Is a dishwasher necessary for a family of 2, 3, 4 people?

People's attitudes towards household appliances are different: devices that are in demand are devices that make the housewife's work easier; they free up time for other hobbies. Washing dishes after a meal for 1 person or a small family takes 5-10 minutes and is no different in complexity.

The situation is different when, for some reason, a mountain of plates, pots, and cups accumulates in the sink. In this case, you will need a mechanical assistant. To understand whether a dishwasher is needed, they weigh the arguments for and against a dishwasher.

The need for machine washing of dishes
Pros and cons of a dishwasher
Purchasing motives by family size
Reasons to ditch the dishwasher
conclusions
PMM catalog with reviews and characteristics

The need for machine washing of dishes

The question of the advisability of purchasing equipment arises when fatigue has accumulated from washing pans, pots, and plates 2-3 times every day. People are stopped from taking a decisive step towards mechanization by stories from friends about the waste of money and the inconvenience of using a machine wash.

First you need to familiarize yourself with the functions that the device can perform, with the technical characteristics of the average PMM model. Dishwashers are equipped with a control unit that allows you to program the machine to wash in various modes. This ensures the implementation of additional functions:

automatic drying of clean kitchen utensils;
the launch of the device into operation was delayed for a while;
grinding food waste - in expensive models;
incomplete loading of the machine with dishes - allows you to reduce the consumption of water and electricity;
protection against leaks and children's pranks.

For families, they often choose a PMM for 9-13 sets of dishes with a washing cycle lasting approximately 2 hours. The noise level of such devices is <50 dB. There are also compact models, but it is difficult to fit a frying pan or saucepan in them.

A dishwasher is appropriate in small restaurants and cafes where a lot of dirty dishes are in circulation. Whether a device is needed in everyday life is decided by each person individually. Families often do without a dishwasher, but they periodically have the desire to acquire equipment.

What do you need to buy extra?

Salt

It is needed to soften water and protect the device from scale, and prevents the appearance of limescale somewhere in the depths of the machine. I used different brands of salt and didn’t notice any difference, so I take Somat, it’s cheaper than the others. You need to fill it into the round compartment at the bottom by unscrewing the lid.

It is filled up approximately once a month; when the salt runs out, the corresponding indicator on the panel will light up. A package weighing 1.5 kg lasts for about six months. On average, the price is no higher than 200 rubles.

Pills

Actually, the detergent itself is necessary for cleaning dishes. I’ll share a life hack for compact machines like mine. We take the tablet and cut it in half, the effect is the same. I'll tell you which ones I tried:

3 in 1 from Finish , cool, but a little expensive. And because of the liquid center, it is inconvenient to divide it into 2 parts. 13 tablets – 350 rubles. There are many varieties, and of course, the larger the pack, the cheaper the price per piece.
Somat , good, perform their function. Only each item is packed in film, which must be removed first, which wastes a little time. The average cost is 600 rubles for 24 tablets.
Meine Liebe , I found the smell a little strange, but they are inexpensive. If you additionally use a rinse aid, they will work perfectly. They cost 460 rubles for 21 pieces.
BioMio , quite good and the most budget-friendly. I’m glad to see the inscription “eco-friendly”, but what does this mean is a question. 430 rubles for 30 tablets.
Eared nannies , they came to us best, I’m sharing a link to Ozone. The composition is the most harmless of all, and the price is about 300 rubles. for 20 pieces.

Rinse aid

This is an optional item, but it does not leave streaks on glass glasses and the smell is more pleasant than just using tablets. I take 800 ml Finish, I haven’t seen it in stores lately, so I order it on the Ozone website for 340 rubles.

Promo code OZONJ23216 will give you 300 points for your first order.

You can arrange for a courier to deliver it directly to your apartment. If you order additional goods, the courier is relatively inexpensive. Or you can always get by with free pickup. Delivery usually takes 1-2 days.

You have to refill the rinse aid once every 2 months. As with salt, an indicator on the panel lights up when the supply is low.

Pros and cons of a dishwasher

People's opinions about the advisability of purchasing a machine washing machine are completely opposite. Each party motivates its position in reviews of the use of PMM. Based on the results of the analysis of opinions, lists of advantages and disadvantages of mechanized dishwashing were compiled.

