She invented, patented and built a prototype house that cleaned itself! According to Gabe the self-cleaning house (SCH) “was never intended to scrub a dirty house or building, but to keep a clean house clean.”
In the March 1982 issue of People Magazine, Gabe said: “I want to eliminate all unnecessary motion so that handicapped and elderly people can care for themselves. My system will allow people to do so by pushing a few buttons.”
Born in 1915, Frances Grace Arnholz later married Herbert Bateson. For many years, together they ran a construction and maintenance company with her eventually taking the lead.
After a divorce, she changed her last name to Gabe which represents Grace Arnholz Bateson to which she added an “e.” Her building experience led to her commitment to invent and build a self-cleaning house for her to live in.
Ms. Gabe’s patent application was filed in 1980 and she finally received patent number 4,428,08 on January 31, 1984 for Self-Cleaning Building Construction.
According to the patent: “A self-cleaning building construction comprises apparatus for applying a fine spray or mist of water and/or water and detergent to wall, floor and ceiling surfaces, followed by warm air drying. Floors slope in a direction for removing excess moisture via a drain. Also included are closet apparatus for cleaning clothing, cupboard dishwasher apparatus for cleaning stored dishes, self-cleaning bathtub apparatus, and self-cleaning washbasin apparatus.”
Her patent included 68 more inventions inside the house which waterproofed everything including plastic cases for books.
The house itself was comprised of two stories. The first floor contained the living and dining spaces as well as the kitchen. The second floor had a bathroom, bedroom, clothes closet and an outdoor patio space. Before earthquake damage in 2001, Ms. Gabe turned on the cleaning apparatus twice a year.
Ms. Gabe spent many years publicizing her SCH. She participated in numerous radio and television interviews and charged a small fee to people who wanted to see the house.
Her hope was that many of these would be built throughout the country. Marketing materials she developed said: “the Self-Cleaning House safely and automatically washes and dries ceilings, wall, windows, floors, curtains, upholstery, dirty dishes, dirty clothes and books.”
Hagley is extremely fortunate to have the model of Gabe’s SCH and other models, including her self-cleaning dishwasher, in the museum innovation collection.
Personally, because she was such a fascinating woman who was so creative, I am happy that she lives on in the internet because words in print just don’t do her justice.
Unconventional? Sure. But it put Gabe, whose death was first reported nationally this week by Margalit Fox of the New York Times, on the path to inventing the first “self-cleaning home.”
In 2009, Gabes grandchildren made her move into a retirement home. Her death in December 2016 went unreported outside of her Oregon town. Today, most of the self-cleaning features of Gabes home have been dismantled, according to the Korfage in a separate article for the Willamette Week.
But though Gabe was the only person to have lived in a “self-cleaning home,” her vision for the future of housekeeping will not be forgotten.
Frances Gabe, who died late last year, channeled her frustration with housework into a futuristic design to end the drudgery of cleaning
Gabe put her lifes work into trying to create a design that could help women worldwide as well as people who were unable to clean to stay in their homes. During her life, the world might not have been ready to embrace Gabes dream for the future, but the inventor never let that stop her on her quest for a self-cleaning home revolution.
The house itself was comprised of two stories. The first floor contained the living and dining spaces as well as the kitchen. The second floor had a bathroom, bedroom, clothes closet and an outdoor patio space. Before earthquake damage in 2001, Ms. Gabe turned on the cleaning apparatus twice a year.
Ms. Gabe spent many years publicizing her SCH. She participated in numerous radio and television interviews and charged a small fee to people who wanted to see the house.
She invented, patented and built a prototype house that cleaned itself! According to Gabe the self-cleaning house (SCH) “was never intended to scrub a dirty house or building, but to keep a clean house clean.”
Her hope was that many of these would be built throughout the country. Marketing materials she developed said: “the Self-Cleaning House safely and automatically washes and dries ceilings, wall, windows, floors, curtains, upholstery, dirty dishes, dirty clothes and books.”
In the March 1982 issue of People Magazine, Gabe said: “I want to eliminate all unnecessary motion so that handicapped and elderly people can care for themselves. My system will allow people to do so by pushing a few buttons.”
Self Cleaning House
FAQ
How does the self-cleaning house work?
What does self-cleaning mean?
What is self-cleaning property?
Who created the world’s only self-cleaning house?
Ms. Gabe, a once-celebrated inventor who died in obscurity late last year, was the creator, and long the sole inhabitant, of the world’s only self-cleaning house. In January, the only public announcement of Ms. Gabe’s death appeared on the website of The Newberg Graphic, covering the Oregon community where she had long made her home.
Can you use a household cleaner with a self-cleaning oven?
Note: Never use any household cleaners along with the self-cleaning feature. Though self-cleaning is undoubtedly convenient, your best bet to keep your oven in good, working condition is to give it a little TLC in between more major cleaning sessions.
What is the difference between steam cleaning and self-cleaning ovens?
Self-cleaning ovens use high heat to help burn any residue or soil left behind in the oven and turn them into ashes, while steam-cleaning ovens use water to soften stuck on food particles. High heat self-cleaning cycles are typically longer than steam-clean cycles, and require a locked oven door as a precaution.
What are the different types of self-cleaning ovens?
There are two different types of self-cleaning ovens: Those that clean with steam and those that clean with high heat, or “pyrolytic” cleaning. Both save you from heavy-duty elbow grease — they just function a bit differently: