Smart dishwashers

If less is more (pleasurable) to you when it comes to household maintenance, the new generation of dishwashers could get your heart beating a little faster. They cost more but run smarter. One new item this year is a model from GE, sporting a soap dispenser called SmartDispense. Just fill the receptacle with a whole 48 ounce bottle of detergent and you are good to go for the next umpty-nine loads of dirty dishes. The dishwasher can tell when to release just the right amount of gel or liquid to clean that particular load. There are a number of brands this year that cost a bit more but run smart.

Several brands feature a sensor that can figure out how dirty your dishes are and then clean them appropriately. No more guessing if it’s a light wash, or heavy load. A small amount of water passes by the sensor, which figures out just how transparent  (i.e., clean) the water is. Clear water = clean water and the end of the load cycle. Cloudy water means you have a highly soiled wash. Out goes the dirty water, and in with new. You aren’t rinsing an already clean wash. Nice huh? You save water and energy.

And if you are a stylin’ homemaker, the manufacturers are making it easier to camouflage your machines. These dishwashers are designed to take cabinet panels to match your current kitchen décor…or if you are bold, there are a ton of colors for the front panels, so you can mix or match to your decorating eye.

Anything that hides an actual working machine in my mind is good to go!