Wow, all it takes is a little bit of mystery and the comments just come rollin' in!
The majority of you guessed correctly!!!! It's a portable/convertible Maytag dishwasher!!!
(Although I have to say, a surger, kitchen aid, grain mill, or Canon Rebel would have been good guesses too!)
I have to say an ENORMOUS thanks to Momma Bear who kind of got the ball rolling for us because after reading a post of mine here a couple of months ago where I was lamenting about dirty dishes and no dishwasher, she sent me a note saying she'd like to help in that area, even though this isn't a life or death need, but rather a wish. At first I thought she might have a dishwasher to sell at a decent price, but instead she declared she wanted to send us some money for the dishwasher. It was humbling to accept, knowing that her family is as big as ours and lives off of one income too (I'm pretty sure) but she insisted and it was such a generous blessing to us. My dad also decided to chip in a little as payment for all of the work I do to maintain his website for his business. We searched all over online, picked out the model we were going to buy, and had planned to buy it the end of this month so we wouldn't have to take any savings out to pay for it. But then my husband got sent on a work trip to the biggest town in Wyoming (population 50,000) and he found it at Home Depot for over $100 less than in our county. It included free shipping to anywhere in the state, so he went ahead and bought it a week earlier and it should arrive on our doorstep in a couple of weeks!
Thank you Momma Bear and Jason!!!!
I'm so excited I'm willing to give up whatever space necessary in our small kitchen to have this at my disposal! I've been waiting 21 years to have one! Ever since my Mom forced the "Dish Nights" upon us at age 6, I have disliked doing dishes. When I went to college, my folks finally bought a dishwasher so I never got a chance to use theirs. Even though we've moved like 4 or 5 times in our married life, we have never had a rental with a dishwasher. With each child that joins our family, I'm feeling more overwhelmed by the endless stream of sippy cups, bottles, silverware, little bowls, etc. that need to be washed. I don't mind large pots and pans and do them right away but always have a sink full of silverware/popsicle tops/sippy cups which I "put off." So, even if a dishwasher doesn't have room for everything, it will have room for the little stuff that I hate washing! And I will feel good knowing that everything is very sanitized. As it is, I take a LONG time to do dishes since things have to be super clean, and rinsed extra to get off any soap residue. Other people I have seen can do dishes at lightning speed, but not me! I want them to be company-ready and very, very clean! A dishwasher will help immensely with that!
I'm looking for suggestions on what kind of dishwasher soap you all use! Preferrably something that's non-toxic and better for the environment, but I'm open to hearing your opinions on anything. I know you can make your own, has anyone tried this with success?
9 comments:
What a blessing Lindsey! My least favorite chore to do are the dishes by hand. So I am very thankful to have a dishwasher as well. Enjoy! And I recently bought Palmolive that says its Eco friendly but its not the cheapest in the store. Jade
I'm so jealous...
congrats!
According to Consumer Reports the best DW soap is the Great Value brand.
you are very welcome. I hope you didn't feel like you had to share it on here, I wouldn't have minded either way though. Dishwashers...oh man, make life a lot easier for busy momma's.
Take Care!!
Congratulations on the dishwasher! I thank the Lord for mine EVERY day! :)
Though I cannot always find the greatest price for it, I prefer to use Seventh Generation Free and Clear Automatic dishwasher powder. It is non-toxic--no fragrances, dyes, chlorine, or phosphates--and is safe for septic systems. (I did once try Seventh Generation dishwasher gel, which worked fine, but the powder always lasts longer for me, making it more cost-effective.) My dishes are always clean and I like knowing it is non-toxic with my little ones around.
I enjoy your blog, though this is my first time posting.
Mrs. Rebekah
In my experience, the dishwashing detergent that works for you will depend upon the composition of your water. I tried making my own (baking soda, borax, with a vinegar rinse aid)- it left a residue on my dishes that would not come off even after dishwashing at least twice with commercial detergent. I had to hand wash them all to get it off and even had to soak some of my glasses in vinegar. I also tried Palmolive's eco-friendly detergent, but it left a residue on them as well. So, as much as I would like to save money and use something more eco-friendly, I have stayed with using Cascade powder, or more recently, I have utilized the Finish (Electrasol) coupons for 2.50 off and gotten those for really cheap. Oh, and I tried store-brand powder (from Walmart), and it didn't get my dishes clean either. My parents found that they could only use powder detergents in their dishwasher; they couldn't use the liquids. Unfortunately, it may take some trial and error on your part to find what works for you.
I forgot to say- Congrats on getting your dishwasher! I wouldn't know what to do without mine. I let the small things pile up in my sink, too, because I find there are certain things that fly around in the dishwasher, so I just handwash them!
Yay. Hope you enjoy it! I really like mine, although I've found that the biggest benefit to having one is (ironically) me not minding doing dishes by hand anymore. :) I still do wooden spoons, big pans, some kids' plates, and such.
I'd suggest a liquid detergent, as the powdered stuff is much more concentrated and more of a problem if kiddoes get into it. (We had a discussion at ECFE about this after a poison-control incident!)
Enjoy it!
I use Seventh Generation powder and really like it!
Post a Comment