History Of Dishwashers
Posted on June 11, 2010
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Like the blues and the hot dog, the dishwasher is another all-american invention. Invented in 1850 by a guy named Joel Houghton, Joel patented a wooden machine that had a hand-turned wheel that splashed ample amounts of water on dishes.
Did it work? Hardly. But it was a start, and it was the first “workable” (I use that term loosely) patented design.
After years of toiling by various hap-hazard inventors over the initial problem, it wasn’t until 1886 that a breakthrough was made by a Josephine Cochrane. Trust it to be a woman to solve the dishwashing enigma. She’s famously quoted for saying “If nobody else is going to invent a dishwashing machine, I’ll do it myself!” She then proceed to do so!
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Her motivation behind the breakthrough wasn’t as noble as it sounds though. Self interest was her biggest motivation. She was a wealthy lady (her father was the inventor of the steamboat) and only invented the dish washer to prevent her servants from chipping her fine china. But even still, her accomplishments cannot be doubted. She invented the first practical example of the dishwasher, an invention that would go on to revolutionize the kitchen.
It took seven years before she had enough confidence to unveil her concoction publicly at the 1893 World’s Fair, but only hotels and large restaurants could see the practical use of having one. This disappointed her somewhat as she was expecting a bigger reaction, but the foundations were laid and the concept of the dishwasher has come on leaps and bounds since then.
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It wasn’t until the 1920′s that the next breakthrough was made when models started to come with permanent plumbing built inside. In 1924, William Howard Livens invented a dishwasher that was small enough to be used domestically. The design he came up with hasn’t really varied much since. It had a front door for loading, a series of wire racks to hold crockery and a rotating sprayer like most dishwashers have today. That still didn’t mean that it was a commercial success, and the concept of the dishwasher didn’t leave commercial kitchens (restaurants, hotels) until the beginning of the seventies.
Up until that point dishwashers had been seen as a major luxury, one that only the most affluent could possibly afford. As time went on and technology improved however, the cost radically decreased and it’s come to the point now where the idea of living without a dishwasher is unfathomable for most modern families.
Thanks to this history of innovation, the family looking for a dishwasher today has many products to choose from. Bosch, GE, Kitchenaid, Maytag, Frigidaire, Hotpoint and Smeg Dishwashers are all direct descendants of these original dishwasher inventions.
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