Weissgauff BDW 4543 D

Advantages of using technology

Saving effort and time is the main advantage of caring for dishes using a washing machine. To start the process of cleaning cutlery, you only need 3 minutes: load the service items, powder or tablet into the washing chamber, press the start button. Other advantages of using PMM:

Contact of the skin of the hands with chemical reagents of the detergent is avoided. This circumstance is especially appreciated by people predisposed to allergies.
Minimal amount of water is consumed. If hand washing a set of dishes requires a flow of 5-10 liters, then a dishwasher will spend 1 liter of liquid for the same number of sets.
There is no need to fill the device with hot water: the built-in tubular electric heater (TEH) will provide the temperature necessary for effective washing.
The dishes are dried directly in the working chamber of the machine, from where they are transferred to a shelf or kitchen cabinet. There is no need to wipe clean plates and cups with a towel.
All pathogenic bacteria are destroyed. This is achieved by washing at high temperature, which is impossible to do manually.

Expert opinion

I work in the household appliance repair industry. Extensive experience in restoring washing machines and dishwashers.

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An absolute plus in using a dishwasher for families with two or more preschool children. Parents will be able to spend more time with their kids instead of spending a long time washing dishes several times a day.

Disadvantages of using the device

Opponents of PMM point out the uselessness of the technology and the need to re-process already clean service items. Others talk about the increased consumption of water and electricity, the need to buy salt, allocate space in the kitchen for installing the device, and most importantly, the high price of household appliances. Some of these statements are misconceptions, but there are also real disadvantages when switching to a machine wash:

Installation location of the dishwasher in a small kitchen. The equipment should be located near a sink, where there is a possibility of connecting to water and sewerage. A washing machine is also installed here. Finding additional space turns out to be really difficult.
Electricity consumption. On average, the energy consumption of dishwashers for 1 cycle is 1 kWh. When the device is turned on daily, the meter will accumulate 30 kWh per month. This corresponds to approximately 10% of a family's monthly expenditure.
Cost of detergents and cleaning products. Powders, gels, tablets, rinses, anti-scale salts are consumables, the machine cannot operate without them.
Utensil processing time. Before placing the service in the working chamber, any remaining food is removed from the items. The cycle itself lasts approximately 2 hours.
PMM price. It is comparable to the cost of a TV or washing machine.
Prohibited materials for mechanical washing. These are dishes made of wood, plastic, aluminum, tin, copper. As well as plates with stickers, painted porcelain.

Is a dishwasher profitable?

Oh yes! No

One of the disadvantages of machine processing compared to manual washing is dishwasher care, which cannot be avoided when operating any equipment. Maintenance consists of daily wiping of machine parts, periodic cleaning of the mesh filters: bulk, garbage.

Flaws

When visiting, you sometimes feel that the dishes are not clean enough. You can’t make sure every plate doesn’t have a greasy coating or a dried-out piece of carrot left on it.
Mugs with stickers or poor print quality gradually become faded. I took a mug with a logo home from work, after the first time it became pure white.
Heavy contamination requires pre-cleaning. You can’t help but finish the salad and put it in the machine. For some this may not seem like a minus, but others are used to leaving leftover food on the saucer.
If you make the wrong choice of equipment, the quality of service may leave much to be desired. Therefore, carefully read reviews and testimonials before purchasing.
As a rule, old kitchen sets do not provide space for installing a machine. Therefore, you will need to rack your brains to find a place. At one time we lived in an office space, the kitchen there was one meter by one meter in size, and as a result the dishwasher was placed on top of the washing machine right in the bathroom.
A strip of foam on a pan from meat broth does not always give way, but it is easy to remove if you rub it a little with a brush before washing. Which, by the way, can also be thrown after the pan so that it does not remain greasy.
In the standard cycle the dishwasher runs for almost 2 hours, but I always use the high speed cycle. It takes exactly half the time.

Purchasing motives by family size

Dirty dishes in the kitchen appear after cooking (pots, pans) and after finishing eating them. When food is ordered from service providers, the amount of work required to clean kitchen utensils is significantly reduced.

This approach is typical for single people, childless couples. There are several options for people living together in apartments, in each of them there are motives for the need or denial of a dishwasher:

A lonely man. He rarely eats at home and rarely cooks. Washing a cup and plate is a matter of minutes. You can think about a machine wash if guests often gather in the apartment.
Married couple without children. In this case, the need for a dishwasher is determined by their lifestyle. If a woman is a housewife, loves to cook food, receive friends and relatives, then a narrow model dishwasher will not stand idle in the kitchen without work.

Family with one child. Preparing breakfast, lunch, and dinner are mandatory procedures. When every member of a family team works and studies, everyone’s time is limited. A dishwasher is a must – a compact model will suffice.
Family group of 4 people or more. The need to purchase a full-sized PMM is beyond doubt.

