I usually end up living in places without dishwasher mostly because the water situation is such that it is better not to have one. In addition, I grew up in houses without them. My father used to joke that he didn't need one because he already had one - my mother.I am not even sure when dishwashers became a part of American life. I know my siblings have all had them in their houses but I don't know the year they began becoming popular.
The first patented dishwasher was released in 1850. It wasn't terribly effective because it sprayed water on on the dishes while the person used a wooden handle to turn a wooden wheel inside the washer. In 1886, a woman, Josephine Cochrane, made improvements because she was tired of servants breaking her dishes.
She made sure the wooden wheel laid flat against the copper boiler and she designed the wheel so it could be turned by hand or moved automatically by a system of pulleys. Furthermore, it had wire frames inside to hold the dishes as the wheel turned and they were sprayed with hot soapy water.
When she showed off her creation as the "Lavaplatos" at the 1893 World's Fair, restaurants, hotels, her rich friends were all impressed with it so she began a company to make dishwashers for people. Her company eventually became Kitchenaid. People continued to make changes while several companies such as Maytag and Whirlpool appeared in the early 1900, all making dishwashers. But it wasn't until the 1920's that dishwashers became more common in middle class families because indoor plumbing with running water was found in more and more houses.
Furthermore, one change made to dishwashers happened in 1924 when an English inventor changed the wire holder to actual racks and changed things to a rotating spray rather than having it squirt in from the bottom as it did in Josephine's version. It is said, this non-electric version utilized front loading instead of top loading. The inventor, William Howard Livens, added a drying element in 1940, in between his work creating chemical warfare for the government. At this time, dishwashers were still a luxury item due to the demands of the war.
Dishwashers did not become a commercial success until the 1950's when the war ended. Dishwashers still sold to the wealthy but as kitchens changed to include wall to wall countertops and standardized sizing for both cabinets and appliances, dishwashers could easily fit under counters.
Than in 1960, another company, Miele, released the first fully automated model seen and soon dishwashers became standard kitchen equipment. As of 2012, 75 percent of American households had dishwashers in the kitchen.
It is interesting that both the refrigerator and dishwashers hit the market at about the same time but the fridge sold better since most people were more interested in keeping food fresh and could work in houses without running water.
Now for a few interesting facts:
1. Cascade brand dishwashing soap carried out a survey and discovered that 79 percent of people will rewash dishes rather than unload their dishwasher.
2. Dishwashers were not sold commercially to the general population in huge numbers until the 1950's because most dishwashers were purchased by restaurants and hotels.
3. At least one version released in the 1950's fit on countertops but didn't wash a big load.
4. Scientific studies show that when you hand wash dishes you use 27 gallons of water while the dishwasher uses only 4.75 gallons for the same number of dishes.
5. Although many still prewash their dishes before washing them, there is no need to because modern dishwashers are quite effective.
6. Most modern dishwashers also have garbage disposal. It is recommended people clean their garbage disposals out before they run their dishwashers.
So, I hope you enjoyed learning more about the dishwasher. Let me know what you think, I'd love to hear. Have a great day.
Also I am backing down to three days a week plus weekends due to the increased amount of work at school. The next time, I will publish will be Wednesday.
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