Looking for advice....

Automatic Washer - The world's coolest Washing Machines, Dryers and Dishwashers

Help Support :

Absolutely, Jim

I agree about placement - I wouldn't want to place it on the right of the sink. As it is that door touches the sink cabinet when open. Gotta love bungalos ;) I keep telling hubby we need a bigger house. I love this one and would like to keep it as a gallery/studio and buy a bigger one (a mid-century construction) on a larger plot of land to live on.

But, that's after grad school - can't afford such luxuries now :)

What do you think of the GE Potscrubber? Goatfarmer has graciously offered to send pictures of one he might be able to part with. I like that its a portable for sure!

So much to learn!

-Sherri
 
Would a portable machine work better?

That seemed to be the way most people went in the neighborhood where I grew up. The houses were a mid-50's development with 'deluxe' homes on one side of the street and 'standard' ones on the other. The deluxe ones, not all of 'em, had Youngstown kitchens dishwasher-sinks. The rest of the houses had weird plumbing and door issues, so most folks bought mobile dishwashers and rolled 'em out of the way when not in use. At one point, we had a narrow top-loader (a Viking, a store-brand made by Westinghouse) that we could actually roll under the counter top when not in use... At least two neighbors had GE mobile-maids that they did this with (and they fit even better than ours 'cause there was no rear control panel). Sorry to ramble, but GE mobile maids do turn up from time to time and they have the pink interior like the Princess.
 
Mixer. just go get yourself some Krylon spray paint and you can have ny color you want,lol. no, just keep looking, you may be surprised at what you find for you taste. Actually, I get out my automotive spray paint rig and custom paint washers, dryers, fridges etc. to meet my customers wants needs and desires but it is alot of trouble therefore those guys pay me well for my efforts on those custom colors. It works for me , maybe it with will work for you gal.you remind me of my deceased Mother when you speak of those mixers. she had a really cool Kitchenaid stand up mixer that she used daily in her catering biz. she loved it and it amazed me at the ease of how it made her jobs cruise right along. Do you get into those automatic breadmakers? she used to make the most awsome sunflower seed bread that I can taste to this day .Gone for 9 years she is, but that smell of her cooking lingers on babes.
 
A GE Mobile Maid sounds like a good option because they are quite compact, I had one but Soberleaf (Pete) just grabbed it from me. I'm sure there are other members who have one. They are good dishwashers too. matt
 
Portables

Yeah, Turquoisedude, I'm thinking a portable may be the way to go. Then I don't have to sacrifice precious storage space (I gotta put all those mixer attachments somewhere!) I've looked through some of the past threads, but I can't seem to find a picture of a mobile-maid - can anyone help me out?

Don't think I haven't thought of the ol' can of spray paint, kenmoreforever! We have a body shop here in town that does custom work - maybe I should get a flame paint job on it? Yeah - I have a breadmaker. When I got my first apartment in the early 90's my father decided I needed one of every kitchen gadget available at the time. He bought me my first microwave (I still have it btw - works great. I keep it in my studio. He also bought me my first hand mixer (a Sunbeam), my first food processor (a mini one), and a bread machine. I still have and use them all. He wouldn't buy me a blender, though. He knew my friends and I would just make daiquiri's in them. Kill joy. I haven't used the breadmaker in a while - but it does make the yummiest bread! Maybe I'll get some yeast and surprise hubby tonight. He'll wonder what I'm buttering him up for - sometimes its fun to keep him guessing ;)

I didn't have a stand mixer either. I mentioned in an earlier post that I grew up real poor, so kitchen gadgets were low on the priority list. I didn't have a stand mixer until I moved in here, and I started buying them when I was looking for the "perfect" mixer for my house. I found my "perfect" mixer all right. The problem is she called all of her sisters and told them what a nice place her home was and to stop on by sometime. They still keep showing up at my door :)

My hubby's patience won't allow that to happen with large appliances though. Neither will the physical limitations of my home. That's why I'm trying to be careful and select the "right" dishwasher for my first.

I admit - I was kinda glad when I measured my cabinets and found out they wouldn't fit his mother's old dishwasher. That means I HAVE to shop for a funky cool one. Aw shucks!

-Sherri
 
Reversajet,

How did I miss that wonderful photoshopped image? I must have skimmed past it several times thinking it was my original!

Hey, at least I'm cute - I always have that going for me when smart fails!

Unfortunately, look what happens to the back door clearance - it already doesn't open all the way as it comes in contact with the corner of the counter. Now, how am I supposed to carry the laundry downstairs with that little bit of clearance you are giving me? Plus, my garage is 12 feet from the back door - this is my main entrance/exit. In the middle of the semester when I am mired down in hastily written undergrad research papers and poorly thought out midterms I am not going to be able to wrestle my rolling laptop bag out that doorway.

