Very few people would claim to like the task of washing up – especially after a party. And that’s why the dishwasher is regarded as one of the best inventions of the last 175 years.
Did you know that the first patent for a dishwashing device was in 1850 in the United States? The machine was made of wood and cranked by hand spraying water onto dirty dishes. Fifteen years later someone else had a crack, tweaking the earlier device by incorporating a rack. Both failed to excite the imagination of women who were usually those designated to carry out washing up duties.
Some historians say that one obstacle to their acceptance was that women’s housework effort would be devalued by introducing mechanisation!
Clearly Josephine Cochrane disagreed because her dishwashing invention of 1886 is regarded as the first real prototype. A wealthy socialite who no doubt held many a party, she became frustrated that so much of her best bone china was broken when handled by servants. Necessity therefore was the mother of invention.
Aiming at the domestic market, she unwittingly caught the imagination of its commercial cousin when she unveiled her contraption at the World’s Fair of 1893, winning not only the prize for “best mechanical construction, durability and adaptation to its line of work” but many orders from restaurants and hotels who could afford the outlay and had a readier access to hot water. Although this hall of fame inventor died in 1913, her company was eventually sold to KitchenAid in 1926, now part of Whirlpool Corporation.
It will come as no surprise to regular readers of this blog that Europe’s first domestic dishwasher with an electric motor was invented and manufactured by the marvellous Miele of Germany in 1929. More on them in a moment.
Indispensable but which type?
So we have a distinction here – the domestic (or residential) and the commercial, both indispensable 21st century kitchen items, but what are the differences? Domestic dishwashers are designed for home use and are usually smaller and less powerful – 10-12 place settings – than their commercial counterparts – 20-80 place settings. Commercial dishwashers are built to handle high volumes of work and are designed to be more durable and powerful than domestic machines.
Speed
A commercial dishwasher is designed to cope with demand and often at speed. Every restaurant, café or canteen will have times when a quick turnaround on crockery, cutlery and glassware is needed. If plates are a state, or knives don’t cut the mustard, complaints will come, and fewer people will fork out. So fast and efficient cycles with quick drying times and hygienic function ensure customers can enjoy their visit in comfort and health.
It’s that heat that beats the bugs
Hygiene is the key requirement for an outlet that serves the public. It’s vital that what goes in dirty and used, comes out spotless and germ free. As a result, the hot water used is heated to around 80 degrees Celcius, while their household counterparts tend to operate on lower temperatures. Domestic dishwashers are not designed to produce the amount of steam needed to kill bacteria.
Capacity
In addition to hygiene and speed, capacity is a given with a commercial dishwasher. They can look the same size as a domestic appliance, but it’s the inside that counts. And they come in a variety of sizes too to aid with space saving, so under the counter models are available. Nonetheless with more space the bigger models predominate, like the conveyor versions, and are perfect for those busier commercial outlets.
Cost
This all said, it can still come down to the price of something. One may think that a domestic appliance will cost less to buy and while the initial payment might prove that to be true, factoring in a machine’s efficiency, frequency of use, repairability and life cycle is important to consider.
Commercial machines are employed for higher temperature use and working faster than the domestic machine, money is saved in time and energy use, because they are designed to be used repeatedly throughout the day. That means durability is an important consideration too. The key point of difference is that a domestic machine is rated for a fraction of the use and will probably collapse under the strain of anything more than a small B&B.
Market leading Miele
Whether domestic or commercial Miele are amongst the market leaders. Miele Professional machines are perfect for commercial use. Numerous connection options and powerful heater elements enable short cycles and optimum cleaning results with maximum economy. Dispenser modules guarantee the efficient use of cleaning agents and rinsing agent, while the water preparation systems optimise the wash results. They are also perfect for building-under in a run of kitchen units and the comprehensive accessories facilitate integration in every installation situation as well as conversion for free-standing installation.
Miele’s fresh water professional dishwashers boast maximum hygiene efficiency and change the water after each cycle, so no washing in recycled water. A thorough rinsing in a temperature suitable for the items being washed is also part of the mix ensuring results that exceed the requirements of commercial use. Fresh-water dishwashers from Miele Professional are also particularly attractive as they are highly economical and have short cycles.
Miele have also applied their innovation to their tank system machines which are perfect for continuous use. Once started, the system is constantly ready for use, maintaining the temperature of the water at 65°C for extremely short cycles and the best cleaning results.
Call us today on 0151 263 7451 to chat about our great range of Miele machines.
