Recommendations for Countertop Dishwashers
May 26, 2018 4:05 PM Subscribe
I live in an apartment with a small kitchen and no dishwasher.
Dishes are a never ending issue here, and my landlord isn't going to install one. I'd like to get a compact counter-top, but they seem a little clunky and it feels a little weird mixing powercables and stuff that plugs into your faucet.
In a quick search, I came up on this spammy review, but the dimensions would fit, albeit a bit clunkily. I'm fine with scrubbing down pots and pans (or even large plates), but I'd like to not deal with the constant flatware and coffee cups.
Does anyone here have any experience with a compact dishwasher for a small kitchen that won't require heavy installation?
Dishes are a never ending issue here, and my landlord isn't going to install one. I'd like to get a compact counter-top, but they seem a little clunky and it feels a little weird mixing powercables and stuff that plugs into your faucet.
In a quick search, I came up on this spammy review, but the dimensions would fit, albeit a bit clunkily. I'm fine with scrubbing down pots and pans (or even large plates), but I'd like to not deal with the constant flatware and coffee cups.
Does anyone here have any experience with a compact dishwasher for a small kitchen that won't require heavy installation?
I had a countertop model for about a year that I got off Amazon (I can chase down the MFR later if you'd like). It was absolutely worthwhile, held plenty of dishes, and did a better job of cleaning dishes than some big washers I've had. I only got rid of it because I moved to a place with a built in model.
posted by wotsac at 5:26 PM on May 26, 2018
posted by wotsac at 5:26 PM on May 26, 2018
Response by poster: wotsac: do you remember the brand/model?
posted by lkc at 5:39 PM on May 26, 2018
posted by lkc at 5:39 PM on May 26, 2018
I have the SPT in your link, and I'm happy with it. My current one is almost four years old. It has saved me a tremendous amount of frustration with housemates who can't seem to properly wash dishes by hand. Also, I just really hate washing dishes, and this cleans them very well. For detergent, I use the dishwasher pods.
I did end up installing an extra faucet that the dishwasher just stays hooked up to all the time, which is nice, but not essential. (Just kind of lucked out on that; the sink already had an extra hole that was not in use. That project cost about $30 and was pretty easy to do myself.) I ended up researching this because the connector was just not working with my existing sprayer faucet, so that's an issue that may come up. At my old apartment, I just got an adapter for the sink, and that was fine.
The size is great for 1-2 people. When I had family visiting (2 extra adults and 2 kids), we were running it 2-3 times per day, but it was still fine.
posted by ktkt at 9:46 PM on May 26, 2018
I did end up installing an extra faucet that the dishwasher just stays hooked up to all the time, which is nice, but not essential. (Just kind of lucked out on that; the sink already had an extra hole that was not in use. That project cost about $30 and was pretty easy to do myself.) I ended up researching this because the connector was just not working with my existing sprayer faucet, so that's an issue that may come up. At my old apartment, I just got an adapter for the sink, and that was fine.
The size is great for 1-2 people. When I had family visiting (2 extra adults and 2 kids), we were running it 2-3 times per day, but it was still fine.
posted by ktkt at 9:46 PM on May 26, 2018
I have this dishwasher. It sits atop this cart, which supports it easily and rolls nicely to the sink. I absolutely love it and would recommend it in a heartbeat. I also love that this setup means that the dishwasher sits at about hip height--not having to go up and down to load it makes my life much better.
It's worth noting that there's a plate size limit--I have 11" plates, and while they fit, technically, you have to tilt them forward in the dishwasher, which is a bit of a pain, as it makes the silverware basket harder to access. 10.5" plates would, I think, work perfectly. (Being slightly less neurotic about evenly distributing the silverware would probably also work perfectly, but plates seem like an easier thing to change.)
posted by mishafletch at 9:51 PM on May 26, 2018
It's worth noting that there's a plate size limit--I have 11" plates, and while they fit, technically, you have to tilt them forward in the dishwasher, which is a bit of a pain, as it makes the silverware basket harder to access. 10.5" plates would, I think, work perfectly. (Being slightly less neurotic about evenly distributing the silverware would probably also work perfectly, but plates seem like an easier thing to change.)
posted by mishafletch at 9:51 PM on May 26, 2018
I have an SPT and it’s life-changing. I’ve always lived in apartments and I have never had dishwashers. Having a countertop one finally makes life a lot easier. I’ve had mine for 4 years. No issues. I probably use it once a week, as so live alone.
I took the head off my kitchen faucet and attach the dishwasher connector directly to it. It’s super-easy. Are use whatever liquid dishwashing detergent is on sale. Sadly, the more eco-friendly the detergent is, the less well it seems to clean. But I don’t know if that’s true of all dishwashers or just mine.
Due to the small size, I really can only fit plates, glasses, bowls, and silverware. Pots and pans and mixing bowl type things still have to be done by hand. But I’ll take it.
posted by greermahoney at 10:09 PM on May 26, 2018
I took the head off my kitchen faucet and attach the dishwasher connector directly to it. It’s super-easy. Are use whatever liquid dishwashing detergent is on sale. Sadly, the more eco-friendly the detergent is, the less well it seems to clean. But I don’t know if that’s true of all dishwashers or just mine.
Due to the small size, I really can only fit plates, glasses, bowls, and silverware. Pots and pans and mixing bowl type things still have to be done by hand. But I’ll take it.
posted by greermahoney at 10:09 PM on May 26, 2018
Oh, and installation was simple. I’m so lazy/nervous about home projects. This mostly required unscrewing that faucet nozzle, attaching some provided plastic tubing to the dishwasher and plugging it in. Easy-peasy.
posted by greermahoney at 10:13 PM on May 26, 2018
posted by greermahoney at 10:13 PM on May 26, 2018
My amazon history says that I had the SPT SD-2201W, and I had it for two years.
The only weird caveat about installation that I have is that the adapter that it ships with has threads on the inside and the outside so that you can mount it with two different sorts of faucets. I didn't notice the threads on the inside and spent some very frustrating hours searching for an adapter to make it work. But once that was installed it was no problem to use.
posted by wotsac at 7:03 AM on May 27, 2018
The only weird caveat about installation that I have is that the adapter that it ships with has threads on the inside and the outside so that you can mount it with two different sorts of faucets. I didn't notice the threads on the inside and spent some very frustrating hours searching for an adapter to make it work. But once that was installed it was no problem to use.
posted by wotsac at 7:03 AM on May 27, 2018
My wife and I bought an SPT two years ago. We love it. Super easy to set up and reliable. We use it multiple times every week. Wish we'd bought it sooner!
posted by ConradLandsman at 2:53 PM on May 27, 2018
posted by ConradLandsman at 2:53 PM on May 27, 2018
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posted by migurski at 4:41 PM on May 26, 2018 [2 favorites]