Dating to the 1850’s the dishwasher originated as a small wooden hand-cranked device. Although similar in concept to the first types of clothes dryers instead of drilling holes for airflow the tub was solid and sprayed water over dirty dishes. This unreliable method didn’t really catch on and it wasn’t until 1886 when Josephine Cochrane and George Butters designed a new hand-powered dishwasher that was marketed to hotels and restaurants that the dishwasher began to be more widely used. Based on her success at the 1893 World’s Fair in Chicago she founded the Garis-Cochrane Manufacturing Company, which was later acquired by Hobart Manufacturing company in 1913 after her death. Her designs of a dishwasher eventually were improved upon by Hobart and in 1949 the in-home dishwasher was introduced as part of the KitchenAid line of appliances. Some of the more modern features of the dishwasher did appear during the 1920’s however due to design flaws the dishwasher didn’t begin to gain in popularity until the post-WWII population boom.

Wall-to-wall countertops and the eventual standardizing of cabinet heights helped the dishwasher make its way into the vast majority of American homes during the latter half of the 20th century. As microprocessors and high-tech sensors began to be created these made their way to the dishwashers and allowed for better energy efficiency, delayed start timers, soil sensing, gentler washing cycles for things like China, and of course everyone’s favorite WiFi. Despite all the cool tech and capabilities of dishwashers people sometimes get the dumb idea to stick things in a dishwasher that go way beyond what the manufacturer has suggested or designed the dishwasher for. Things like hairbrushes, that once clean of the hair will just serve to clog your drain. Some people have thought it’s quick and easy to put oily, greasy car parts in the dishwasher which just makes us shake our heads at such a boneheaded idea here are TekEons. And even though it sounds like a good idea people are putting vegetables in the dishwasher. Residual soaps and gunk from previous washes can be deposited on the vegetables and they actually come out of the dishwasher way nastier than when you put them in there.

Knowing where to begin your research on dishwashers is as complex as finding the perfect load balance for your dishwasher. That is why TekEons has compared and reviewed a lot of the current models on the market today so we can help you make an informed consumer decision when it comes to your next dishwasher. Because TekEons encompasses so many different technologies there may be makes and models of dishwashers that we haven’t covered. If you have an experience or input you would like to share with us just fill out the form at the bottom of the page to give us welcomed feedback.