When you have a built-in dishwasher, you may take the equipment with no consideration. However for these with out one, hand-washing and drying dishes could be each annoying and time-consuming. Scalding scorching water, soiled dishwater…you get the image. When you have the area, a countertop dishwasher provides an answer. This mini equipment capabilities a lot the identical method as its bigger sibling: water is available in, dishes are washed, and soiled water drains out. 

To search out the perfect countertop dishwashers, I put seven fashions to the take a look at—evaluating their cleansing talents, capacities, and extra.

The Winners, at a Look

The Comfee countertop dishwasher can ship sparklingly clear and bone-dry dishes very quickly. (It took 130 minutes per cycle throughout my exams.) There’s a built-in UV mild for additional sanitization and a wide range of specialised settings for glassware, child bottles, and extra.

This isn’t a nasty different to our winner. It doesn’t have a UV mild or an routinely opening door but it surely carried out equally and all of the dishes got here out clear and dry.

This bigger choose is nice for anybody needing extra dishes cleaned without delay. It’s quiet, modern, and cleans dishes in addition to any full-sized dishwasher I’ve had.

The Assessments

• Setup Take a look at: I set a stopwatch and timed how lengthy it took me to unbox and arrange every dishwasher.
• Most Capability Take a look at: I crammed every mannequin to find out its most capability and famous what number of dishes match and if there have been any areas that have been troublesome to load.
• Cleansing Take a look at: For every machine, I coated a number of plates and units of flatware with barbecue sauce and loaded them. I crammed a couple of glasses with milk, dumped the milk out, and added the glasses to the dishwasher. I ran a regular cycle and seemed for any residue left behind.
• Actual-World Take a look at (Winners Solely): For machines that handed the primary three exams, I ran a cycle utilizing dishes from a typical meal in my family, noting ease of use and the way clear the dishes have been.

What I Discovered

Most of the Countertop Dishwashers Carried out Actually Nicely

I assumed countertop dishwashers could be comparatively low-powered, however I used to be pleasantly shocked that these small however mighty home equipment might actually maintain their very own. Regardless of their compact measurement, most of the countertop dishwashers I examined delivered spectacular cleansing energy. They dealt with cussed, sticky substances, oily tomato-based residue, and delicate glassware with ease. 

Constructed-In Water Tanks Streamlined Setup

A number of the countertop dishwashers required a water hookup to run. Sadly, my sink has a pull-down kitchen hose that has no threading and, thus, nowhere for me to connect a dishwasher’s consumption hose. After calls to customer support, a couple of journeys to the ironmongery store, and a few purchases from Amazon, I used to be capable of lastly connect these hoses. Regardless of this, I nonetheless had issues with leaking. It’s additionally price noting that when the machine is plugged into your kitchen faucet, you can not use the sink to, say, wash your arms or refill a glass. 

Because of this, I appreciated countertop dishwashers with built-in water tanks, as they have been self-sufficient. The trade-off is that dishwashers with out built-in tanks can maintain extra dishes. Nonetheless, my prime choose from Comfee was nonetheless capable of accommodate two massive dinner plates, three small salad plates, one juice glass, two cereal/soup bowls, two espresso mugs, two forks, two spoons, and two knives.

Watch out for White Labeling

White labeling refers back to the observe of a producer promoting the identical product underneath a distinct model identify. A number of of the dishwashers I examined have been the very same machine, with the one actual distinction being the value.

The Standards: What to Search for in a Countertop Dishwasher

Earlier than you even think about shopping for a countertop dishwasher, take into consideration what number of dishes you want cleaned and the way a lot storage and countertop area you will have. Smaller fashions can maintain about two place settings whereas bigger variations can accommodate as many as six (or two plus some pots and pans). Your dishwasher will have to be located pretty near the sink so the wastewater hose has someplace to empty. If attaching a hose to your faucet isn’t sensible, a number of of the fashions I examined got here with built-in water tanks that you just fill earlier than operating. Smaller elements to think about are issues like noise stage or fancy options like a setting with high-heat sterilization for child bottles. 

Our Favourite Countertop Dishwashers

What we appreciated: Every of the machines I examined had its mixture of strengths and weaknesses. The Comfee stood out as a gem, seamlessly combining all the perfect options into one spectacular equipment. It delivered an ideal stability of efficiency, comfort, and reliability. The Comfee left dishes sparklingly clear and bone-dry, a feat not many dishwashers have been capable of pull off. Specifically, I used to be impressed with the Comfee’s drying, because it lets you put dishes away instantly after the cycle concludes. This mannequin pops open the entrance door when it’s near the top of drying to hurry up the method and permit for extra airflow. The within was roomy and match 10 dishes plus silverware. The dish rack has a number of configurations and I famous the noise stage to be a quiet 67 decibels (not loud sufficient to interrupt a dialog or the tv).

