HISTORY OF THINGS
How We Conquered
Mountains of Dirty Dishes
Mountains of Dirty Dishes
New Year is a joyful holiday! Relatives and friends gather, many delicious dishes are prepared for a large group. By tradition, to make the coming year generous, the table should be laden with food. But... After the festive feast, there’s always a mountain of dishes, which gives the hostess a lot of trouble. And here comes the lifesaver – the dishwasher.
Dishwashers have been around for just over a hundred and fifty years. The first to dare to ease women’s labor was American Joel Houghton. In 1850, he patented a dishwashing machine. It was a simple device with a manual drive. Dishes placed in special racks were dipped into soapy water using a handle and lifting mechanism. Understandably, such a device wasn’t in demand, though the idea itself found supporters. There were several attempts to improve the dishwasher, but none received further development.
In 1887, Josephine Cochrane decided to personally take on inventing a dishwasher. She came up with a design of racks with a special sprayer that supplied water. And although the machine had a manual drive, its advantages were quickly appreciated. Moreover, in 1893, at an industrial exhibition, Josephine’s invention was awarded a gold medal. The development of electrical engineering and the use of steam made it possible to eliminate manual labor in the dishwashing process. Thus began the rapid spread of dishwashers into large soldiers’ canteens, expensive restaurants, and home kitchens.
In 1924, English mechanic William Howard Livens patented the first dishwasher intended for home use. It had all the elements used in modern machines: a front door for loading dishes, special trays, and a rotating sprayer.
In the 1940s, the first models with automatic door opening and closing were developed, and in the 1950s, machines with a drying function appeared. But another two to three decades had to pass for dishwashers to become a mandatory attribute of modern kitchens in the US and Western European countries by the 1970s.
In 1887, Josephine Cochrane decided to personally take on inventing a dishwasher. She came up with a design of racks with a special sprayer that supplied water. And although the machine had a manual drive, its advantages were quickly appreciated. Moreover, in 1893, at an industrial exhibition, Josephine’s invention was awarded a gold medal. The development of electrical engineering and the use of steam made it possible to eliminate manual labor in the dishwashing process. Thus began the rapid spread of dishwashers into large soldiers’ canteens, expensive restaurants, and home kitchens.
In 1924, English mechanic William Howard Livens patented the first dishwasher intended for home use. It had all the elements used in modern machines: a front door for loading dishes, special trays, and a rotating sprayer.
In the 1940s, the first models with automatic door opening and closing were developed, and in the 1950s, machines with a drying function appeared. But another two to three decades had to pass for dishwashers to become a mandatory attribute of modern kitchens in the US and Western European countries by the 1970s.
Hand-driven dishwasher, 1860. Technology Museum – Stockholm, Sweden
The idea of easing household work reached our country as well. In Latvia, at the Straume factory in Riga, in 1967, the first compact dishwasher in the USSR was released. It was exclusively a household device because it only held 12 plates, several glasses, and four sets of cutlery. Industrial machines intended for catering establishments were in great demand. Belarusian manufacturers advanced in this area. Several factories produced such units, one notable example was the “Nyamiga MBP-86”, compact enough to be installed in city apartments.
Modern dishwashers are complex, high-tech devices. They support various operating modes – from delicate to intensive and economical, and are equipped with additional options: delayed start, leak protection, and touch control.
One of the key development trends is integration with smart home systems. Such models allow not only remote operation control via an app but also automatically adapt settings to the load level and type of dishes. Developments are also underway in creating fully autonomous devices capable of independently assessing the amount of dishes and selecting the optimal wash program.
Modern dishwashers are complex, high-tech devices. They support various operating modes – from delicate to intensive and economical, and are equipped with additional options: delayed start, leak protection, and touch control.
One of the key development trends is integration with smart home systems. Such models allow not only remote operation control via an app but also automatically adapt settings to the load level and type of dishes. Developments are also underway in creating fully autonomous devices capable of independently assessing the amount of dishes and selecting the optimal wash program.
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