New York Times July 19, 2017
Sick of doing housework, which she described as thankless and a nerve-twangling bore, Gabe designed and built a house that cleaned itself. She patented her design in 1984. Gabe, who gave herself this name after her divorce, learned construction from her father and repair work from the business owned by herself and her then husband. She toured the country giving lectures on her inventions while completing the house, but she was unable to maintain her patent. The method, which required numerous adaptations of furniture and walls, and required her to don a raincoat and umbrella, consisted of a self-sluicing system. Her sink, toilet and bathtub were also self-cleaning.
Her floors were coated with multiple layers of marine varnish. Furniture was incased in clear acrylic resin. Bedclothes were kept dry by means of an awning pulled over the bed before the cascade began. Upholstery was made from a waterproof fabric of her own invention. Pictures and books were coated in plastic. The house deteriorated when she could no longer afford the maintenance and upkeep. The house still exists although the property was sold.
"You can talk all you like about women's liberation, but houses are still designed so women have to spend half their time on their knew or hanging their head in a hole." The reaction of women at the time was to feel threatened because they felt their husbands would no longer need them if they were not cleaning house. She pointed out that they would have more time to spend with their husbands if they weren't always doing housework. This was 1984. Has anything changed?
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