The Dishwasher Comes to Dinner: A Blog Around Dishwashers
This blog began as a discussion about whether to install a dishwasher, given the fact that it is essentially a robot servant. We are having the same discussion now, with the dishwasher installed.
I have been thinking recently about how I would describe my work life in the past few years, from the time when I was so busy I couldn’t think of anything except what was immediately in front of me. All those times when people asked me “What do you do?” and I had a hard time explaining very clearly and simply what it was. And then one day someone asked me, “Do you build robots?” And I thought, “Yes, yes I do.”
And then sometimes I wonder if one of the robots I’ve helped build is trying to kill me.
A week ago I moved the dishwasher out of the kitchen. Now it sits in the dining room, surrounded by a pile of discarded boxes and bubble wrap. Part of me wants to throw it away and be done with it, but my wife thinks we can fix this thing. She says she’s read about them on the internet.
I’m not so sure. I’ll tell you what I think as soon as we figure out how to turn it on.
I’m not sure that dishwashers reduce labor by 90%. I think they increase labor by 90% — or at least, they increased mine.
For the longest time we had a pretty standard kitchen arrangement: a sink, an oven, and a stovetop. A few months ago, though, my wife and I bought our first house. (Yay!) And it had a dishwasher!
But then I started using it. And that’s when the trouble began.
It turns out that once you own a dishwasher, your dishes don’t actually get clean until they go in the dishwasher. They just sort of hang out on the countertop and fester for weeks on end.
If you are installing a dishwasher, or if your dishwasher is leaking, or if you are experiencing any of the other problems listed below, this article is for you.
Dishwashers are appliances that vastly increase the quality of life to those who own one. If you don’t have one, and are willing to spend about $600 plus tax and installation costs, I highly recommend purchasing and installing one.
My wife and I were having regular arguments about doing the dishes until we bought a dishwasher. Now we never argue about doing the dishes. Life is wonderful.
The American Dinner Dishwasher: A History
In the early 1900’s, dishwashers were marketed to professionals. But they did not sell well. So manufacturers started marketing their dishwashers to the housewife. The first successful household dishwasher was introduced by General Electric in 1940. Before that, the only way to wash dishes was by hand. The first models were not very reliable but they came with a general electric motor and a powder-filled soap dispenser, which you could set ahead of time so that it would automatically dispense soap at exactly the right moment in the washing cycle. The dishes were washed on two racks, one on top of the other, which were pulled out from either side of the machine and slid into place under a rotating spray arm. This type of dishwasher is still common today but you do not need a whole room for it anymore because the machines are now much smaller and much more efficient.
The first completely automatic dishwashing machines were introduced after World War II when Americans started moving into suburban homes with kitchens large enough to accommodate them. These early machines had many problems; they often leaked water or broke down after just a few years of use because they were made cheap materials that could not withstand heavy usage over long periods time.
One manufacturer
I’ve been looking for a good dish washing machine for some time and have decided to go with the Miele. The main reasons for this choice are:
1) The Miele is the only model that has a stainless steel interior, which means it does not chip or rust.
2) The Miele has a much better warranty than any other model (5 year full coverage vs. 1-3 years).
3) It’s German, which means that if it breaks, it will be because of an engineering oversight and not because of poor materials or manufacturing.