I thought that the prediction regarding how housewives would clean using only water, made in 1950, was incredibly interesting. The prediction states that to clean the house, one would only need to turn on the hose. Everything in the house would be made out of materials that were made of synthetic materials. A drain in the middle of the floor would collect the detergent-containing water, and a blow drier (essentially) would be used to dry up the room. Table linens are made of paper fibers so fine that it looks like real fabric, but can be disposed of instead of washed. Bed sheets also get hosed off with everything else.
This reminds me of a story my mom told me about her coworkers daughter who realized the value of having an all vinyl interior to her car. Her drunk friend threw up in her backseat, and essentially, all she really had to do was hose it out. If only everything were this simple.
Because of rationing during World War II, the development and widespread use of synthetic fibers was growing. It was only natural to assume that they would replace natural fibers in the future, since they were a more "futuristic" development. If only they could have predicted our obsession with organic Egyptian ring-spun 1000 thread count cotton bedding (this is exaggeration, by the way)!
Most women in the 1950s were housewives, and there was a large market created by these women. Thus, people were always trying to come up with the next big thing for these housewives to buy, partly driving the economic prosperity of the 1950s.
I can see why this hasn't exactly caught on. Making EVERYTHING out of plastics would consume a lot of petroleum which is already consumed on such a large scale, and it would be obnoxious to sleep surrounded by plastic. I'm not rich enough to maintain such high standards for my sheets as Egyptian cotton, but I do stay away from polyester/cotton blends. Being able to "breathe" while I sleep is a feature I don't plan on giving up any time soon.
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