The cabinet next to the window is a first-rate idea, though - and that is a cute looking dishwasher.... I'm hearing the siren song of factory warranty.....must resist....stay focused on vintage.....

Actually, all options are open - not married to new or vintage at this time :)

-Sherri
 
Kitchenaid.

I would consider Kitchenaid because they tend to be the most robust and clean best (they were high-end machines when new and can still beat the competition). They did make portables, and they do show up from time to time. Unfortunately, the portable models by the late 1970s were often the Custom model (bottom of the line). They are still a hurricane in a box but lack some of the nicer bells and whistles of the TOL Supurba series.

All a portable front loading Kitchenaid is is a regular built in Kitchenaid in a box on wheels with space to store the hoses and a cord on a retractable reel. If you are so inclined, it is possible to take a built in and make it a portable by making a suitable box on wheels for it. The originals were metal with butcher block tops but if weight is of little concern to you, I guess you could make a wooden box, maybe with some nice reproduction Boomerang Formica on the top.

Kitchenaid Kitchenaid Kitchenaid,
Dave
 
If you went with an 18" built in to the right of the simk, to still be able to use the door to your basement, you could always just replace your conventional door to a pocket door. so you dont loose storage space, can have a built in, still have full use of the door and gain a few inches of counter space.
 
No room for a pocket door...

Immediately to the left of the doorjamb is the exterior wall, and to the right is about 6 inches of wall, and then refrigerator. And forget about collapsable doors like the one going into the sitting room. I use that door for animal traffic control (keep the dog away from kitty's food and the extra crunchy treats in the litter box), and he can foil a collapsable door.

I like the idea of building a box for a built-in if need be. My husband tells me all the time that I'm very "butch" :) I think he means I'm handy to have around the house.

I put up a request on my local freecycle too - I'm sure something will come up!

-Sherri
 
another idea....

could the back door be reversed to open "OUT"...this may give you clearance...

or, could the dishwasher be put next to the fridge, may be a step or two more from sink but would allow you to put a full size undercounter dishwasher

or what about a dish drawer by fisher and paykel....you don't have to get a double drawer type...they also come as a single drawer...and storage underneath...they can also have panels to match your current cabinets....hidden out of site!
 
oh darling EVERYONE is entitled to MY opinion *LOL*

I was going to do this in my kitchen.

Hi Sherri- *WAVES*

Here is my suggestion. Get a new window with a "fixed" upper sash and a crank-out lower sash.

Add top cabinetry to cover the wallspace above the sink including the upper sash of the window. For light use glass doors (for thge one over the window), and replace the back of the cabinet with something like plexiglass to allow/ admit and light.

My house came with an 18" (45cm) DW--I pulled it out for a normal 24" (60cm) unit. In retrospect I could have waited, but HATED IT! Had a friend also who put one in. In his next (subsequent)place--no way-- a full-sized unit.

And since we are all spending OPM (other people's money) I'd do a microwave-convection oven over the sotve. It's got a prettier SS inside and you'll have a much cooler oven for summer.

Best regards and thanks for posting!
 
....and since we are at it...(spending OPM)

Looks like the tiles behind the sink are standard 4 x 4s.
Also looks like 10 tiles under the wondow and to the right so you have 40 avaialale inches... more than enought room for a 27" wide sink cabinet and a 24" dishwasher to the right of that one cabinet that is a bit less deep by the door to the left.

Can't tell if it fits, but a portable DW would be made into a center island, with or without a "docking station". (i.e the machiune itself is the island or it rolls under a counter that is supported.
 
We all agree...

There's nothing like the gleam of glassware emerging from a DW, and you'll find yourself running stuff through just "to get the dust off." The coffee grinder, Chemex, vac pot will look like new. So... I retract my recommendation of an 18" built-in, because frankly I won't put, and there's little room, for anything like a spaghetti pot or 12" frypan. It's a different kind of soil and I should have stock in Brillo. You will understand after your maiden wash, so...
Make yourself a decent floorplan, to scale. Show us if you like but the obvious and least expensive move is a cool portable like a MobileMaid, which you can park anywhere and move to suit your kitchen traffic. For a predictably low price you can see if you'll enjoy the loading and unloading "ceremony," or if you find it quickly becomes another storage cabinet as you remove each piece for use as you need it (big mistake). My wife is "height challenged," so I decided to do away with eye level storage as I noticed early she won't reach (or replace) anything above her head. But I have the luxury of floorspace with pullout cabinetry. So get cracking on that floorplan and you'll be amazed what these guys can suggest.
 
