In this article I'd like to finish my look at "endangered" appliance species: the portable dishwasher!
These machines would be 24" wide (same as a built-in unit), include an adaptor so it could attach easily to your kitchen sink, castors to allow one to wheel the unit back and forth to the sink, and a butcher block top that could double as a work surface. Portable/convertibles usually sold for about $100 more than the equivalent built-in model, but when compared to the cost of plumbing in a built-in unit (not to mention the cost of a plumber!), that upcharge was easy to justify.
(An aside: Portable dishwashers always make me think back to my beginnings in the appliance industry. Back in November '93 I applied at the now defunct Lechmere in Newington, CT for a seasonal part time job. (For those too young to remember, Lechmere was a popular mid to upscale department chain that sold everything from appliances to audio/video to luggage and compact discs) By coincidence, the store's GM happened to be walking by and mentioned that they had full time openings in "majors". Long story short, I took the job, and here I am thirty plus years later still discussing the benefits of dryers and dishwashers!
Every Sunday morning we had to be in the store an hour early to change all the sale tags, removing the tags for last week's promo, and attaching new tags to each appliance. To make this tedious job easier, we would each borrow a portable dishwasher and take advantage of the butcher block top that was always a feature on a portable, and use these as a portable desk!) OK, end of aside!
Back in 1994, while the built-in dishwasher had become by far the more popular option, dishwashers were available in both built-in, and "convertible". Yes, the industry marketed a portable dishwasher as a flexible appliance, one that could be "portable now", and "built-in later." Talk about convenience, yes?? Most companies had one or two models, and they were available in the "color packs" that were common in all types of pre -2000 dishwashers, where reversible front panels allowed you to choose white, almond, or black to match the rest of your kitchen.*
So...what happened?
First, the American kitchen became larger, and more "upscale".
Consumers began to demand more style in these larger kitchens, and more convenience to assist with their ever-more-hectic lifestyles. Dishwashers became a standard appliance in new or remodeled kitchens. Portable/convertibles were primarily relegated to apartments, or older kitchens that did not have the proper space and plumbing for a built-in.
Second, dishwashers became, in general, better!
Cleaning improved, racks became more flexible, water consumption decreased, and noise levels decreased - dramatically! Upscale dishwasher brands such as Bosch, Miele, Kitchenaid, and others became high-demand status symbols. These manufacturers did not manufacture equivalent portable models.
Finally, (as in the case with the coil range) manufacturers simply started phasing out models.
As this took place, the units also became more basic. For example, the butcher block top of the 90's turned into a utilitarian plastic top. As the industry realized that very few consumers ever bothered to "convert" their portable into a built-in (personally, I have never sold even a single conversion kit!), that option disappeared. One by one, model choices for consumers were phased out, until today only two remain. Both are useful, energy efficient models, with mid to lower-middle feature packages and do a good job cleaning, but the demand for these is close to nonexistent.
To the right is the GE portable dishwasher, Model #GPT225SGLBB, in black. It is also available in White and Stainless-steel. Below is the Whirlpool WDP370PAHB.
Now, just in case you are interested, we at Manny's stock both these models, and are usually available for pickup or delivery within a couple of days.
(One last note: Portable dishwashers, like built-in models, are still available in an 18" size. 24" is by far the "standard kitchen" size, but there are some applications (cottages, small or in-law apartments) where the six inch space saving is paramount.)
If you have questions or comments on any of the above, please reach out to us, either at my email below, or by contacting any of our ten locations.
* In case you were wondering what happened to the reversible panel option: Dishwasher color packs went away in the late 90's when kitchen appliances switched to a "monochromatic" look. As part of this "improved" styling, dishwasher fronts became slightly curved instead of flat, which eliminated the chrome trim pieces that supported the panel packs. Instead of having a black front dishwasher with your choice of colors for the main panel, the entire front was one color, be it white, almond, black, or beginning in the early 00's, stainless.
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