WHy are table top dishwashers sh*t?
Yes, a built-in dishwasher is usually better — but not everyone has space for one. In my case, I’m renting a house where the built-in dishwasher is broken and the landlord won’t fix it. So these small countertop dishwashers fill a need. They can be useful, but they are also truly frustrating to use.
Most of these machines are made in the same basic style because it’s cheap and easy to manufacture. Unfortunately, they all seem to have the same two problems: they require filling with a jug (except for one smaller unit designed for vans), and they still don’t fit a standard dinner plate somewhat upright (you can do it, its just really inefficient).
These two problems seem separate, but they are connected. The water tank takes up space at the top of the machine, which limits the height of the plates it can wash and means you have to fill it through an opening at the top.
Other industries have solved this problem, though. Coffee machines, for the most part, use removable tanks. Baby formula makers—which were also introduced with similar design constraints—have started moving toward removable tanks as well. So why shouldn’t these?
The real question is whether these design limitations are due to lazy design or cost constraints in the internal layout. Every dishwasher needs a heater to raise the water temperature, so the issue depends on whether the machine heats all the water in the top tank (which might be why energy ratings are what they are) or whether it uses a smaller internal tank, meaning the design problems above could be solved.
Until mine breaks and I can tear it apart to take a look, I’ll just have to stick with my poorly designed dishwasher…