This mannequin additionally comes with a couple of upgrades. There’s an inside mild in addition to a UV mild that may kill germs, ostensibly. It has high-heat cycles to sanitize gadgets, a no-heat choice for cleansing fruit and greens, and a mild glass setting. Relating to water hookup, you possibly can connect a hardline to your sink or fill the built-in reservoir.

What we didn’t like: This dishwasher is on the small facet. 

Key Specs

• Supplies: Plastic and chrome steel
• Measurement: 16.5 x 17.3 x 18.43 inches
• Weight: 41.3 kilos
• Capability: 2 place settings
• Tank or onerous line?: Each

What we appreciated: The Hermitlux has most of the identical options as our winner. You possibly can hook up the water consumption to your sink or fill the built-in tank. The Hermitlux holds a stunning quantity of dishes. (I used to be capable of match two massive dinner plates, three salad plates, two bowls, two glasses, and two espresso mugs, plus silverware.) The usual wash cycle has a 69-minute run time and was capable of clear dried-on barbecue sauce and milk residue with out difficulty. Greasy tomato sauce additionally got here proper off with no pre-rinsing.

What we didn’t like: The Hermitlux has a smaller water consumption than the Comfee (5 liters as an alternative of six). The holes in its silverware rack are formed pretty small, so your silverware won’t match, relying on its design. The run time was a lot shorter than my winner, however that left me with dishes that have been nonetheless moist and wanted to be dried earlier than being put away.

Key Specs

• Supplies: Plastic and chrome steel
• Measurement: 16.85 x 16.73 x 18 inches
• Weight: 26.5 kilos
• Capability: 2 place settings
• Tank or onerous line?: Each

What we appreciated: The Danby is bigger than my different winners and capabilities extra like a built-in mannequin dishwasher. It connects to water by way of a tough line and is bigger than an air fryer toaster oven, so it may well match as much as six place settings and bigger gadgets like pots and pans. It’s water environment friendly and makes use of solely 3.1 liters of water to get dishes very clear. Whereas the run time on a regular cycle is lengthy (two-and-a-half hours), it’s additionally a lot quieter than different fashions I examined. I appreciated its LED display screen, too, which tracks how lengthy is left within the dishwashing cycle.

What we didn’t like: At slightly below 20 inches tall, it might not match underneath all higher kitchen cupboards. The water hookup course of was difficult, particularly if you happen to don’t have the correct of kitchen faucet. In the event you do, you’ll nonetheless need to preserve this dishwasher inside 30 inches of your sink. At 44 kilos, it’s not an equipment you’ll take pleasure in transferring.

Key Specs

• Supplies: Plastic and chrome steel
• Measurement: 21.5 x 19.5 x 17 inches
• Weight: 44 kilos
• Capability: 6 place settings
• Tank or onerous line?: Onerous line solely

The Competitors

• Danby DDW621WDB: That is just like our winner from the model, however is cheaper and doesn’t have an LED display screen that counts down the time remaining in a cycle. Its housing is white as an alternative of chrome, but it surely in any other case cleaned the dishes simply as effectively and in the identical period of time.
• Comfee Countertop Dishwasher: This dishwasher is pretty equivalent to the Danby 631 (however in a black end)—all the way down to the buttons, rack, and water hookup line. If our favourite isn’t out there, it is a good choose. 
• Novete Transportable Countertop Dishwasher: This mannequin failed to completely clear the barbecue sauce off of dishes throughout a standard cleansing cycle.
• Farberware Transportable Countertop Dishwasher: The silverware rack warped after operating one of many greater temperature settings.

FAQs

Does a countertop dishwasher use plenty of water? 

Water utilization goes to differ amongst machines. The smaller fashions I examined used about 5 liters of water to clean and rinse.

How do you clear a countertop dishwasher?

The reply to this query will rely on the dishwasher however the entire fashions I examined didn’t want a lot in the best way of cleansing. Over time, the filters and spray arms can get clogged with gunk. On this case, you’ll have to take away and rinse them with scorching water.

Why We’re the Specialists

• Taylor Murray has labored in meals and meals media for over 10 years, together with in award-winning eating places like Eleven Madison Park. She has written extensively for Severe Eats. (Try her opinions of carbon metal pans and carving boards.)
• Taylor examined seven countertop dishwashers, utilizing every to scrub varied dishes and silverware. Throughout testing, she evaluated every machine’s efficiency, usability, and design.