Recommended portable dishwasher?

[Sony]

Hi everyone!

I found an awesome new home to move into this summer.....only downside I can see to the place right now is that there's no dishwasher. Though I know I can survive without one, it would be an awfully nice convenience.....

So, what I'm looking for is suggestions for a model that is:

-durable (would rather hand wash than have a machine to constantly repair)

-relatively big (looking for one that is almost full-size and on wheels)

-efficient (hopefully Energy Star rated and and one that will clean on a first pass)

-affordable

Any positive recommendations- or models to avoid? Thanks in advance for any help!

[Pierogi]

Hi Sony,

I suspect that the responses to your question will be few and far between, as are your choices for portable dishwashers, unfortunately ! As someone with literally no space in my postage stamp-sized kitchen, and certainly no cabinet room, that could be sacrificed for a built-in, I've been a member of the portable club for a while...

The first one I had was a used Kenmore. The sucker weighed a TON, but boy, did it do a good job, and it was a workhorse. About 10 years of daily use, I'd say I got my 100 bucks worth out of it ! That has been my only experience with a Kenmore product, but I know they have an excellent reputation for quality and reliability, and if that unit was representative of their product, I can certainly see why.

I currently have a Whirlpool, the name on the front is "Silent Partner II". Sorry, its too late/I'm too tired to find the manual to see if there's another name associated with it..... . I got it at Lowe's I want to say maybe 4 years ago. It was fairly expensive, but then portables in general are (low demand = higher prices). IFIRC, I think it was $300-$400. I am a huge fan of Whirlpool appliances in general, and this is no exception. Quiet (well, as quiet as a portable can be), cleans well, again IFIRC it was Energystar rated, and almost as roomy as the average built-in. It will hold my 16-quart stock pot, and full place settings for 4-6. The only slight quibble I have with it is that the silverware basket is sort of funky, but nothing I can't deal with. As I said, in general I have had great experiences with Whirlpool products. I find them well made, well designed, dependable, have had few, if any, service issues and those I have had were easily resolved.

In between the Kenmore & the Whirlpool I had a Hotpoint. RUN from them. Poorly made, didn't clean well, noisy and leaky. I couldn't wait for that thing to croak so I could replace it !

[Sony]

Thanks so much for your input Pierogi! It's nice to know that there's someone else in the portable camp

Just out of curiosity, what kind of service issues have you had with your newer Whirlpool model? I expect that unless I can find a good one secondhand or score some awesome deal, I'll be spending over $400 after taxes...so the less time and money I need to spend on repairs/maintenance, the better!

[Pierogi]

Hello again Sony,

Yes, we're a lonesome group, us portable dishwasher owners ! You should've seen the looks I got when I went into some *big box* stores looking for one !

As far as the Whirlpool portable, no service issues at all (touch wood) and it gets almost daily use. At least 4 times a week for sure. When I do a big entertaining thing, I sometimes run 2 loads during the cooking frenzy. It's humming away with tonight's dinner load as I type, happily saving me from the dreaded dish-pan hands ! I have to say, it also has a decent selection of cycles, again, not something you get a huge choice in with portables.

The only major appliance I have that isn't a Whirlpool is my range. That's a GE. My fridge, washer, dryer and the dishwasher are all Whirlpools, and I would replace all of them with Whirlpools again. The only appliance I ever needed service on was the washer, I think (???? heck, it was more than 30 seconds ago so who remembers?) the pump fritzed out. That was after like 3 years of 3-4 loads/week use. This is actually my 2nd Whirlpool washer, and the first lasted like 10 years. The dryer is over 15 years old at this point I'd guess. They are solid performers, or have been for me. When the washer did fritz out, I think the service rep was here the next day.

You're correct in your assumption about pricing. That was part of the problem with my evil Hotpoint.......I tried to go cheap and save some money. It showed. Even if you don't end up with the Whirlpool, don't be tempted to go for the low end machine. Yeah, you can get great built-ins for under $300, but again, supply drives demand, and since portables don't have such a huge audience, you can plan on paying more. If I'm not mistaken, Whirlpool also makes the Kenmore brand.....

By the way, did I mention I LOVE Whirlpool appliances ?!?!?!? LOL !

You may also want to check out Consumer Reports. I think they may have reviewed portables at one point.

And one final thing, I was thinking about this earlier today, and I actually bought the Whirlpool on-line from Lowe's website. They didn't stock this particular model in my local store, but they did ship it there, and then I got local delivery. They also hauled away the old Hotpoint dog as well !

[Marlene]

This is an interesting topic as I may be in the market shortly for a portable dishwasher. I have a regular one at home, but my cottage does not yet have one, and the kitchen renovation on the cottage is probably a couple of years away. I'm thinking a portable dishwasher may be a great short term solution. I've looked at GE and Whirlpool and both look pretty good so far.

[snowangel]

At our former house, I had a portable (a Hobart Kitchenaid, sadly no longer available), but do remember that they are very easily built in should you remodel!

[hummingbirdkiss]

this is a dumb question but really I dont know

...are these the ones that hook to the sink and have a butcher block on top and roll around?

