Advice on a Portable Dishwasher

Hi K., I have a portable dishwasher and it works just fine. It works just as good as a built in one I think, never had problem with it not cleaning the dishes. Hope this help, Good luck!

I have a portable dishwasher which I use as a second dishwasher in case of need. It works beautifully. I think the brand is Maytag. I installed it in the laundry room.

Hi K.-

There are portably dishwashers, and countertop dishwashers. I've never used a countertop dishwasher (the small kind that literally sit on your countertop) but I did have a portable, wheel around dishwasher for many years.

It was a Kenmore I believe, and we bought it at Sears. It was wonderful. We ended up selling it when we moved b/c our new place has a built in Hotpoint Dishwasher. And, I think my portable did a better job than the built-in. But, I suppose it depends on the brand you get. Our portable had a nice wood top, and it was great as an extra work space.

If you are getting a good deal, I say go for it. What could it hurt to have a little help with the dishes??? :)

Hi K.,
When my husband and I got married and bought our first house 19 years ago, we had a portable dishwasher. I don't remember what type it was, but it came with the house and was still functioning when we moved almost 10 years later. It worked just fine and was way better than washing all the dishes by hand, I would certainly recommend it. If it's used and not expensive, you haven't much to lose.

I've had portable dishwashers for 32 years. We don't have a place in our kitchen to put a built in. The one I am using now is over 20 years old and still washes just as good as it did when I first got it. I know several people that have had to replace their built ins because they don't do a very good job after a few years. Also my portable holds more dishes than most built ins. I even put pots and pans in it and they always come out clean and shiny.

Tell you husband if he doesn't want you to get a portable then he can do the dishes from now on. And make sure he understands that you mean it. His new job will be to wash all the dishes from now on! I bet he runs right out and gets one for you.

My advice is don't waste your time or money. The house we bought came with one and it is useless. You have to wash the dishes anyway first or else stuff just sticks on. Plus the whole rolling it and hooking it up to the sink is frustrating because then you can't use the sink when the dishwasher is on. I would stick to the old fashioned way or make the investment for an energy star real dishwasher.

If it's used, make sure you check out how it washes before you buy it, just to make sure it's working well. But I would definitely get it to help out around the house. As long as you scrape/rinse your dishes before you put them in the dishwasher, make sure there's no crud floating around in there, and stack the dishes in the washer the right way, they should get clean--it really has nothing to do with power, just water direction and temperature (although hard water can cause problems sometimes).

I have a counter-top dishwasher and even though I can only do a few dishes at a time and none of my prep equipment, it still is a huge help--especially when EVERYONE is demanding time when I'm trying to clean up after dinner :D

I have a portable dishwasher and its more then powerful enough. I love it would not live with out one again.

we have one at work and it works great! you should find out what brand and model it is and then look for reviews online (maybe on amazon?).

I had a Kenmore one that I bought when i was in an apartment. It worked great and probably did a better job than my Kitchen Aid built-in one does now!!

I had one for years...they work the same as a full size they just hold less dishes..

I have some advice for you. Ask your husband if he's powerful enough to wash the dishes. And if he doesn't want to spend the money then he needs to help out more. :)

K.,

Go get the portable dishwasher - just make sure it has all the attachments (for the sink).

My wife and I used to have a Danby portable dishwasher before we moved into an apartment with one built in. The Danby was great, it took up a lot of counter top space (we are in NYC where space is a premium) but it did the job on plates, cups and flatware. It was their countertop version and it fit 4 place settings. I will say that since we have a "regular" dishwasher now I think that it would be difficult to go back to one as small as the countertop version. But if we ever found ourselves without a dishwasher I would not hesitate to run out and buy another one.
PS> It's tough to fit more than a few pots and pans inside due to it's small size.

Hi K.,

I have a portable dishwasher and I have never really liked it only because I have to push it to the sink everytime I need it. Otherwise, it works just as well as every other dishwasher I have used. It cleans everything the same as any other dishwasher. I have had it for 10 years and they last a long time. I would go for it if I were you. The only reason I would want to get rid of it is for space purposes in my kitchen.

When I had my girls, my then husband bought me a portable dishwasher, it was a Godsend. It had wheels, so it was easy to move to the sink when needed. Later on, we incorporated it under the kitchen cabinet. I was very happy with it. I am sure they make them better now, this was over 20 years ago. Good luck.

My parents have always had a portable dishwasher (the full size kind) at their summer house. Theirs is positioned as if it were a built in one right between the sink and the rest of the counter. I believe it is probably a Kenmore and they are on their 2nd one in 32 years. You do not need to be extra carefull scraping and rinsing the plates before putting them in the dishwasher, it works great! The house itself does have very good water pressure and very hot hot water, I don't know if this makes a difference or if the dishwasher would supplementally heat the water from the sink to the temperature needed to wash the dishes. I have no experience with the counter top models.

I definitely say buy one, preferably the wood-top one to use as an extra little island work station. Tell your husband he can either take over ALL kitchen clean up EVERY day or buy the dishwasher, the choice is his :D

Hi K.,

My mother had one about 20 years ago. I agree that it doesn't work as well as an installed one (than it again it could depend on the model). If you give your dishes a quick rinse in the sink before loading, I'm sure it'll work just fine, and with little ones and lots of germs around, it'll be good for helping to sterilize.