We're Still Waiting On Dishwasher Utopia

[philcobendixduo]

An interesting article I found online from 2014 on the history of dishwasher ownership and usage in the U.S.

http://paleofuture.gizmodo.com/were-still-waiting-on-the-dishwasher-utopia-1496632923

 

[DADoES]

 
My family got one in 1975, third in line after two aunts in the same time-frame (the 3rd aunt was several years later).  I didn't have one while in an apartment from spring 1986 to fall 1991, otherwise have had one for the duration since '75.

 

[appnut]

I guess I'm one of the fortunate few.  My parents purchased an Apex in 1954.  It eventually got removed because it was so abysmal at performance.  then the Waste King showed up in late 1959 or early 1960.  the house we moved to in 1961 had one and it was swapped out for the Waste King since the WK was better than the O&M dual Drench.  I've had a dishwasher in virtually every dwelling I've inhabited since 1960 and I refused to be without one.  A very good friend of mine's mom refused to have one added over the years as she remodeled her kitchen, which seemed about 3 or 4 times.  When the people who bought his parent's house in the late 1990s moved in, they redid the kitchen again just so a dishwasher would be added. 

 

[gansky1]

Interesting

Scan through a few lines of the comments section after reading the article. While the author did set an "anti-dishwasher" tone, most people commenting hate their dishwashers.

 

[daveamkrayoguy]

Hmmmmm, and somewhere is the "doesn't make sense for a 1-person-house"...

 

 

-- Dave

 

[DADoES]

 
The anti-comments reflect the typical confused and uninformed consumer that's so common in that sort of discussion.  Commenters who use their machines understand and support the benefits.

 

[jakeseacrest]

I was born in 75 and didn't get a dishwasher until 2001. I knew I wanted one in the early 80s when most of our neighbors and relatives had them. I had one Aunt that always had me help her in the kitchen. She had a green Potscrubber from 1974 with an orange Disposall. I think I hounded my parents everyday for both. We ended up getting a garbage disposal in 1991 but my mom and stepfather were dead set against a dishwasher even though they remodeled in 1996 and had room for a dishwasher. They thought they were for "lazy people" and were water wasters. My mother said that she enjoys hand washing dishes. To each his own but I don't enjoy it and would rather have a machine do it for me. I get grossed out by using hand washed dishes. I just feel that a dishwasher gets everything cleaner. My mother was joking about me moving back home if she or my dad got ill in their later years. I told her that if I do a dishwasher will be there before my clothing will.

 

[akronman]

dishes

I'm one of 7 kids, tight budget growing up. When Grandma visited us in Florida in 1964 and our newly rented home did not have a dishwasher, a Kenmore portable arrived miraculously 3 days later. It survived a move back to Ohio and was in use until 1973 when we bought a house with a built-in 1960 GE, an impeller model where the entire tub pulled out. And it was pink, matching the cooktop and single door built in oven with rotisserie. When the dishwasher broke, it was replaced with a cheap contractor grade Hotpoint because Dad was the accountant for a construction firm building condos. It was green and did not match ANYTHING, but far better than nothing for a 9 person household.

I am a single person household who can't imagine life without a dishwasher (or three) but I have single sister in a fine condo with a stainless GE dishwasher, and the only use it ever gets is storage for pans, she has never used it.

 

[brucelucenta]

I don't know if my parents had a dishwasher in the first home I lived in after I was born. I lived there until I was 3 or 4. I do remember that in about 1960 or 1961 they bought a new house that had a pull out drawer GE dishwasher that was built in. It was turquoise and had the metal impeller at the bottom. That kitchen had built in turquoise appliances. They were never without a dishwasher after that. They had two other homes after that one that both had GE dishwashers originally. I talked them into a Maytag dishwasher in the early 70's when the GE bit the bullet and I bought them a Bosch one for their last home in the 90's as a gift as an upgrade.

 

[delaneymeegan]

I had, or had use of, a dishwasher during the 70s, 80s, and 90s. In 2002, I left behind my TOL Frigidaire built-in when I sold the house, because for one person, it really wasn't ...

A few months ago, started taking care of my aging parents, and started my appliance collection again.

I can't imagine NOT having a DW now. I acquired a free GE dw in November and it has really been a blessing.

Just today it's been run 6 times. I washed a disassembled vacuum cleaner twice. Then I washed some lamp parts. Then I put in several stove parts from their GE Griller range that they haven't done the best keeping clean. I just started it for the last and third wash tonight.

Yesterday, I did another vacuum. Then I removed the top rack and decided to wash a commercial matt/rug. It has real short pile and the stiff rubber back. I stood it vertical, after folding it in half, length wise, and did kind of a circle around the edges of the rack. I ran it through twice.

It was really dirty. I've got 3 more to do.

4 days ago I washed a large filthy pail twice.

Then there's my parents Miele dishwasher that's running almost everyday.

I was just thinking, 'What would I do without a dishwasher?'

 

[combo52]

Using A DW To Clean Floor Matts, Flower Pots Etc.

Be very careful putting anything in a DW that contains any sand, sand can do major damage to almost any DW, it can destroy the pump impellers, main water seals and just plain lock up the pump or clog drain tubes etc.

 

I have had many service calls over the years caused by someone that wanted to wash out some used flower pots in their DW.

 

DWs are not built for this kind of soil, LOL

 

John L.

 

[norgeway]

My Aunt and Uncle

Bought a new house in 56, it had a Hotpoint dishwasher sink in the pink and burgundy kitchen, when they remodeled in 65, all Frigidaire stuff was installed in coppertone..I never had a dishwasher until after my parents died in 2000, now I consider it the most important item in my house!

 

[gelaundry4ever]

I have had dishwashers...

I have had dishwashers since 1999-2000. It was a Kenmore built by GE. In 2004, we got another Kenmore, but it was built by Whirlpool. It was the point voyager. It cleaned everything we threw at it. In 2007, we had an Admiral/Maytag dishwasher At my mom's, we had a Whirlpool Gold. My dad has the whirlpool now.

 

[toploader55]

I live by myself and cook every meal in my apartment. I run a full load every night because all my pots and pans are Stainless and everything except (cough cough) KNIVES go in. (A certain member here will get that).

I am now on a bulking program from my trainer at the gym and eat 6 meals a day.

On Prep day, I fill the built in KDS-20 and the KenWhirl.  And when I bake for holidays or some one's party, 2 Dishwashers just can't be beat.

 

So if you can fill one Dishwasher a day and are running it 2-3 times when baking and cooking... Grab a second hand Portable. You'll be amazed how quickly you can fill both and how fast you'll become accustom to having two machines.

 

And when you're cooking and baking a lot, washing up by hand uses a ton of water too.