{"id":232,"date":"2024-08-28T03:02:03","date_gmt":"2024-08-28T10:02:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/uakc.net\/blog\/?p=232"},"modified":"2024-08-28T17:18:13","modified_gmt":"2024-08-29T00:18:13","slug":"dishwasher-changed-world","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/uakc.net\/blog\/dishwasher-changed-world\/","title":{"rendered":"How the Dishwasher Has Changed Our World"},"content":{"rendered":"

Many people were raised washing dishes as one of their chores, but this is increasingly rare as the years go by. The invention of the dishwasher, its evolution into a must-have home appliance, and its wider adoption by the public is an exciting story. The modern dishwashers we have today have a host of valuable features. But, this was not always the case, and the origins of this appliance stretch back around 160 years!<\/p>\n

When Was the Dishwasher Invented?<\/h2>\n

Like many inventions, several people were working on similar ideas simultaneously. However, in the way we think of this appliance today, the earliest incarnation of a dishwasher was a patent issued in 1850 to Joel Houghton. This design was wooden; the dishes were placed inside, and water was sprayed. The appliance could only be cranked by hand and only splashed water on the dishes. This was extremely basic, but the principle was similar to how modern dishwashers are designed.<\/p>\n

Later, a second inventor named Josephine Cochrane improved the initial design to create an automated appliance. A copper boiler with a wooden wheel could be driven by power or hand using a pulley. The dishes sat in wired compartments sprayed with hot, soapy water and spun.<\/p>\n

The inventor created this design because she was fond of entertaining, and her servants repeatedly chipped her prized 17th-century dishes. She washed the dishes herself to mitigate the damage, but she hated it and wondered why there wasn\u2019t an appliance to make it easier. Her dishwasher was ready for testing in 1886. It was a practical improvement on the earlier design, and people loved it.<\/p>\n

Josephine Cochrane and George Butters built the final design in 1889, calling it the \u201cLavaplatos.\u201d This dishwasher was later presented in a working format at the Chicago World\u2019s Fair in 1893. It was a modest success among the rich who could afford this specialized appliance.<\/p>\n

Willian Howard Livens invented the first machine-powered dishwasher in England. He created a dishwasher in 1924 powered by an electric motor spraying water over the dishes. On a darker note, Livens invented flame-based and chemical weapons that were put to horrific use in both the First and Second World Wars! Sadly, this dishwasher design was far ahead of its time, and widespread adoption would have been impossible. The design worked well; it had a front door for easier loading and a rotating spinner to spread the water equally. However, most homes didn\u2019t have indoor plumbing, and only incredibly wealthy people could install one. In 1940, Livens added drying capabilities to his dishwasher to speed up the drying process. Commercial success still eluded him, and his invention was not affordable or practical for most households. Other inventors built on this design in the post-WW2 years to perfect and add elements that would make dishwashers viable for more people.<\/p>\n

A dishwasher was a luxury appliance until the 1950s, when the designs began to evolve rapidly, and the prices became affordable. Drying functionality had been invented in the 1940s, but it increasingly became a necessity until it was a standard feature from the 1970s onwards. The introduction of automatic dishwashers was when these appliances began to catch the public’s imagination. These appliances had a heating element to increase the water temperature, a detergent dispenser, and multiple wash cycle modes.<\/p>\n

7 Features That Defined the Modern Dishwasher<\/h2>\n

The technological advances found throughout the post-WW2 economic boom were gradually adopted into dishwashers and other household appliances. From the 1970s until the present, the evolution of transistors, circuit boards, computing, and other technologies facilitated rapid changes for the better. Let\u2019s take a look at seven key features that went on to define the modern dishwasher:<\/p>\n