I am having difficulty calling this 1930s contraption a washing
machine, as even though it's several eons removed from pounding clothes with rocks, it's certainly not an automatic device. Fill the tank with water, add soap and garments, then grab hold of the lever and start rocking the tub. A few hours of this arm-bending activity on a daily basis would be good training for some Olympic events, I think; shot-put, anyone?