24 years 14 years Fridge 29 years 18 years

Home automation

There is a trend of networking home appliances together, and combining their controls and key functions.[18] For instance, energy distribution could be managed more evenly so that when a washing machine is on, an oven can go into a delayed start mode, or vice versa. Or, a washing machine and clothes dryer could share information about load characteristics (gentle/normal, light/full), and synchronize their finish times so the wet laundry does not have to wait before being put in the dryer.

Additionally, some manufacturers of home appliances are quickly beginning to place hardware that enables Internet connectivity in home appliances to allow for remote control, automation, communication with other home appliances, and more functionality enabling connected cooking.[18][19][20][21] Internet-connected home appliances were especially prevalent during recent Consumer Electronics Show events.[22]

Recycling

New Orleans, Louisiana, United States after Hurricane Katrina: mounds of trashed appliances with a few smashed automobiles mixed in, waiting to be scrapped

Appliance recycling consists of dismantling waste home appliances and scrapping their parts for reuse. The main types of appliances that are recycled are T.V.s, refrigerators, air conditioners, washing machines, and computers. It involves disassembly, removal of hazardous components and destruction of the equipment to recover materials, generally by shredding, sorting and grading.[23]

See also

Notes

1. ^[15]

   "Brown" from the bakelite and wood-veneer finishes typical on 1950s and 1960s radio and TV receivers, and in contrast to "white goods".

References

Further reading

As far as this website is concerned, our main goal is to help and provide valuable information about home appliances. That being the case, it is only proper that we discuss what is Home Appliances and their uses.

In this article, I will be walking you through to identify the three aspects that comprise home appliances. I hope that this blog post could give us more clarity and added understanding about appliances.

So, join me as we tackle the many different forms of home appliances.

What is Home Appliances

A home appliance is a machine or device highly utilized in residential and lodging properties.

They are also synonymous with Household appliances, Electric appliances, and Domestic appliances. And in most instances, Home appliances have always been related to kitchen appliances.

Even so, if we examine further, we can surely find other appliances inside our homes such as electronic appliances.

However, electronic appliances are distinctively segmented being part of consumer electronics, a division of appliances that are mainly tagged as electronic devices.

Therefore, it would be safe to say that a home appliance does not only represent electric household and kitchen appliances but should also include consumer electronics. Since most kitchen or household appliances are now utilizing microchips and this is especially true for smart kitchen appliances.

Consumer electronics had always been part of the broader “electronics appliance” designation. That distinctively identifies them from other household appliances and has been widely accepted.

Three Main Category of Home Appliances

As we have established above what is home appliances, this section will try to identify the main three categories.

1. Major Domestic Appliance (MDA)

I have discussed in detail what are the appliances that are under MDA in my previous article about What is Major Domestic Appliances.

And for the benefit of our readers, I will again summarize what are these appliances.

To give you an idea, most appliances that belong to the MDA group are big appliances, as you can see in the illustration below.

Normally, there are two types of design for Major Domestic Appliances.

• Freestanding
  • Designed with complete aesthetic properties and can be displayed or installed as-is
  • These are types of appliances that do not need to be integrated into a cabinet

• Built-in
  • Designed without a complete aesthetic outlook
  • These types of appliances are designed to be integrated into a cabinet or an enclosure

Besides, Major Domestic Appliance could be further classified into sub-categories, they can be as follows:

• Cooking Appliances – these are appliances that are used for cooking, such as:
  • Oven
  • Microwave
  • Gas Hob
  • Induction Hob
  • Ceramic Hob
  • Range Cooker
  • Kitchen Hoods

• Cooling Appliances – use to preserve raw and cooked foods as well as drinks and dairy products. An example of a cooling product is as follows:
  • Refrigerator
  • Freezer
  • Minibar
  • Wine Cooler

• Dishwashers – this appliance is designed to wash used eating dishes and other used dishwasher-compliant kitchen utensils.

