Hardware Hacker Breaks the DRM On a Mini Dishwasher (gizmodo.com) 148
Developer dekuNukem has detailed a methodology for refilling the DRM-protected detergent cassettes for a $486 portable dishwasher called Bob. Gizmodo reports: Bob is basically a small dishwasher that sits on your counter. It holds half a dozen dishes and some silverware, and you add water to the system by hand. It looks like a great alternative to a larger installed dishwasher or something nice for an apartment dweller. But it has a secret bit of DRM built in that keeps you wedded to the company's products. The Bob uses cassettes, called Rock and Pop (LOL!), that contain concentrated detergent and rinse liquids. The cassettes are similar to inkjet cartridges in that they store a small amount of information on a built-in chip -- in this case, a simple I2C EEPROM that can store a small amount of information. This chip stores the number of washes and will "cancel" a cassette when it's technically empty. The machine will then order new cassettes automatically. To Bob's credit, you can use your own detergent, but it isn't easy. And the cassettes aren't cheap.
"With shipping and VAT added, it costs a whopping $60 for 90 washes! That is 48p (67c) per wash. It might not sound like much, but it quickly adds up," wrote dekuNukem. "Over a year of daily washes, it would have cost $242 in Bob cassettes alone! Imagine paying that much recurring cost for a dishwasher!"
Using an EEPROM reader, they were able to pull the data from the cassette and even modify it, resulting in a simple system to reset the cartridges back to their original wash counts or, in one case, forcing the cassette to run about 70 more washes than originally advertised. Once dekuNukem figured out the coding mechanism, they had to figure out a way to refill the cassettes. They searched the internet for concentrated detergent offerings and found one that matched the website description exactly. "Refilling it yourself is more than 60 times cheaper, resulting in a massive 98% cost saving compared to buying new!" they wrote. The plans are available on dekuNukem's Github. You can also purchase the Cassette Rewinder, a pre-soldered board that will automatically reset the cassette EEPROM, for $29.99.
"With shipping and VAT added, it costs a whopping $60 for 90 washes! That is 48p (67c) per wash. It might not sound like much, but it quickly adds up," wrote dekuNukem. "Over a year of daily washes, it would have cost $242 in Bob cassettes alone! Imagine paying that much recurring cost for a dishwasher!"
Using an EEPROM reader, they were able to pull the data from the cassette and even modify it, resulting in a simple system to reset the cartridges back to their original wash counts or, in one case, forcing the cassette to run about 70 more washes than originally advertised. Once dekuNukem figured out the coding mechanism, they had to figure out a way to refill the cassettes. They searched the internet for concentrated detergent offerings and found one that matched the website description exactly. "Refilling it yourself is more than 60 times cheaper, resulting in a massive 98% cost saving compared to buying new!" they wrote. The plans are available on dekuNukem's Github. You can also purchase the Cassette Rewinder, a pre-soldered board that will automatically reset the cassette EEPROM, for $29.99.
Something like this should be a crime. (Score:5, Insightful)
In general.
I mean DRM. lock-in. monopoly. whatever you want to call it.
Re:Something like this should be a crime. (Score:5, Insightful)
I'll tell you what's a crime: using a MINI dishwasher to wash a few plates, forks and knives. That's typically a case for opening the tap and hand-washing them for 2 minutes. No cassette, no dishwasher to buy, and you don't look like a lazy ass.
But I admire the hacking effort. Although pragmatically, he could have done quite a lot of hand washes with the time it took him to revere-engineer the mini dishwasher. But that's what hacking is all about isn't it :)
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I'll tell you what's a crime: using a MINI dishwasher to wash a few plates, forks and knives. That's typically a case for opening the tap and hand-washing them for 2 minutes. No cassette, no dishwasher to buy, and you don't look like a lazy ass.
Fair point, but I can see a market for people with disabilities that can't wash dishes themselves like this, and/or may not have the space for a full-size dishwasher (low-income housing, etc.)
Re:Something like this should be a crime. (Score:5, Insightful)
Low-income housing paying $500 on a mini-dishwasher?
That gizmo is for rich lazy bums to use a dishwasher in a cabin out in the boonies while on vacation.
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Nice cherry-picking of things you think support your position. But you missed one:
people with disabilities
Doesn't fit your narrative, so you ignore it?
