Oldest Dishwashers In The World

Dishwashers were one of the most useful home appliances ever invented and have made lives easier for millions of people all over the world. After a woman named Josephine Cochrane invented the dishwasher and designed its first prototype, the world had quite simply not been the same!

In this article, we’re going to look at two of the oldest dishwashers in the world, how they came to be, and whether they were successful or not.

Let’s take a closer look.

2 Oldest Dishwashers in the World

2. William Howard Livens’ Dishwasher

Photo Source: Wikimedia Commons

Some years after Josephine Cochrane’s dishwasher became a success, William Howard Livens came up with a prototype that took Cochrane’s design to the next level. His design included a wire rack, a water sprayer that rotated, and a door to keep the dishwasher closed. He also added a mechanism that dried the dishes after they were washed.

Unlike Cochrane’s dishwasher, Livens’ design was much more functional, and was also ideal for housewives and domestic use. Unfortunately, although his design was practical and highly useful, it was not a financial or commercial success.

Did you know?

William Howards Livens’ prototype was tried out by his family’s domestic helper, but after the dishwasher malfunctioned in the middle of her using it, it began to flood the area, and he went onto abandon his project after some time.

1. Josephine Cochrane’s Dishwasher

Photo Source: Wikimedia Commons

Josephine Cochrane was one of the world’s most creative inventors and also one of the smartest women! She was the inventor of the first dishwasher in the world. Some years before Cochrane designed and created the prototype for her dishwasher, a man named Joel Houghton had designed and patented a dish soaker. However, Cochrane was inspired to take his idea to the next level and create a device that gave housewives a better solution for dish washing.

She was inspired to invent the dishwasher after chipping some china plates after a dinner party one night. Cochrane wondered if there was an easier solution than handwashing her dishes and designing the model. She worked with a mechanic named George Butters, who helped her construct the dishwasher prototype. After figuring out the design elements and functionality of the dishwasher, she slowly started selling her dishwasher to a few housewives. In the years that passed, Cochrane eventually found success, and her dishwasher company was sold to KitchenAid, which now belongs to the Whirlpool Corporation company.

Did you know?

George Butters, who helped Cochrane with her first dishwashing prototype, was one of the first employees in her dishwashing factory.

Conclusion

In this article, we looked at two of the world’s oldest dishwashers. It didn’t surprise us very much that it was a woman who came up with the original design of the dishwasher; Josephine Cochrane created a solution to a problem that housewives everywhere faced! We enjoyed researching and writing this article, and hope that you learned something new from it.