• Clothes Washer and Dryer – used to wash and dry dirty clothes and other textile or garments. This type of appliance can have the following functions:
  • Combination Washer and Dryer (automatic washing and drying function)
  • Washing machine plus Dryer (after washing you manually put the clothes on a separate tub to start the drying function)
  • Washing machine (washer only and without dryer function)
  • Tumble Dryer (this is only for clothes drying and no washing function)

• Heating Appliances – these are mostly known or considered water heaters or boilers. It can be operated as follows:
  • Gas water heater
  • Electric water heater

• Air-conditioning Unit – aircon is considered a major domestic appliance used to cool down a certain enclosed area. Other designs can be inverted to warm a place during the winter season.

• Disinfection Cabinet – used to disinfect eating utensils, this appliance is popularly considered in every Chinese household.

Note: There could be other Major Domestic Appliance that was not mentioned above, but overall, these are the most common big appliances that we can usually observe in most households. Again, please also check my article about What is Major Domestic Appliances.

2. Small Domestic Appliance (SDA)

Further reading:
Home Appliances

Aluminium vs steel contraction when frozen

Like MDA, I have also recently covered Small Domestic Appliance or SDA in my earlier blog post about What is Small Domestic Appliances.

Just the same, for the benefit of our visitors and readers, I will also sum up in here the appliances under the SDA group.

The below illustration is just an example of the most common SDA products.

However, I will try to add some items that are considered and that are normally purchased by many clients.

Small Domestic Appliances are mostly Freestanding and Portable types.

However, there’s always an exception because freestanding microwaves and compact ovens can also be integrated into a cabinet to save space.

SDA can be classified as well into sub-groups, such as:

• Cooking Appliances – small types of kitchen appliances used for cooking, below are some commonly utilized small cooking appliances.
  • Rice cooker
  • Pressure cooker
  • Microwave oven (smaller capacity)
  • Compact oven (mini-oven)
  • Air Fryer
  • Induction cooker (portable type, single or double zone)
  • Slow cooker
  • Multi-cooker
  • Table Grill
  • Food Steamer

• Food Preparation Appliances – a type of small kitchen appliances that are mainly utilized in the processing and preparation of food, below are the most commonly owned.
  • Juicer
  • Blender (table blender, hand blender)
  • Food processor
  • Meat grinder
  • Mixer (stand mixer, hand mixer)
  • Food chopper
  • Breadmaker
  • Bread toaster
  • Sandwich maker
  • Salad maker
  • Coffee maker (espresso, capsule)
  • Coffee grinder
  • Electric kettle
  • Food dehydrator

• Floorcare Appliances – this is a type of small household appliance that is intended for cleaning, they are the following:
  • Standard vacuum cleaner
  • Stick vacuum cleaner
  • Robot vacuum cleaner
  • Car vacuum cleaner

• Personal care and Beauty Appliances – these are considered types of household appliances under the SDA group used for personal care. These types of appliances may include the following:
  • Hair dryer
  • Hair straightener
  • Hair styler
  • Power shaver
  • Powered toothbrush
  • Personal or bathroom scale

• Other Small Appliances
  • Electric fan – used as a cooler or to cool down a certain area
  • Electric heater – a portable type of heater utilized during the winter season
  • Air Purifier – used to kill bacteria, allergens, viruses, etc. to have a clean and fresh breathable air inside your home
  • Dehumidifier – used to release moisture into the atmosphere to prevent air dryness, especially beneficial during the winter season
  • Portable Icemaker – used to make ice cubes, will come in handy at parties and occasions where ice cubes are constantly needed for drinks and cocktails
  • Vacuum sealer – used to seal raw and cooked food for future consumption
  • Flat iron (steam, dry) – used to straighten crumples in a newly washed clothes

Note: There could be other Small Domestic Appliance that was not mentioned above, but overall, these are the most common small appliances that we can usually observe in most households. Again, please also check my article about What is Small Domestic Appliances.

3. Consumer Electronics

Now let’s move to the third main category which comprises home appliances.