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I don't have the space for a dishwasher.
This means I definitely and absolutely do not have the space for a tabletop dishwasher.
Shit, my sous vide lives on top of a bookcase when not in use because it won't fit in my kitchen. And my kitchen's twice the size of the one in my previous home. (Technically slightly larger than twice.)
I do however have a sink. Maybe I should balance a dishwasher on top of that?
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I was referring specifically the the "lazy ass" part of the comment - obviously going overboard with an overpriced and wasteful product isn't the best option, but some people do need those kind of options.
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Fair point, but I can see a market for people with disabilities that can't wash dishes themselves like this, and/or may not have the space for a full-size dishwasher (low-income housing, etc.)
As a society, we need to stop this habit of brainstorming edge cases that justify wasteful, greedy, or inane products and services. I'm sure you mean well, but this is like saying we should keep on burning coal for power because not doing so would put coal miners out of work.
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I was referring specifically the the "lazy ass" part of the comment - obviously going overboard with an overpriced and wasteful product isn't the best option, but some people need those kind of options.
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Re:Something like this should be a crime. (Score:5, Interesting)
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That's a good point, but there's more to it than the amount of water used.
There's the highly-alkaline outflow from the wash cycle (from the washing powder/liquid/pellet), the "rinse aid" used to reduce surface tension to aid drying,and the energy needed to heat the water, sometimes up to 90C, and then the energy used to heat the chamber to dry the dishes.
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From what I've seen the vast majority of the energy is heating the water so if you do hot wash-ups like you should for safety's sake, the fact that it takes far more water for hand wash-ups also makes the energy requirements far greater.
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Don't forget the drying cycle. It uses the heating element to raise the cabinet temperature hot enough to dry the dishes.
Try opening your dishwasher about 20 minutes after it's finished washing. You'll see a bunch of water vapour escaping - it'll fog your glasses. That's the drying cycle, and it's using electricity to heat the dishes enough to dry them.
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Or you can just turn the drying option off? That's what I do, since its not like I'm in a big hurry to unload the dishwasher (I don't enjoy unloading uncomfortably hot utensils) and it would often just melt things. If I could buy a dishwasher lacking this option I would.
I hand washed dishes for years. It took me a lot of time and used a ton of water. Water I paid to heat. If I did is really quickly then the dishes weren't clean. I also slopped water all over the place but that's probably a personal problem.
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You'll see a bunch of water vapour escaping - it'll fog your glasses. That's the drying cycle, and it's using electricity to heat the dishes enough to dry them.
That happens to me and I have the drying cycle turned off. I just open the door of the washer after the thing beeps to tell me it's done and the dishes air dry very nicely. It's energy efficient and it puts some humidity into the air in winter too :)
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And who washes up in cold water?
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People who have my slow-starting gas boiler.
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Heating water to ~55C takes a LOT less energy than heating to 80C or 90C (55 is the recommended temperature for hot water systems in Australia, at least that's what I remember).
55C alone isn't enough to kill "99% of all known germs" - but combined with the action of detergent to break down the cell walls of bacteria, it's enough. Just wash your pots & pans, cutting boards, cutlery and dishes straight away - don't leave them dirty for long enough for bacteria to take hold.
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Dishwashing detergent is effectively pH neutral. Powders/pellets that you use in a dishwashing machine are highly alkaline.
But don't take my word for it, here's a university article:
https://news.wisc.edu/curiosities-whats-the-difference-between-dishwasher-detergent-laundry-detergent-and-dish-soap-why-arent-they-interchangeable/ [wisc.edu]
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Perhaps, but depending where you live the amount of water users could well be a none issue. I can assure you that it's a none issue for me.
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A properly operating dishwasher will eliminate more bacteria from your dishes than hand washing, and usually with less water. I do not know how this mini dishwasher stacks up in those terms. If it has heated dry it will probably be healthier.
It seems your point is that people are getting lazy. Maybe they are, but if you don't want to get your hands dirty doing the dishes, and can afford this, why not?
Looking at their website it can handle 6 full size plates, 6 cups/glasses and several settings of silverw
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How about this Techmoan video [youtube.com]? IIRC, he thought it did an OK job.
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You may notice the use of UK pounds in the pricing, so I assume that there is some UK connection or it is aimed at the UK.
