Opinion Poll. Dishwasher. Yes/No and why?

MoonShadow_1911

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Okay, my fellow GD Forum peeps! The wife and I will be going full-time in about 2.5 years. The "nice to have" list has the dishwasher on it. I understand the weight piece of it, but, we would like all y'all's opinion on whether or not it is worth it for full-timers.. The wife says it's not worth it (even though neither one of us have ever full-timed before) and I'm on the fence. Currently, we have a TINY hybrid TT and hand wash everything, obviously. The hybrid is nice in that is does actually have a double sink, so washing and rinsing is done without a separate tub sitting on the counter. (We wash the dishes in a tub in the sink so food particles and the like don't get washed down to the grey tank.)

So, the question I have for those of you who full-time is this:

Does a dishwasher add value to your living? If so, why? If not, why?

Thanks!
 
I installed a Bosch dishwasher in our last Solitude and thought it was pretty cool. I asked my wife if she wanted the same model in our current Solitude and she said she didn't want a dishwasher this time. She said washing dishes by hand for two people is no big deal. Sooooo, my wife prefers no dishwasher. She says having the storage space that the dishwasher would take up is also a plus.
 
W never had one (had the option many times to get one) but just don't need it. We'd rather have the storage space.

The best reason I ever heard from someone who insisted on a wash in all her RVs was that the dishes get sanitized much better. It made sense and her husband said she was pretty particular about keeping things clean.

Does that mean we're little piggies???? :rolleyes:
 
I did not see the polling feature?

If by going full-time it meant working and living full-time in the camper - Nikki and I are both working professionals - we would go with a dishwasher. Treat it just like a sticks and bricks - run it overnight when other consumptions are down and thereby freeing personal time up. On the other hand, if we were retired taking every day at the pace it comes, I'm pretty sure we'd forego the dishwasher and consider it one of the chores of the day.
 
W never had one (had the option many times to get one) but just don't need it. We'd rather have the storage space.

The best reason I ever heard from someone who insisted on a wash in all her RVs was that the dishes get sanitized much better. It made sense and her husband said she was pretty particular about keeping things clean.

Does that mean we're little piggies???? :rolleyes:

That gave me a little chuckle.

To the OP: I'm one of those that believe 'sanitized' is a need and not a 'nice to have." Each of us have different needs and wants so go with what you feel is best for you. If I was full-time I would add a dishwasher, double pane windows, independent suspension, full body paint, and more...;)
 
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We will have been full-time for five years this summer. Our previous rig didn't have a convenient place for a dishwasher and we didn't miss having one. The Solitude is prepped for one, but we're in the camp (no pun intended) that would rather have the storage space than a dishwasher - especially since the pantry in the Solitude 310 is smaller than the one we had in the Reflection 337. As a retired nurse, I have no problem with rinsing in very hot water and letting dishes air dry - and we've never gotten sick from this practice. Now, the washer and dryer are a different matter...

Rob

Edit/PS: what part of New Mexico?
 
We have 2 adults and triplet 8 year olds. A dishwasher that fits in the trailer would never have enough capacity lol. So for us the perfect solution is to load up at Costco on paper plates. We wash the plastic forks and reuse those. But paper plates make cleanup super easy. With only two people a dishwasher might be a good solution depending on how much capacity you need.

We have two dishwashers in our house - a full size Bosch and a dish drawer Fisher Paykel. The Fisher Paykel is butt slow and has very little capacity. Perhaps it's enough for two people. Maybe one of the half-width Danby units might have more capacity and fit your trailer better.
 
We got a bunch of the enamel-covered metal plates and bowls from Stansport. They aren't that heavy, and they clean up very quickly. Do NOT get their cups (either the 12 oz. or 24 oz.). We got one box of each and about 1/3 were already damaged. If they drop on the floor from where a 4 year old would hold it, they become useless.

We also have a few plastic plates that we got at WalMart where they sell microwaves. They also clean up pretty good. A dishwasher would be nice, but storage is nicer. We do have a washer and dryer for clothes, but with little ones that's a must have.

