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• Frances
Gabe
Frances Gabe invented the "Self-Cleaning
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Mary
Bellis
The ultimate convenience invention
must certainly be inventor Frances Gabe’s self-cleaning house. The house,
a combination of some 68 time, labor and space saving mechanisms, makes
the concept of housework obsolete.
Each of the rooms in the termite-proof,
cinder block constructed, self-cleaning house is fitted with a 10-inch,
ceiling-mounted cleaning/drying/heating/cooling device. The walls, ceilings
and floors of the house are covered with resin, a liquid that becomes water-proof
when hardened. The furniture is made of a water-proof composition, and
there are no dust-collecting carpets anywhere in the house. At the push
of a sequence of buttons, jets of soapy water wash the entire room. Then,
after a rinse, the blower dries up any remaining water that hasn’t run
down the sloping floors into a waiting drain.
The sink, shower, toilet and bathtub
all clean themselves. The bookshelves dust themselves while a drain in
the fireplace carries away ashes. The clothes closet is also a washer/drier
combination. The kitchen cabinet is also a dishwasher; simply pile in soiled
dishes, and don’t bother taking them out until they are needed again. Not
only is the house of practical appeal to overworked homeowners, but also
to physically handicapped people and the elderly.
Frances Gabe (or Frances G. Bateson)
was born in 1915 and now resides comfortably in Newberg, Oregon in the
prototype of her self-cleaning house. Gabe gained experience in housing
design and construction at an early age from working with her architect
father. She entered the Girl’s Polytechnic College in Portland, Oregon
at age 14 finishing a four-year program in just two years. After World
War II, Gabe with her electrical engineer husband started a building repairs
business that she ran for more than 45 years.
In addition to her building/inventing
credits, Frances Gabe is also an accomplished artist, musician, and mother.
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