The justification for purchasing a dishwasher in families where it is needed is confirmed in circumstances when hot water is turned off or not supplied to apartments. The dishwasher has a built-in heating element that heats cold liquid directly in it.

Have you set the water hardness in PMM?

Yes, of course. No.

Review of Bosch SKS 41E11

I can confidently recommend my compact Bosch assistant; this model has been with us for 5 years. Before this, while living with my mother-in-law, I had the opportunity to use a full-size Bosch for several months, and it has also been working properly for about 10 years.

The model is not built-in, it stands separately;
Width 55 cm, depth 50, height 45;
Condensation drying of dishes;
Weighs just over 21 kg;
The noise level is 54 dB, when it finishes work it does not squeak, which is also pleasing.
Capacity is 6 sets, but we load it randomly - sometimes more mugs, sometimes more plates. Depending on how often we eat, we put it in the sink either every other day or a couple of times a week. If guests come, then more often. Attached a photo with an example of a full load.

Reasons to ditch the dishwasher

It should be borne in mind that PMM is not suitable for everyone. It may happen that the device installed in the kitchen will not be in demand for its main purpose, but will remain part of the interior of the room. There are people who do not need to buy a dishwasher:

owner of a private house without sewerage and water connection;
lovers of food in public catering establishments: restaurants, cafes, canteens;

people for whom washing dishes by hand is a reason to relax and enjoy this activity;
workaholics who are passionate about work and prefer to devote most of their time to what they love.

This category of people includes those who use culinary services. Heating purchased ready-made food in the microwave and washing 2-3 plates under the tap is not the amount of work for which a PMM is needed.

Device history

First of all, it’s worth figuring out who invented the dishwasher, and what the first devices of this kind were. It is worth noting that they appeared at the end of the 19th century and at that time they were quite primitive machines, which, nevertheless, coped with their duties quite well and were capable of washing dirty dishes. It is not at all surprising that the inventor of the machine was a woman who was able to create and patent the first machine that washed dishes on its own. This woman was Josephine Cochrane, and her invention was published on December 31, 1885. It is worth describing separately so that modern women have an idea of the first devices of this kind and know who made them.

This machine worked properly with steam and was a tub made of wood or metal, divided into two equal parts. At the bottom there was a special tank into which two piston pumps were inserted. The upper part was intended directly for the washing procedure; there was a stand for plates, cups and other cutlery. Also in this part there was a base where the process of separating foam and clean water took place. Tubes were attached to the pumps, through which hot water flowed into the base of the machine. It was quite difficult to come up with and invent it, but Cochrane successfully completed this task and became one of the most influential businesswomen in the United States.

conclusions

There are 3 factors that influence the decision to move away from manual dishwashing. By comparing them with each other, we can draw a conclusion. Here are the results of the review:

The dishwasher market is represented by devices with many functions and different sizes. Prices for PMM can be affordable; you can always choose a model that will suit your family.
A mechanical sink has many advantages, but there are also disadvantages inherent in any household appliance. The machine performs its main function – to facilitate the housewife’s work – efficiently.
No advantages of PMM will force a person to buy a device if it is not necessary.

Only the family member who personally washes the mountains of dishes in the house can decide whether a dishwasher is needed. It should be noted that dishwasher owners who have already experienced the delights of mechanical washing do not regret the choice they made.

How to download

I’ll tell you the example of my Bosh assistant, and share some life hacks that I’ve discovered over the years of use.

First of all, we lay out the compartment, as shown in the picture. Rinse aid and salt as needed (this is discussed in the previous paragraph), and a tablet every time. In order to save money, it can be cut into 2 parts. Try it, I didn’t notice the difference, whole or half.
Next, we clean the dishes from obvious food residues. Of course, it’s easier to teach all family members to immediately throw away waste, but in reality this doesn’t always work out that way.
We place pots, mugs and plates with the dirty surface down, without stacking them in two layers.
Place spoons, forks and knives in a special container. But personally, I threw it away - it’s better to put 3-4 more saucers instead. And I place cutlery on top, in a place intended for low cups. We don’t have those on our farm, so the space remains free.
Long ladles, knives, mashed potatoes and the like can be placed at the very bottom - they will not interfere with washing other utensils.
I wash in the Vario Speed (accelerated) mode at 65 degrees, it takes about an hour. The mode for crystal is 45, I’ve never used it, 65 works great with thin glass, just let the glasses cool a little before taking them out.
If necessary, during work you can carefully open the doors and take out/report something. After closing the door, the mode will not be interrupted and the machine will continue to wash.