There are millions of houses in the UK that don't have space for a proper plumbed-in dishwasher.
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I *am* a lazy ass. I'd rather spend that time doing something I like than destroying my skin with detergent. I will rather use one-use plates and cutlery than wash dishes.
A mini dishwasher will save me money compared to buying a big one to run half empty, and that will also save a lot on the environment.
Plus, using a mini dishwasher uses less energy than washing in running warm water under the tap.
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Fill the sink, add detergent, wash item, stack then dry item.
Who washes dishes under running water?
Re: Something like this should be a crime. (Score:3)
I wish someone could invent some kind of heat and water proof membrane that could protect your hands. Maybe even fitted around your fingers like hand in a glove.
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They did. It's a box called a "dishwasher". And it does a really great job of it, too!
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Re:Something like this should be a crime. (Score:5, Informative)
There is no need to break the DRM. The unit supports using your own dishwasher soap.
You can order a cheap refillable cassette from the manufacturer, if it doesn't already come with one (I can't remember from the review I saw).
The only thing it cannot do in this mode is run one of the automatic wash modes, but that just means you need to use a manual mode.
And surprisingly, the machine can get dishes cleaner than manual.
Anyhow, Techmoan did a review of it a few weeks ago - https://www.youtube.com/watch?... [youtube.com]
He even mentions using your own cassettes.
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You can add detergent manually, but there are drawbacks. You have to measure it out and most standard dishwasher tablets/pods are sized for full size dishwashers.
Manual mode also doesn't support multi-stage washing, and most dishwashers (including this one) really need the two stage wash cycle to do a good job. Well, the dishes will be clean with one stage, but if you want that streak-free look, especially in hard water areas, you need the second stage.
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There is no need to break the DRM. The unit supports using your own dishwasher soap.
The need is just as a matter of principle.
Re: Something like this should be a crime. (Score:2)
A modern dishwasher (large one) can come by with as little as 6 liters of fresh water.
Depending on your washing habits and the particular model using a dishwasher can be more economic than washing by hand in tap water.
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I'm fairly confident I would not be able to get my sink full enough to submerge my dishes with only 6 liters. (Your mileage may vary.) That's 366 cubic inches, and my sink is around 18x24, conservatively, so that'd be less than an inch of water.
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We (2 of us) moved into a small apartment while remodeling. No dishwasher. However, we've found that it's easier to just wash dishes in the sink. Takes less time. It's easier. I can do the dishes in a few minutes. Actually less work than loading and unloading a dishwasher. We put the dishes in a dish drainer to air dry.
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Don't buy it. See how simple that was.
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I don't understand why you would want to buy it in the first place. It is expensive, almost $500 and the soap carts are $90. A quick search on Amazon shows table top dishwashers for half the cost that use standard dishwasher soap.
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In general.
I mean DRM. lock-in. monopoly. whatever you want to call it.
Not only that, but the absolute waste in plastic (and internal electronics) of that "cassette" - even if it's all recycled when returned, there will always be some that never are.
And of course just the production of such a thing in the first place (vs. a box of detergent, or even a single bottle in liquid form).
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This is basically Unauthorized Bread [arstechnica.com] by Cory Doctorow in real life. I mean, the ideas from that story were never all that far from real life in any case. In that story the various locked in appliances came with the rent-subsidized apartment as a way for the building owners to extract more money from the residents since they had deals with the appliance manufacturers. The story starts with the authentication server on the toaster oven going down because the company that manufactures it going out of business,
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But .. but .. if we don't respect monopolies on proprietary detergent cartridges, what incentive will future manufacturers have to lock their customers into proprietary detergent cartridges? Your attitude is going to undermine our progress away from plain old detergent which Just Works.
DRM lol (Score:3)
Re:DRM lol (Score:4, Funny)
It's a dirty job, but somebody's gotta do it.
Re: DRM lol (Score:2)
We care a lot!
talk to HP (Score:2)
Re:DRM lol (Score:5, Insightful)
DRM in digital content still does not make sense. It removes ownership from the buyer.
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And it certainly doesn't make sense to make DRM circumvention for personal use a Federal crime (hear that USA?)
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Often DRM is written as Digital Rights Management, I prefer to use the abbreviation of Digital Restrictions Management. The language shifts the focus and makes it easier to explain to the easily bored and uninterested.
