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Do I really need a dishwasher??


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I am planning to reno my kitchen in the spring and I am really torn here. I have a small, galley kitchen in an apartment (co-op) and I am trying to increase my counter space wihtout giving up cabinet space (plus, my kitchen is about 50 years old and pretty narsty :glare: ). I have a d/w that hasn't worked in at least 15 years and we rarely used it before then as it wasn't very good - even with rinsing first.

 

I would like to take out the d/w and put in an extra cabinet. Then I would like to go from a cooktop (which is over a cabinet) and wall oven to a free standing range. This would give me a counter where my cooktop currently is.

 

Buuuttt....so many people I know think I am crazy! Since I have the opportunity to put one in I should take it, I will love it if I get a good one, it will save water and time, etc., etc.

 

Honestly, I really dislike doing dishes but it seems to be *my* job - the kids do many other jobs but our kitchen is so tiny, only one person can work there at once and it is easier for me to do them myself. But I have been to homes where I can see that the dishes were not thoroughly cleaned - yuck! I don't want to spend all that money and then find myself rewashing, kwim?

 

So, am I crazy?

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I went without a dishwasher for 9 years, and I hated every moment. Getting a dishwasher has been WONDERFUL for me. It's so much faster to load it, press a button, and then get other things done, especially when I do a lot of cooking.

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If you don't mind doing the dishes, then don't have the dishwasher.

 

I've found that I don't keep up with dishes very well without a dishwasher. And then all my counter space gets filled with dirty dishes. So, for me NOT to have a dishwasher takes away my (veeeery limited) counter space.

 

My dishes rarely come out dirty. Once in awhile, if there was something stuck very hard on something it won't come off in the dishwasher, but that's once every couple of months or so and just for a single bowl or spoon in the load.

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We use our dishwasher every single day, and sometimes twice a day. As long as you don't try to put stockpots or anything crazy like that in it, it works great. It only doesn't clean if something is wrong, like the JetDry ran out (after six months) or there's a clog in the pipe leading out of dishwasher (which was also clogging up our sink and we should have fixed it when we noticed that).

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Every apartment I lived in had a dishwasher that did NOT work. I used it as a drying rack. When we bought our house, we bought a dishwasher and I use it every day. There are 5 people living in our house, so that makes a difference.

My new dishwasher does NOT leave food on the dishes, unless it has been caked on and dried. I always rinse my dishes before I put it in the dw anyways, but at least I don't have to wash them and dry them anymore!

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Dishwashers are not a necessity. For resale purposes, however, it is best to have a place where a dishwasher could go. Standard dishwashers fit in a 24" cabinet space, smaller dishwashers fit in an 18" space. So put either a 24" or an 18" cabinet on one side of your sink. A buyer could then remove the cabinet and slide in a dishwasher.

 

Our old house did not have a dishwasher and we had no problems selling it.

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I went without a dishwasher for 9 years, and I hated every moment. Getting a dishwasher has been WONDERFUL for me. It's so much faster to load it, press a button, and then get other things done, especially when I do a lot of cooking.

 

:iagree: Even though it was only 6 months until we had the cash to purchase a portable DW for the apartment in which we were living.

 

If you ever sell your spot, then a DW is thought of as a necessity for many

 

:iagree:Given the amount of inventory on the market right now, I wouldn't even consider a place that didn't have a built-in dishwasher. Who wants to have to spend the money to renovate the kitchen to add one?

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I would really consider getting a dishwasher. When we first moved to this house we had a dishwasher, but it really wasn't that great. I sometimes had to rewash items because they didn't get clean. Then it broke, and we went a year without a dishwasher. When I finally decided to spend the money to replace it, it was such a huge, wonderful difference. I didn't spend an exorbitant amount for the most luxurious one I could find, but I researched, decided which features were most important to me, and found one with those features in the mid-range. It works so well. I never have to rewash, and I'm so happy we have a dishwasher. We use ours at least once a day, sometimes two or three times. I say go for it and get a new one that works.

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Hmmm...so it might not be a waste of money (feels weird to consider resale value as I expect to be here many more years, but it is sensible) to put one in and use it occasionally, but it still doesn't get me the extra counter space.

 

I need to get some graph paper and start drawing different layout!

 

Thanks for all the answers. I realize that a good dishwasher must be a great thing, but I am not sure that taking the risk (what if it is lousy?) and giving up that potential counter are really worth it.

 

I am going to go and wash my breakfast/lunch dishes and think about it some more!!!

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I've been without mine for about 3 weeks now and I've discovered 2 things:

 

1. My dishes are so much cleaner when I wash them by hand.

2. I actually like washing dishes.

 

With all the pre-rinsing I was doing before putting them into the dishwasher, washing them by hand doesn't really take much longer.

 

My dishwasher makes a great drying rack, though!

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Dishwashers are not a necessity. For resale purposes, however, it is best to have a place where a dishwasher could go. Standard dishwashers fit in a 24" cabinet space, smaller dishwashers fit in an 18" space. So put either a 24" or an 18" cabinet on one side of your sink. A buyer could then remove the cabinet and slide in a dishwasher.

 

 

This is what dh's sister did when they reno'ed their kitchen.

 

I'd make sure the plumbing for the d/w stays, then put in a cabinet. If you ever sell your place, making it easy to install a d/w (or even installing one yourself for the purpose of selling) will probably make your place sell faster.

 

Her dh put in the necessary plumbing in case they decided to get a d/w. They haven't yet--it's been at least 10 years.

 

If a d/w isn't that important to you (I know someone who has a d/w but prefers to do dishes by hand because she finds it relaxing :rolleyes:) I'd say take the cabinet space. Just leave the workings and space so that it wouldn't be another major overhaul if you change your mind.

 

Cinder

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I haven't read the other replies, so I don't know if this is a repeat.

 

If you plan to resell in the near future keep a dishwasher. We lived for several years in a wonderful house w/o a dishwasher and I did not have any problem. I would prefer cabinet space to dishwasher any day.

 

But when we went to sell the house you would have thought we didn't have indoor plumbing. :lol: The looks of horror on some of the buyers' faces. One wife told her dh she wouldn't move in until the kitchen was 'fixed'.

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I think there are some very good dishwashers on the market right now. And I'd be concerned about resale of the house if there weren't even a place for a dishwasher. Most people expect a dishwasher and not having space for one would mean the buyer would be figuring on a remodel to fit one in.

 

You may not be planning to resell, but you never know if you will need to. So, I'd at least find a way to make space for it.

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