I have not seen one in years (but really have not looked) and would love to buy one for my boys as a gift ..(thank you so much for starting this thread!)..we are housesitting for them and went over to check on the animals yesterday ..... they really have not figured out that dishes do not wash themselves even when sitting forever the food does not just go away!!! (go figure huh?) ..currently have every surface covered with dirty dishes and are using paper plates by the stack of them flowing out of the trash can (who are these boys and who raised them I wonder???)

my husband made me leave with cleaning the kitchen and taking out the trash...even though I was hysterical about this!!! he said "do not enable them!!!" ..so I am thinking a portable dishwasher is the next gift ..

Edited May 23, 2007 by hummingbirdkiss (log)

[Marlene]

Yes they are. This is the one I'm looking at: portable dishwasher

[Sony]

hummingbirdkiss, there are also other models that hook into the sink but don't roll on wheels- they're meant to sit on the countertop. Such as this model:

Countertop Dishwasher

Just a different option to consider.....

Has anyone had personal experience with a Danby portable? I'm not familiar with the brand, but have read a few good reviews online:

Reviews on Danby dishwasher

It would be nice to consider a built-in at some point, but since I'm only renting, I don't think my landlord would be too keen on the idea...

[Beth Wilson]

I have a Danby portable and I love it. The lower rack has some handy features like fold down racks to allow for larger pots which I have used quite frequently. It isn't too noisy and is a lifesaver for my ancient kitchen.

I have been very happy with it.

[russ parsons]

i've got a portable, too. my house was built in the '30s and the kitchen cabinets aren't deep enough to install a built-in (so my contractor told me). it's kind of a pain, loading it and rolling it over. and it's noisy as all get out. and the cycles take forever (something i understand is common to most home dishwashers). but i bought a kenmore, i've had it for probably 10 years and it's never been serviced. it does a fine job, especially considering the price.

[Marlene]

I've now used the new portable GE dishwasher at the cottage a few times, and I have to say, it cleans wonderfully. it is rather noisy, but that's a small price to pay for not having to wash dishes by hand!

[GlorifiedRice]

http://www.countertopdishwasher.com/caroce..._dishwasher.htm

Whatever you do, do not buy the one above.

It is useless and the thing wont stay attached to the faucet and while you are in the bathtub, your kitchen will be flooding!

[MelissaH]

Yes they are.  This is the one I'm looking at:  portable dishwasher

←

Marlene,

I think that's the one we had in our Ohio home. When we did a minor remodel, we built it in and used it happily for another couple of years. (Just remember that when you plumb in the drain line, you need to knock out the knockout piece in the garbage disposal! )

Then we moved...to a house that had no DW or room for a portable. We redid that kitchen start to finish last summer.

MelissaH

[Marlene]

Melissa, I quite like it! And with just two of us here during the week, I can load it throughout the day and run it once after dinner. It will hold my sheet pans and my large le crueset braiser.

I think I will keep it as a portable even though we will likely remodel the cottage kitchen next year. This kitchen is tiny and I'd rather not give up the cupboard space. The portable lives well out of the way when not in use, and my toaster oven can reside on top of it.

[Sony]

OK< everyone, so I'm still looking for my portable dishwasher (I'll be moved into my new place at the end of this month!)

Here's something I've seen as I've been looking at some used machines....in some cases, there's a lot of CRUD built up around the seal. Is this something common with portable machines? A sign that the people using the machine don't pre-rinse? In which case, is that a bad thing? (e.g. is the machine going to break down in a food-clogged heap within weeks of buying it? )

If I'm going for a new machine, it might be a few months until I feel ready to spring for one. The used models are generally selling for less than $200, which I could swing at this point. Plus, they haven't broken so far, right? But I'd rather save the money if the machine has been going through unusually hard paces......

Any experience buying used dishwashers? And what to look for?

[Pierogi]

there's a lot of CRUD built up around the seal. Is this something common with portable machines?

Hmmmmm indeed. I haven't ever noticed a build-up of what I'd call crud. The seals discolor a bit, and may accumulate a minor layer of scum (sort of like the seals on a refrigerator if you don't wipe them down regularly). I'd write those things off to light-colored rubber seals in a damp (wet) environment. I might even accept some light mildew-y stuff and write THAT off to poor housekeeping. That should be controllable with a wipe-down with a bleach solution.

Having said that, I must admit I am NOT the world's best housekeeper, no one would ever mistake me for Martha Stewart, and even I have never seen "crud" on the seals of my dishwashers. But I *do* rinse the dishes really well before washing.

I do know the disposer gizzies in portables tend not to be as strong and powerful as those in built-ins, so I think I might be concerned if I really thought big chunks of hard or fiberous food were going through the unit on a regular basis. I'd worry the filter/grinder might have been over-taxed. JMO.......

I guess it depends on what your definition of "crud" is. Staining/mildew residue, I'd say no big whup if the seals still look good and functional. Actual stalagtites, I'd worry.

[Sony]

Thanks for a second opinion. I should have described the crud better! In some cases, it does just look like mildew.....

In other cases, it's an actual thin layer of grayish, compacted stuff that I can scrape up (with a little effort) using my fingernail. I'm just wondering about the inner workings that I can't access with my fingernail. The current owners of a Kenmore I was interested in said that they thought it was just soap and that it worked just fine. However, they also said that a typical cycle runs 20-30 minutes If anything, I thought that portables typically have cycles that are just as long, if not longer, than built-ins....

Anyway, I think I'm going to pass on the crusty machines unless anyone can advise me that I'm just paranoid. Mildewy ones might have a shot with me.