Simpler and (much) cheaper solution (Score:5, Insightful)
Hands, dishwasher soap, cleaning tools and a rack to take care of drying if you don't want to use towels. Five maybe 10 minutes of washing and that's about it.
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I've washed dishes in the "wilderness". Took slightly longer with lake water etc.
That's not washing. That's distributing the bacteria and other microorganisms evenly.
A dishwasher saves money, through reduced use of water and electricity - as well as time.
From your dish-washing time ("Five maybe 10 minutes") I can only conclude that you are either washing a tiny amount of dishes, not really washing anything used for cooking, not really washing well - or some combination of all those.
Anyway, whichever is the case, instead of washing for "Five maybe 10 minutes" after every meal (or even e
Re: Simpler and (much) cheaper solution (Score:2)
Bah. I wash much faster and get the dishes cleaner than my dishwasher can do. For a small load, the dishwasher waste a ton of water and energy, and for a full load the dishes will have sat for too long and will be harder to clean. My secret for perfect dishes is using a bar rag for cleaning, sponges are useless, a drop of drying conditioner in the rinse water, and to let them drain off in the rack a couple of minutes before finishing off with a towel for polish. Super clean. Super shiny, no spots missed, n
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I think a lot of folk have:
1. never washed dishes by hand
2. swallowed the manufacturer's advertising
I don't actually enjoy washing dishes by hand, but there are worse ways to spend your time, and the benefits outweigh the disadvantages. You can listen to some music or a podcast while you wash.
If you wash dishes by hand, in water as hot as your hands will stand (use gloves if you have to), using detergent, straight away without waiting for food residue to dry and/or allow bacteria to grow, you don't have to
Re: Simpler and (much) cheaper solution (Score:2)
Yup. And hand washing has the benefit of using all 3 modes of cleaning action. Mechanical, chemical, and heat.
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Or, buy simply a cheaper standalone compact dishwasher.
10min = 40..100l of water, dishwasher = 3l. (Score:2)
From water consumption PoV a dishwasher is MUCH more efficient. They do not use much electric energy either.
Dishwasher production cost (in energy, water and resources) would need to be known and amortized for a more meaningful comparison though.
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They take your household hot water at ~55C and heat it up to 80C or 90C. Then they use the heating element to dry the dishes after the wash cycle. That's a lot of energy.
365 days * 0.35kWh * 0.2EUR = 25EUR/year (Score:2)
Power usage estimation (daily use):
365 days * 0.35 kWh * 0.20EUR ~= 25 EUR per year.
Water savings estimation (10min washing @ 4l/min):
365 days * (40 - 3) l / 1000 * 2 EUR ~ = 27 EUR per year.
This seems to balance out, however with water you typically pay more than listed clean cold water delivery price - there is also water heating and waste water disposal. Some countries base your general waste payment on water usage.
Time savings estimation:
365 days * 10min = 60 hours per year = priceless private time
Overa
Re: 365 days * 0.35kWh * 0.2EUR = 25EUR/year (Score:2)
Don't forget the vost to the town. A dishwasher takes all the larger particles, and cut them up, so they end up in the sewer which must be processed. When handwashing the larger particles end up in the bottom of the sink and I throw them in my compost.
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Don't forget the cost to the town. A dishwasher takes all the larger particles, and cut them up, so they end up in the sewer which must be processed.
So sort of like my garburator then...
Re: Simpler and (much) cheaper solution (Score:2)
Apples and oranges (Score:2)
A dish washer can bring the dishes up to a much higher temperature than you can by hand. You need to rinse dishes before putting them in the washer anyway, as excess food can clog them. I think dish washers should be more properly termed dish sterilizers. They're not autoclaves, but they're better at making sure your dishes and utensils are bacteria free than you are by hand-washing.
if you want a service contract (Score:2)
Then offer a service contract, maybe where I rent the equipment from you instead of buying some DRM locked nonsense. Businesses are trying to explore some new model where they can have it both ways, the ease of a selling consumer products as a regular sale transaction but the advantages of an exclusive contract. Honestly it's a stupid idea and these jokers and those need to be pushed out of business if they can't figure out how to run an honest business.
just wait for cars to come with dealer locked serv (Score:3)
just wait for cars to come with dealer locked service.