I haven’t touched on this subject yet as I am focused firstly on household (kitchen) appliances.

From personal experience, my first job was in consumer electronics!

I worked in Quality Control Department from 1990 to 2001 and was trained to inspect the following products.

• Color TV (CRT type)
• Black and White TV (CRT type)
• Betamax
• Camcorder
• VHS
• Stereo system (micro and midi types)
• Walkman
• Compact disc player

While in 2003 to 2009, I also worked in consumer electronics (this was my third company) and in Quality Control. The company’s main products are as follows:

• Boombox radio
• Compact disc player
• MP3
• iPod docking station
• DVD player
• Car stereo
• Clock radio
• Micro-system
• Digital picture frame
• DTV

As you observe above, consumer electronics covers a wide variety of products.

Consumer electronics also known as home electronics embodies a broad range of appliances and devices (either analog or digital). Covering entertainment, communication, imaging, game consoles, and many more.

For illustration purposes, I will be showing examples of the most common electronic appliances that are usually seen in most households and their uses.

Television

Television is one major electronic appliance that is always present in every household.

Of course, this appliance is used to watch your favorite TV programs or movies.

From CRT type to Plasma, LCD, and or LED… from analog to digital and Smart TV, the evolution of television has been on constant display.

Audio Micro System

The audio micro-system is another major electronic appliance that has always been present in most households before digitalization.

Regardless if it has a CD or DVD player integrated, this type of electronic appliance is still seen in many households.

This appliance is used to listen to your favorite music and also watch movies either on CD or DVD recording.

Although the emergence of the digital age and free streaming music has placed audio appliances into a possible extinction.

DVD Player

Once upon a time before NETFLIX, Hulu, Youtube, and other video-on-demand platforms were invented, the DVD player has been our best option for watching our favorite movies there was.

However, like many other electronic appliances, DVD players are slowly on the brink of extinction.

Portable CD Radio

Who doesn’t listen to the radio?

Unfortunately, with digitalization and the emergence of online streaming, analog radios have become or going into the process of extinction as well.

Clock CD Radio

A clock CD radio is a multi-function device.

It can be used to set your alarm clock, play CD as well as listen to your favorite radio station.

But like any other electronic device, it may be gone sooner than later. With mobile phones or smartphones becoming the go-to alarm clock nowadays.

Digital Frame

A digital frame is used to display your favorite family pictures.

Depending on the design, images can be recorded on an SD card or USB, then they can be played on the digital frame, just as shown on the sample image.

Digital frames can be multi-functional. Like the sample shown here, it has an alarm clock and radio functions.

But like any other electronic device, the digital frame may soon be extinct.

As I have earlier pointed out, these are just examples of home electronics appliances or devices that are commonly seen in many households.

Although, most of them are no longer in demand or have been extinct. Because of digitalization, and the emergence of smart technology in the 21st century which mostly are now cloud-based.

I can say that I was lucky to have experienced these devices and am still enjoying some of them even in this age of digital and smart technology.

Remark: These days, computers and information technology devices are considered part of consumer electronics with all this digitalization. Converging smart technology and forming smart appliances, smart homes, smart cities, and so on.

Final Thoughts

We have identified and established the three main categories comprising Home Appliances.

In summary, they are the following:

• Major Domestic Appliances (MDA) – comprising big appliances that are mostly integrated or built-in.
• Small Domestic Appliances (SDA) – consist mainly of portable and freestanding types of appliances.
• Consumer Electronics – also known as Home Electronics such as television, radio, and the like.

We have also defined the uses of the most common home appliances that I know.

So there you have it folks!

Thank you for reading and I hope you find this article helpful.

If you have some questions or suggestions, please leave a comment below.

And I will try to answer them as soon as I can to the best of my knowledge!

Rowe Medialdea

I'm experienced in Quality Control with a working history in the Consumer Electronics and Home Appliance industry. I have created this website to share my gained knowledge and be of help!