Home: A History of the Dishwasher

A dishwasher is an appliance/person used for washing plates, dishes, forks, spoons and other utensils. A dishwasher generally refers to two things, a person washing pots and pans by hand, or a mechanical appliance which does part or all of the washing by itself.

The modern day mechanical appliance runs on electricity, and apart from needing to be loaded, does all the washing by itself. The use of mechanical dishwashers in developed countries is widespread, with the vast majority of residential homes and commercial eateries using them.

Mechanical dishwashing machines were invented much earlier than their electrical counterparts. Reports suggest the first patent for a mechanical dishwasher was issued around one hundred and sixty years ago. But the current dishwasher owes it's genesis to an invention of Josephine Cochrane.

Her hand operated dishwasher was unveiled in 1886 at the World's Fair, which happened to be hosted in the USA, in the city of Chicago. Josephine was a wealthy lady with plenty of servants, and it's claimed that her motive for inventing her machine was to stop her servants damaging her fine china.

The first dishwasher which incorporated plumbing was developed in the roaring twenties. Invented by W H Livens, it was a front loading machine, commercially a success and continued to evolve until electrical components and elements were installed. The 1970's was the decade when dishwasher became a common appliance in most western households.

The modern day dishwasher works with a simple to complex timing mechanism, which can be operated through either mechanical or electronic buttons. A dishwasher takes water from the home's water supply through an intake valve. A pump connected to an electric motor then forces the water to a spray arm. The spray arm is located at the top of the internal basin, and sprays water and detergent onto the plates etc.