Since you can't have a pocket door and don't like the accordion style of door, what about a bifold door? Or you could also use double swing hinges and install full length cafe style doors so that each door would only be 1/2 the size of a full door.

Gary
 
Toggleswitch2 has it!

that is the best design ever....but, there's always a but, maybe adding a wider window, maybe 2, or across the entire wall...and then cabinets across with glass fronts...or even a extented picture window with glass shelves to display plants, herbs, or some of your mixers, to be viewed inside or out...AND he's got the right moves for placement of the dishwasher....we keep him around for these situations...lol

Now as for the micro/hood, consider a micro/convection hood...I have one and never used the convection part for 4 years until now...extra oven for big meals, like dinner parties, not that you have those..lol..you don't have to heat an entire oven for just you two, cooks really fast compared to a regular oven and won't heat up your kitchen during the summer....

you poor child, your working so hard to get a dishwasher in your kitchen, I was the same way, never needed one, next house had one, then couldn't live without it, my new house has 2 in the kitchen, and I use both of them...and a convection oven and micro/convection hood, you get used to this stuff and you can't go back...
 
Dishwasher in tiny kitchen...

I know ALL about this. Infact in my kitchen, the cabinetry is "made in" from the 50's and cutting into it isn't really feasible for me. There is some heavy structuring back there as well that would have to go. While I would have rather had a "Vintage" approach, This little guy serves 2 people well, I'm utterly amazed at how well it works. Not really vintage, but I thought I'd chime in.

View attachment 5-27-2009-14-11-39--macboy91si.jpg
 
I'm sure closet space is at a premium in your house, but do you have a closet close by that you could store a portable in when not in use?
 
That's a cute unit, macboy!

You look like you have as much counter space as I do.

The room on the other side of the accordian door is a sitting room - we are thinking about converting it into a pantry/sewing room as it doesn't get much use as-is. We are thinking a portable may go in there on just the other side of the doorway, or maybe we can have a cabinet custom-built for...

This:

5-27-2009-18-53-39--mixergal.jpg
 
Multiple choice quiz time:

When I saw this unit in the Habitat for Humanity restore for $19.95, did I:

A) Calmly walk up to the nearest employee and express to them that I may be interested in making a purchase.

B) Feel a little faint, but quickly regain my composure and pay for the unit as soon as possible.

C) Throw my body against it and shriek "back up all you thrift-store b-tches - I saw it first!"

pencils down, please.

Photographic evidence of the price:

5-27-2009-19-03-10--mixergal.jpg
 
I will post pics of the interior soon,

but it is absolutely spotless! The chrome wash arm at the bottom is even shiny! The lady at the restore told me that she was assured it still worked by the original owners.

Now I REALLY need a plan of where to put it! I may take Toggleswitch's advice and draw up a detailed floorplan so I can figure out where it should go.

I now open the floor to comments and questions.

-Sherri
 
Good Lord! We have people here that wait YEARS to find a machine like this (not including a MINT one like this) and you find one, in like, 3 freakin days!

Some people have all of the luck!!!
 
So, I did good?

::sheepish grin::

I admit I have strong thrift-store mojo. My hubby is always amazed at the things I find while thrifting.

Who wants to go shopping with me?

-Sherri
 
Me me, I do I do!!!!!

Great Karma!

That looks like a Supurba. What is the model?
Don't forget about building a cabinet if you want (with reproduction Boomerang Formica of course!. Making the portable cabinet a little wide might be cumbersome, but if you add some insulation on the top, back, and sides you could decrease noise and increase heat retention.

Fabulous find!
Dave
 
Now Sherri, that's just a result of good "Club Karma"!! Now, just wait until you plug it in and turn it on!! Expect to be impressed.
 
It is a supurba....

where do I find the model #? It wasn't readily apparent.

I am seriously thinking about building a cabinet for it. It just so happens I have some birch plywood laying around doing nothing (it's what I paint on instead of canvas - I always have a supply of birch plywood on hand).

-Sherri
 

Similar threads

A
Trouble repairing GE Potscrubber 940 dishwasher
Replies
12
Views
1K
combo52
combo52
P
looking for the modern equivalent of a vintage kitchen aid dishwasher
Replies
15
Views
696
dtodd
D
S
Maytag A612 squeals for a bit when spin cycle starts
Replies
2
Views
459
combo52
combo52
jjsunshine
KitchenAid dishwasher not cleaning well
Replies
6
Views
378
maytaga806
M
D
My Whirlpool dishwasher
2 3
Replies
61
Views
1K
tolivac
T

Latest posts

Back
Top