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Out of all the household appliances developed to make our day-to-day lives easier, the dishwasher may be at the top of our list. Once you experience the small joys of not having to clean copious amounts of dishes by hand, often several times a day, you simply can’t back. But not all homes have built-in dishwashers, especially if you’re renting, plus they’re expensive. Enter: the portable dishwasher.
Portable Dishwasher vs Built-in Dishwasher
A full-size or built-in dishwasher is made to belong in your kitchen and oftentimes will not leave its designated spot until its dying day. But if you live in a rented property that doesn’t have a dishwasher and you don’t want to buy an expensive appliance, a portable dishwasher is a good solution. It’s cheaper than a regular dishwasher, and when you move, you can easily take it with you.
If you have small house or apartment that just cannot accommodate a full-size dishwasher, again, a portable dishwasher can save the day. Or perhaps you have a pool-house or an outside area that you use to BBQ and entertain guests in your home. A portable dishwasher can make sure that you don’t have to lug all the dishes back to the main house to be washed. If you have a summer house or cabin that you love to visit whenever you can, a portable dishwasher can help you enjoy your vacation time without having to do the washing up.
If you’re worried that it might not get much use, remember that these countertop dishwashers are small enough to fit in the trunk of a car so you can bring it from place to place. It can even be handed down to the kids when they go off to college. It’s a great option for singles, couples, or an office space.
Obviously, a countertop dishwasher can’t hold as many dishes as a full-size dishwasher, and you probably won’t be able to get larger pots and pans in there, but another bonus of these mini dishwashers is that they use up to a third less water than a conventional dishwasher. And, both use far less water than washing the dishes by hand — so you’ll be doing your part for the environment (and your water bill), too.
A portable dishwasher does not require hours of reading through the instruction manual to figure out. It’s compact enough to sit on the countertop near the sink. It has two tubes that come out of the back: One needs to connect to the water faucet (note: your faucet needs to have a threaded faucet spout. if not, you can buy an adaptor while some dishwashers come with one); the other, the drain hose, needs to stay in the sink to dispose the dirty water down the drain.
With minimal buttons, you’ll just choose the setting that you want and turn the water on. Once it’s done and your dishes are sparkling clean, you can put the tubes away tidily behind the dishwasher. If you’d like your portable dishwasher to be the main dishwasher in the house, you can get a plumber in to connect it to the plumbing.
Choosing from the Best Portable Dishwashers
When it comes to choosing the best portable dishwasher, where do you start? We must admit, they all seem pretty similar. So we looked though countless countertop dishwashers and found the best-rated and reviewed options under $400 — and most of them are even under $300! Keep scrolling for FIRST’s picks for the best portable dishwashers for under $400.
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For a countertop dishwasher that’s gentle on the wallet, we’ve found the simplest and cheapest portable option at Walmart. This RCA dishwasher comes in white and only has four buttons — power on/off, timer, program, and start/pause — so it’s pretty hard to get it wrong. Its six wash-cycle settings are: economy, normal, soak, glass, rapid, and intensive, and it holds up to six standard place settings, which is perfect for a small family. The interior is made from durable stainless steel and practically keeps itself clean. It has a sleek electronic LED display at the top, and at under $200, there’s nothing not to love about this mini countertop dishwasher.
The Magic Chef countertop dishwasher is another inexpensive yet useful dishwasher that’ll do you proud. As one of the best portable dishwashers at Home Depot, in addition to its six wash cycles — normal, speed, light, glass/china, rinse, and delayed start — it has a hygienic and sanitary residual drying system that avoids using outside air to dry the dishes. One of the 151 Home Depot 5-star reviews for this product reads, “I have been very pleasantly surprised at how well this unit performs. I have filled it to capacity and everything comes out clean. It is also much, much quieter than I anticipated; you can barely hear it running at all. A great choice for an old, out of date kitchen!”
Amazon’s Choice for best countertop dishwasher, this Little Danby, comes with all the quick-connect faucet adaptor parts so you can get started with it straight away. “I bought this dishwasher to make my share of the chores a little easier,” says one happy customer. “And it works perfectly in that respect. It fits nicely right on the counter in our little kitchen and connects intuitively to the sink without any issues. The instructions and user manual are very easy to understand, and it even breaks down the water and energy usages for each of the cycles... It is quiet and seems to be efficient. I'd recommend this highly for anyone in a similar situation as I am; wanting to lighten the load of hand-washing dishes with limited space.”