Say oil change each 5,000 miles or 6 months At the dealer. Or the car goes into limp mode
Windshield fluid refilled at the dealer only
Lights Dealer only.
Air in the tires What do you think?
Just be lucky you can still get gas any where you want.
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just wait for cars to come with dealer locked service.
My truck's OnStar service would like to have a word with you. Not even that new of a business. Replaced parts in your drive time with parts that are not OEM approved? You didn't get your service done at a GM Goodwrench certified mechanic?
And paying for services instead of buying things is a very old idea, and had some advantages although problematic when dealing with a monopoly. You used to rent telephones from the phone company, not own them.
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s. Replaced parts in your drive time with parts that are not OEM approved? You didn't get your service done at a GM Goodwrench certified mechanic?
Two words. Magnusson-Moss.
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sadly does not apply to extended warranties. those are an additional contract you agree to beyond a warranty that is implied in a regular sale.
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just wait for cars to come with dealer locked service.
...
Air in the tires. What do you think?
Why do you think so many cars are coming with nitrogen-filled tires? Total gimmick for a street car, but it means you can't manage tire pressure at home with your own equipment. Even if the dealerships don't charge for "helping" with them, it forces you into the dealership periodically.
DRM (Score:2)
I have one of these. If you put a fake detergent it refuses to start and they SWAT you. It's pretty annoying.
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Yes, I made that up obviously.
My first thought after reading the headline (Score:2)
My first thought after reading the headline was, who in their right mind is watching DRM videos on their washing machine? I must have lost track of technology ;)
Bragging about it? (Score:2)
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Since the machine can automatically order new cartridges it clearly has, or can have, an internet connection. They company could update the firmware at 3am and you would never know.
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Only if you connect it to the internet.
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In the worst case, a new controller has to be developed that will run its internal hardware. No big deal. You can probably do it with an arduino and some literally plug-in modules.
vote with wallet (Score:4, Informative)
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DRM? ... buy something else
The problem is the lack of an open market. The BOB right now fits in a market that Nespresso did when it was first introduced: There are no alternatives.
You want another dishwasher? You'll need 4x the space for it.
Personally I propose everyone buy the BOB dishwasher and hack it. Then maybe this company will go out of business.
Failure of a Detergent Deterrent (Score:2)
Reminds me of "Unauthorized Bread" (Score:5, Interesting)
Unauthorized Bread [arstechnica.com]
Makes the future look bad, to the point that I am glad I won't have to live in it. (Unless they invent immortality soon...)
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Makes the future look bad, to the point that I am glad I won't have to live in it.
Skimming that story makes me glad I never tried to read a Cory Doctorow work before now. Ugh.
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Richard Stallman wrote that story in 1997: The Right to Read [gnu.org].
Next countermeasure (Score:2)
Obvious response is to have the DRM use the cheapest possible EEPROM and once the programmed number if cycles has elapsed, have the controller go into a loop, writing and erasing, until the EEPROM fails.
Aside from the DRM (Score:2)
Warning against using wrong detergent (Score:2)
Using the wrong detergent may cause the washing heads to get dirty.
covered a few weeks ago on hackaday (Score:3)
Idocracy (Score:2)
People have been systematically made dumber by the system and anyone who doesn't acknowledge or recognises that is either perpetrator or victim of the process.
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did you even read tfs?
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As long as you don't care to use a rinse agent.
I don't in my (non-DRM full size) dishwasher, but some people have hard water problems.
Re: Why do you think that's expensive? (Score:4, Insightful)
For 10x the load.
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Rubbish. I had a mini-dishwasher in my first house, and I have had a full-dishwasher in every house since.
From empty, you just put the plates in it rather than in the sink or stacked on the side. Literally takes zero more time.
Then when it's full, you pop in a tablet and press a button. 10 seconds?
Now you have a full stack of clean dishes ready to use straight out of the dishwasher until it's empty again. And unless you're particularly bad at managing to press the button at a reasonable time, yo
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It's great that it works for you, but denigrating other peoples' choices as "living in 1950" just points to your own insecurities.
If you truly felt comfortable with your choices, you wouldn't need to put other people down.
I don't like or use dishwashers, but I won't criticise others for doing so.