The first recorded evidence of a dishwasher dates from 1850, when a patent was granted for a simple manual splash device attached to a wooden tub made by Joel Houghton. Developing on this idea, LA Alexander added gears to a revolving rack that held dishes that allowed it to rotate inside a tub of water and this was patented in 1865. Both were very crude and made entirely of wood and didn’t actually clean dishes very well. . all right.
Josephine Cochrane was a wealthy woman and had engineering in her blood as her grandfather John Fitch was famous for inventing the steamboat. She also liked to entertain her friends frequently and hold social events at her house, which resulted in the need to wash many dishes each time. The tableware she used for her entertainment was expensive and her servants often broke it while washing dishes. Tired of this, she decided to build a dishwasher that could wash dishes quickly without breaking them. She built a machine consisting of a wooden wheel lying flat in a copper cauldron that could be turned by hand or powered by a power source via a pulley. Wire frame compartments made to fit her dishes were attached to this wheel and the combination of it spinning and the boiler spraying hot soapy water resulted in the first efficient dishwasher.
He took his dishwasher to the 1893 world’s fair in Chicago, where it won the highest prize and people from friends to hotel and restaurant owners lined up to order a dishwasher of their own. He quickly patented the invention and opened a production factory to build them, and this company became the appliance giant today known as KitchenAid. More companies began making other versions as well, some with conveyor belts and others with baskets rotated by various methods, either using a stream or a spray of hot water poured from above to wash dishes.
It was not until the 1920s that significant advances were made in the design of these machines when permanent pipes were introduced to connect them to a constant supply of water. Only restaurants, hotels and wealthy families had these appliances as they were large and expensive and it wasn’t until 1937 that a dishwasher small enough for a home was built. It was built by William Howard Livens and was more like the washing machines we have today with mesh baskets inside a metal container and a door that opens at the front with a drying element introduced into its design in the 1940s. Gradually they became more smaller, cheaper and more efficient and by the end of the 50s they became popular as a kitchen appliance. Popularity continued to rise, with most homes in the US owning one by the late 1970s. Today they are popular throughout Europe and the Middle East, where they took longer to catch on than in the US. .
A wide range is available today with many reputable manufacturers such as Whirlpool, Bosch Maytag, GE and many others creating a very competitive market.