This Energy Star certified dishwasher is an extremely eco-friendly method of dish-washing as it only utilizes just 10.8 liters of water per wash cycle. It has an automatic rinse-aid and detergent dispenser, and room for the standard six place mat sets. With only three buttons — power, start, and program — it’s fool-proof and easy to use. “From a person who has a ‘micro-kitchen’ this is the best purchase I have made in a LONG time!” reads one 5-star review. “Sure, I lost some counter space, but less space than what my dishes took up when they were air drying (for days). I can barely hear it run. If you have a small kitchen and want a dishwasher, this one is top shelf, and you won't have to pay an arm and a leg for it!”
Another great little countertop dishwasher is this one from Best Choice Products (BCP) — and we’re still under the $250 mark! It has a preset start function that can delay the wash from one to 24 hours if you so wish. It’s lightweight, which makes it easy to transport, and quiet, too. If you’re wondering whether it can adequately clean dirty dishes, though, read this 5-star review: “I bought this a month ago and have been using it every couple days; it works great. I even kinda tested it by baking barbecue sauce [in] a pan, let it sit for a day or twp, and used the dishwasher just at the normal clean cycle and it was spotless. Very happy with it.”
The sleek SPT portable dishwasher has seven dish washing settings including “mini party.” There is a helpful video on the Home Depot site that shows you how you can easily install it. One review says, “After not having a dishwasher for years, I broke down and purchased this one and let me tell you this is the best money I’ve spent in a while… Having to spend an [extra] 30-60 mins hand washing dishes every day gets old really quick. Really great investment for my life and my sanity.”
Although it also comes in silver, and white, we’re loving the chic look of the black Edgestar countertop dishwasher. With its pretty digital display, seven wash cycles, and low price, it’s a winner. “It’s been one year since I bought this dishwasher, and it still works like it did on day one,” says Sandra. “I can pack so much stuff in it, and it will clean so well. Normally, I use the 45-min setting, and it has never disappointed. Cooking in a tiny NYC kitchen has become possible and not miserable because of this awesome dishwasher. I love it... I have one pot, pot cover, 2 ceramic bowls, 4 stainless steel bowls, one glass, one mug, one large plate, 2 small plates, take-out containers, coffee cone, and a grease splash cover on top… Everything comes out so clean!”
It’s commonly accepted that once you’ve experienced life with a dishwasher, you’ll never want to go back to ever washing dishes by hand. With over 500 reviews on Amazon, the Homelabs compact countertop dishwasher is one of the best out there. “Set up was a breeze — 5-10 minutes total," says Dylan. “They also package this thing in a serious manner; there were wood slats in the box keeping things secure. Immediately ran a load of dishes after hooking up the hoses and everything came out great. I’ve had another brand before and the configuration of the dish rack in this one is superior, it allowed me to get three days of dishes in the machine without any fuss. (Household of two).”
The Ivation countertop dishwasher promises full-size dishwashing power in a mini portable package. Everything you need to set it up comes with it, including a faucet adaptor. With four simple operating buttons, an easy to read display, and six wash cycle settings that get your dishes sparkling clean, you’ll wonder how you ever lived without it. “I spent DAYS comparing every single countertop dishwasher offered on this website,” reads one review. “After so many hours of research, I feel like I’m qualified to receive my PhD in Dishwasher Studies. After everything that I had read, I decided to go with the Ivation Portable Dishwasher. Yes, it was a bit more expensive than the others, but it was totally worth the extra money. It fits neatly on our countertop, gets our dishes cleaner than ever before, and I haven’t cursed at the sink while trying to scrape-off hardened cheese in months! Our swear jar is practically empty now! Simply put, save your time and buy this dishwasher.”
At just 20 pounds, this Della countertop dishwasher is highly portable if you’re planning on moving it around from place to place. “This is an awesome compact (affordable) dishwasher,” says one happy customer. “Perfect for a couple, up to a family of four. Handles all the standard dishes and gets them clean. Sits perfectly on the counter, but we are actually permanently mounting in a kitchen cabinet in place of the original full-size dish washer. Gives us an extra drawer for storage and looks great. We have installed a second unit in our travel trailer.”
In true Black + Decker style, this compact portable countertop dishwasher oozes style and convenience. It has a LED display and electronic touch controls that add flair, and it even has a child lock (great thinking), is Energy Star certified, and has a high-efficiency rating. It has the standard six place setting capacity, and you can choose between seven wash cycles: normal, intensive, eco, glass, 90-minute, rapid, or soak. With reviews such as, “Our best decision for a countertop dishwasher”, “Worth every penny,” and “Best purchase I’ve ever made,” you can’t really go wrong with this little appliance.
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