Portable dishwashers--anyone use one?

Anybody have any experience with portable dishwashers? There is one on craigslist for cheap-ish, I'm thinkin about it. I hate doing dishes.

Do they work? Worth the hassle? How much water do they use?

My parents used one for years. Typically they are no different than undercounter models other than they have a full cabinet with wheels and they have water/drain hookups for the kitchen sink. The worst part about them is you have limited use of the sink while they are running and the wheels can damage vinyl floors over time.

My grandmother used one for what seemed like decades.. never any issues

I had one because I had no dishwasher and this one was free. It washed dishes and acted like a table top when it wasn't.

Why not an under the counter?

Dan

914Driver wrote: Why not an under the counter?

I live in an apartment, rent don't own, etc etc.

Yeah, that's the way to go unless you can find a illegal east european woman.

Dan

914Driver wrote: Yeah, that's the way to go unless you can find a illegal east european woman. Dan

Doesn't he have a girlfriend? Does she not have hands or something?

If you live in an apartment, it's going to take up a lot of space for the 90% of the time it's not in use.

stuart in mn wrote: If you live in an apartment, it's going to take up a lot of space for the 90% of the time it's not in use.

Normally, yes, but there is a big empty space where one would go. Right now we have a rolling table-thing with the microwave on it, but we could ditch the table thing altogether.

Osterkraut wrote:

914Driver wrote: Yeah, that's the way to go unless you can find a illegal east european woman. Dan

Doesn't he have a girlfriend? Does she not have hands or something?

Yeah, weren't you taught that womens' feet are smaller than mens' so they can stand closer to the sink?

I had one in my first house. The cabinet structure was such that an installed unit took away the only large lower cabinet. When not in use it served as more counter space. It was perfect for my situation. I highly recommend.

Grew up with them. Parents had one, back then the portables were top load so keeping things on the top was kinda out of the question. Think they make front load portables now. They work as well as a built in.

We have had one for the past 8 years (mid 50's ranch with no kitchen updates...whatsoever...ever). Works fine; roll it over, hook it up and presto...

When we were kids WE were the portable dishwashers.

Tjat out of the way my Grandmother had a portable one for decades. Never even had an under counter one. It had a butcher block cutting surface on top so doubled as a work island/station.

I have had one for years,oh wait, that is a dishpan.

My parents had one for what seemed like my entire childhood. Never an issue and it cleaned like a champ if you remember to turn the faucet on! The only issue was noise. It sounded like an industrial threshing machine.

(In the era before portable phones, we only had a wall phone in the kitchen. You could not talk until the dishes were done!)

First crappy house in Nebraska I had one. It would never work if you had a family, but as a couple and then bachelor it was fine. It beat the hell out of actually doing dishes. Then I got smart and plumped it in with my washing machine and made it kinda permant

Mental wrote: First crappy house in Nebraska I had one. It would never work if you had a family, but as a couple and then bachelor it was fine. It beat the hell out of actually doing dishes. Then I got smart and plumped it in with my washing machine and made it kinda permant

Hopin you meant to type PLUMBED, otherwise you got some splainin to do.

That said, portable d/w's are indeed loud, but that's what project cars, music played on 11, or yard work is for - a reason to get away from the "other" noise.

I hardly ever had food in the fridge at my first place. I probably spent less than 10 minutes a week doing dishes. And you call yourselves bachelors. Eat pizza right out of the box. After a couple of days tear the lid off and use it for a plate.

That said, I've known people who had portable washers and they are pretty loud. Of course, most people would rather put up with the noise than wash plates.