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The story
A thread appeared on 5ch’s Newsoku VIP board where a poster reported that after starting to use a dishwasher, it turned out to be ‘more of a lifesaver than expected.’ The original poster bought a secondhand countertop model for just a few thousand yen and says cleanup after cooking pasta became dramatically easier. Replies poured in with the questions everyone wonders about before buying one: whether pre-rinsing to remove oily grime is really necessary, how people find space to install the thing, and whether it’s big enough inside to fit large cookware like frying pans. On the other hand, there were also skeptical takes like ‘if you still have to pre-rinse, what’s the point’ and ‘you can just wash things between cooking steps,’ sparking a debate over how much dishwashers actually streamline housework.
What people said
Yeah, it does.
Re: #7
I just rinse off any big leftover food bits before putting stuff in the dishwasher
after that it cleans itself.
Re: #8
Wait, it needs maintenance?
Didn't know that.
The main reason I hesitate to buy one is the maintenance you have to do at practically a daily level.
Maybe so.
Don't know.
Re: #11
Next to the kitchen faucet.
But in my house's case, I ended up needing a small extra table for things like cutting boards.
I got mine secondhand on Amazon for 6,000 yen.
https://imgur.la/images/2026/09/01/60c0e10fc3f6456676aa3a4885424dca.jpg
Is this actually big enough to fit a frying pan?
Wouldn't want it even for free…
If you still need a rinsing step, it's pointless!
No but seriously, it's so much easier.
Sure, if you don't need a rinsing step.
If you can just chuck stuff in.
But you do need it, don't you?
I do give big leftover bits a light rinse with water, but it might not be strictly necessary.
Can't speak for how other people use theirs, though.
Who knew cutting down on housework felt this good.
There was a guy whose 'occupation' was literally 'minimalist,' and the only things he owned at home were (an AC unit and) a robot vacuum.
Nobody cares about your opinion.
Well, I won't force it on stubborn people, but I was honestly amazed at how much easier it makes things.
This isn't your personal diary.
The frying pan, colander, pot, fork, and plate all get clean on their own.
Too many people can only think in all-or-nothing terms.
Just washing the dishes after a meal in the dishwasher —
even just that alone saves a decent amount of time.
That's unfair to say.
I've had chronic 'housewife's eczema' (dishpan hands) that won't heal for years, so I can't wash dishes without gloves — which means washing just the frying pan while cooking isn't an option for me.
That's why, if I'm going to pre-rinse at all, I just end up doing the whole wash right then.
I'm not against dishwashers at all, though somebody in here is acting unhinged.
The dishwasher I own doesn't fit a frying pan, so I ended up not using it anymore, but if it fit I'd probably still be using it.
Didn't you make a thread about this before?
That's the Panasonic single-person dishwasher, right?
It was your thread that made me decide to buy a dishwasher, and I did.
LOL that's tiny.
I used to think anyone who 'needed' a dishwasher was just too clumsy to wash things while cooking, but coming from someone who clearly gets it, that changes things.
A dishwasher… might actually be worth it.
The contradiction of someone with no time to spare… cooking.
Thanks to the dishwasher, making pasta feels so much easier now.
Didn't expect it to blow up this much.
Seriously, what even is this phenomenon?
Does it touch on some kind of complex people have?
If so, it's weird that people single out countertop models as the enemy, though.
Background and Key Points of This Discussion
Countertop dishwashers that require no installation work and can simply be placed in the kitchen are widely available at low prices, and it’s not unusual to find secondhand units for just a few thousand yen. In the thread, real examples came up too, like one bought secondhand for 6,000 yen and another for 15,960 yen. On the other hand, many models have small interior capacities that can’t fit frying pans or pots, and as pointed out in the replies, the hassle of pre-rinsing and securing installation space tend to be hurdles before buying. Where opinions in the thread diverged was over how much benefit people actually feel from a dishwasher — those who want to offload housework entirely clashed with those who feel it’s enough to just wash things bit by bit between cooking steps. Note that the later part of the thread devolved into an exchange of personal attacks over people’s experiences using it; this article focuses only on the exchanges related to the product and how it’s used.
※This article is composed as an excerpt and summary of the 5ch (Newsoku VIP) thread “Dishwashers turn out to be way more useful than I expected”.
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