Is Charleston White the Reason Washing Machines Stop When You Open Them Due to the Lid Switch Safety Feature?

Charleston White, a controversial social media figure and former juvenile offender, has made a shocking claim that he is partly responsible for the safety feature that stops a washing machine when the lid is opened. His evidence behind the claim was childhood story, but is there any their truth the incidents influence on the Washing Machine industry?

Why Does Charleston White Claim He is Part of Reason the Lid Switch was Added to Washing Machines?

During his podcast interview with Cam Newton, Charleston White told a story about how he fell in a washing machine when he was five years old, and broke several bones in his legs and hips. He said that he was playing around in a laundromat one day when his mother was asleep and snuck out of the house. He said that he was jumping up and down on the washing machine, and when he was trying to jump down, the lid popped open and he fell in.

He said that he was in a body cast for many years due to his injuries and that he had to learn how to walk again. He said that his family sued the Quickwash company, which manufactured the washing machine, and that they won the lawsuit. He claimed that the lawsuit was one of the reasons that the washing machine industry implemented the lid switch technology that stops the machine when the lid is opened.

However, White’s claim is either exaggerated, or he overestimated the influence the alleged lawsuit had. Based on our research the lid switch technology in Washing Machines has been around for much longer than White’s alleged incident. The lid switch is a safety device that prevents the washer from operating if the lid is left open for any reason. It was added to prevent injuries that used to be sustained by people who reached in the washing machine while it was operating.

Based on our research, the lid switch technology was first introduced in the 1950s by the Whirlpool Corporation. The company patented the invention in 1957 and described it as “a safety switch for a washing machine which is actuated by the opening and closing of the lid of the machine”.

The patent also stated that the switch was designed to “prevent the operation of the machine when the lid is open and to permit the operation of the machine when the lid is closed”. The lid switch is a safety device that prevents the washer from operating if the lid is left open for any reason. It was added to prevent injuries that used to be sustained by people who reached in the washing machine while it was operating.

Therefore, it is unlikely that White’s fall in the washing machine, which he said happened in the late 1970s, had any impact on the development of the lid switch technology. White has not provided any proof of his claim, such as a copy of the lawsuit or a medical report of his injuries.

However, it’s possible that his lawsuit might have led to Quick-Wash implementing the lid switch on the washing machines used in their laundry mats. He may have just worded it wrongly, and included washing machines in general.