If you are looking for paper plates and plastic silverware, Amazon has some deals if you use their monthly delivery. You can get 1000 pc. boxes of heavy duty tableware that are meant for catering that save a LOT of money if you go that route.
 
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We got a bunch of the enamel-covered metal plates and bowls from Stansport. They aren't that heavy, and they clean up very quickly. Do NOT get their cups (either the 12 oz. or 24 oz.). We got one box of each and about 1/3 were already damaged. If they drop on the floor from where a 4 year old would hold it, they become useless.

We also have a few plastic plates that we got at WalMart where they sell microwaves. They also clean up pretty good. A dishwasher would be nice, but storage is nicer. We do have a washer and dryer for clothes, but with little ones that's a must have.

If you are looking for paper plates and plastic silverware, Amazon has some deals if you use their monthly delivery. You can get 1000 pc. boxes of heavy duty tableware that are meant for catering that save a LOT of money if you go that route.

Yeah, we are considering taking a place setting of four of our Correlle ware. We already have plastic cups and a boat ton of plastic utensils. As for the W/D... Splendide units, and they is on the must have list; not the combined unit, but the separate units. We don't want to take 4 hours to do one frickin' load of laundry!
 
We had one installed in the 310GK. We arent fulltiming anymore/yet, but it does get used. I'm sure we would be fine without it too.
 
I also installed a Bosch in our 310. My wife wouldn’t be without it , and we use it every night. Generally set it to wash after we go to bed. So quiet you need to touch it to see if it’s running. It uses less water than hand washing as well. Best I recall it weighs about 70 lbs.
Charlie
 
So, the question I have for those of you who full-time is this:

Does a dishwasher add value to your living? If so, why? If not, why?

I wouldn't consider for a second not having a dishwasher in our home. However in our trailer - which we've lived in for up to five months at a stretch - we've managed fine without one.

Others in the thread already mentioned enjoying the large storage space where the dishwasher would be installed, but you yourself mentioned a key reason I'm inclined against - don't want to be putting stuff into the kitchen gray tank.

Rather than use a tub we wipe all dishes into the garbage with paper towel before we wash them. After that - which we'd do even if we had a dishwasher - washing them is quick, easy, and plenty sanitary enough that we don't need a dishwasher to do it.
 
What is the reason(s) why you would?
I've just got better things to do. Even if it's just reading a book or counting leaves or plucking nose hair. I hate cleaning, I do it but hate it. If I could I'd also have a maid. Lol
There is also a big difference between weekend warriors and full timing.

Sent from my SM-T580 using Tapatalk
 
I've just got better things to do. Even if it's just reading a book or counting leaves or plucking nose hair. I hate cleaning, I do it but hate it. If I could I'd also have a maid. Lol
There is also a big difference between weekend warriors and full timing.

Sent from my SM-T580 using Tapatalk

lol! Okay, I can respect that! Thanks!
 
Just a weekend warrior, but I'm 99% sure I'll install one in our next rig that we are dreaming of. Wife is the $ maker, I'm the "home maker" who does all the cooking, dishes, etc. When we are out having a fun trip, I'd like to cut back on the time it takes to wash all the dishes. I don't mess around when we are out and cook some amazing meals which results in a pile of dishes. Its just 3 of us, but often have friends and family over during our trips. I'm pretty damn efficient at washing the dishes by hand, and they come out clean, but it's time I could be doing something else. Plus, the drying rack takes up a considerate amount of counter space, which our current trailer has very little of. I guess you could hand dry, but then you just added even more time. I don't view the storage under the kitchen sink as some sort of amazing storage area. Yes, I have stuff currently under there, but it all could easily find a new home else where. I just would like to transfer my home routine over to the trailer. Run the dishwasher at night, put away dishes in the morning. I'll still still have to wash the larger pots and pans by hand, but washing 2-3 things vs 20+ (counting all plates, silverware, etc) is more to my liking. Yeah, paper plates are a thing, and we relied heavily on that last weekend cause' we had a 4 might trip but no full hookups, but I really hate "one use" items. Anyhow, my opinion. In the end, it's your trailer. There is a reason why there are a gazillion floor plans and options out there in the rv world. We all view things differently and our priorities are all over the place.
 

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