| Our dishwasher stopped working a couple of weeks | | | | washer should be made of. One thing that surprised |
| ago so I started looking for a new one. I had no idea | | | | me was that a tub that is made of plastic is better |
| that there were so many variations available. We | | | | than one made of stainless steel. The reasons seem |
| managed doing it all by hand for a week or so but | | | | to be that they are better in areas with hard water, |
| that just had to stop. | | | | they keep the heat better to help the drying cycle |
| However did we manage before the dishwasher was | | | | and they make the machine quieter to use. The |
| invented. There was a lot of dishes to be washed by | | | | downside, of course, is that they are a bit more |
| hand I know that. It was not as bad when just two | | | | expensive. |
| people had a meal together but I do not think that I | | | | Those two things were all I needed to know to get |
| could have faced cleaning all the crockery and cutlery | | | | the basic dishwasher that I wanted but, if I had |
| that is made dirty when we have a dinner party for | | | | wanted to spend some more money I could have |
| eight. | | | | bought one with an attachment which basically works |
| When I looked it up on the internet I found out that | | | | as a waste disposal unit to clear away the bigger bits |
| the dishwasher was invented sometime between the | | | | of leftovers. |
| mid nineteenth century and the 1920s. I say that | | | | So I went out and bought one which was delivered |
| because the first patent for a dish washing device | | | | and fitted the next day. All we have to do now is |
| was in 1850 but the dishwasher as we know it today | | | | make sure that we use the right amounts of |
| was not possible until permanent plumbing was | | | | dishwasher salt and rinse aid and we cannot go |
| available in houses. | | | | wrong. |
| So, how did I go about finding my replacement. | | | | Unfortunately there are some things that we cannot |
| There were two main things that I had to decide. | | | | put in the dishwasher. Cast iron utensils might rust, |
| The first thing I had to do was measure the hole | | | | anything that has been affected by cigarette ash or |
| that I took it out of and the new one would have to | | | | candle wax will contaminate the rest of the wash. It |
| fit in to. In fact most dishwashers are built with a | | | | is not recommended to put cutlery with wooden |
| standard width of 24 inches and will happily fit into a | | | | handles or things like wood chopping boards in. |
| 34 inch hole. By checking that I discovered that I did | | | | If you have any doubts it is best to wash it by hand. |
| indeed need to get a 24 in built in dishwasher. | | | | We managed everything for a few days so it is not |
| The second was to work out what material the new | | | | the end of the world. |