Farberware Portable Countertop Dishwasher with 5-Liter Built-in Water Tank - 5-Program System for Home, RV, and Apartment - Wash Dishes, Glass, and Baby Products

I live in an apartment that has no dishwasher. Building was built in the early 60s when dishwashers weren't standard, and in spite of renovations, the kitchen layout doesn't accommodate a built-in.After three years, and encroaching arthritis attacking my hands, I dreaded dishwashing about ten times more than I ever did. Thus, for the first time in my life, dishes stacked up in the sink. Drove me insane to have dirty dishes, but the pain of doing them was too overwhelming sometimes.You can do plastic/paper to an extent, and then again I don't want to keep contributing to the landfills with disposable stuff.After a LOT of research on counter top dishwashers, and reading a ton of reviews, I hit "purchase" on this one. The brand is solid, and then again namely because of it's water reservoir option. You can attach a hose to the faucet, if you want. But that reservoir option was what tipped me to the purchase. I just couldn't imagine my poor elderly hands trying to attach and unattach that hose to the faucet with every cycle.I have not regretted it one bit. I've been using it about two months now and I'm still excited about it lolIt's also very quiet (unless you stack dishes wrong and one rattles around in there lol). I love love love the light feature (that goes out after a few minutes) because it helps you see if you stacked things correctly to get maximum water attack! I have mine just to the right of the kitchen sink and it fits perfectly. I can't stress enough to measure measure measure. Mine has left about 1" gap at the top, so if I had not measured three or four times, I might have been trying to figure out another option in the placement, and there aren't a lot of options in my tiny kitchen.You do have to make sure you have access to that "hole" in the top if you want to use the reservoir. If you are putting it under a cupboard, this is particularly important. What I did was turn mine sideways, so the front of it is facing the sink. This way I have access to the 'hole' for adding water.I'm 66 year old lady with arthritis and I was able to lift it to my kitchen counter. That surprised me!The instructions are perfectly clear, no engineering degree required! It's pretty danged simple to figure out :DSo here is how it goes: Because it is a small counter top appliance, you plan out how you are going to load what needs washing. It has a "silverware" tray that hovers near the roof, and I found it not a good option for more than four pieces of silverware. I just put the silver on the bottom, careful to place it where it won't slide through the rack during the cycle. Everything is rinsed well before putting it in.It holds surprising amount of dishes! I'm single, so not generating a bunch of dishes. I've even been able to do large colanders, cutting boards, a number of my pots/pans, air fryer basket, my Ninja blender container/parts, and all kinds of casserole dishes, cake pans, pie plates etc. Not all at the same time, silly lolSo, it's loaded. Put detergent in, close the lid. TURN IT ON (this is important lol!) As the manufacturer says, I unplug it in between uses, so I have to plug it in and turn it on. Oh, and the manufacturer does not recommend detergent pods, and I can tell you it's because they may not dissolve all the way. Bummer.One other bit: I assumed the dishwasher would come with a sample size of detergent. It did not. So my first use, I'm looking for my expected sample, and nada. So I had to run to the store to get some. You will be using about a tablespoon of liquid (use liquid, not powder) each cycle, so no need for Costco sizes lolThere is a supplied pitcher for the water, and while instructions state it is three containers in the reservoir, I've had to use four each time. So, take the plug off the top and fill the container with water, and pour it in the hole on top. The machine will give a happy little beep! beep! when you reach the capacity needed. That beep made me smile the first time lol. What can I say, easily entertained :D. It's also why you need to make sure it's ON before adding water. Otherwise, the beep will be silenced I think.Hit start. Now right here was where I had a panic moment when I used it the first two times. The interior light comes on, but there is no water. WHAT?? Where is the water?? Oh no, it doesn't work and I have to ship this back???No. It's fine. It takes one to two minutes for the water to go from the reservoir you poured into, into the parts and sprayers the machine needs. So while it may appear to not work, after one to two minutes, it gives a delightful little gurgle, with the light still on, and off it goes! Yay!! With the little bluish light, you get to see all the action going on in there! I admit, I watched it the first few times lol.There is a bigger sprayer arm on the bottom, and it gets serious. There is a lot of power in that arm! It hits the roof and all the dishes in between! There is also a tiny rotating sprayer on the roof, and it seems to be mostly for the silverware tray that is up there in that neighborhood. But it doesn't really reach much except the first two pieces. This is the ONLY thing I don't like about this machine, is the little---not even a sprayer. it's like a little disk that just spins (not every time) and has water that spurts out. No real dishwashing action happening there, most of it is from the bottom sprayer. So make sure your dishes are facing that bottom direction for maximum squeaky clean!FYI, you cannot stop the machine by opening the door if you forget something. I mean, you can, if you hit the right button sequence at the right moment. But don't do it. Just wait till the next go-round to wash that one coffee cup you left in the bathroom yesterday. It confuses the machine if you do that and you want a happy, stress free, appliance. Right? You do, right? Don't interrupt the cycle. The machine gets anxiety if you do and may decide it doesn't like you anymore. Don't do it.Or do it anyway, what the heck! You can buy a new one!It has a few functions, and the one that cracks me up is "Fruit" lmao. It provides a colander type bowl that you are expected to put your fruit into, and put it in the dishwasher. Huh? Who, I beg of you, WHO puts fruit in the dishwasher??? Well, I recently saw a YouTube video of someone who was cleaning their toilet seats (yes,toilet seats) in the dishwasher, so I imagine someone is fruiting the dishwasher somewhere lol. I tossed the fruit bowl. Over and done. But the fruit function is short 20 minute cycle, so if you have something you want done fairly quickly (more sterilization), use the "Fruit" button lol.It has an "air refresh" button that is meant to dry the interior, to keep moist at bay and prevent mildew I guess. I haven't used it. I have a small magnet I put between the door and the frame that leaves it cracked about 1/4 " and that allows it air refreshing and dries the interior just fine.It has a quick wash button, and a normal wash button. I use the normal wash generally. When you use that button the display will show how much time it will take to finish. It's approx two hours. Works for me!I have the hose draining into my kitchen sink. Originally I had it going into a bucket below the dishwasher because the hose was very stiff and not easy to handle. But after a half dozen cycles, it was nice and soft, and I could move it to drain in the sink. When the cycle is done, you do want to pick that hose up and make sure the last quarter cup or so of water has drained out. Mildew and all.It's a delightful machine, super easy to use, takes up very little space and has been majorly life enhancing for me! I had mostly stopped cooking due to not dealing with dishes, and was eating way too many things like canned soup and other prepared foods. With this doing the dishes for me, I'm back to cooking whenever I want! I'm also making smoothies almost daily now I don't have to try and wash that Ninja with it's blades and top with more crevices than Mt Everest. Way over-engineered for maximum annoyance, when you don't have a dishwasher!Love love love this little powerhouse machine! Do it! Buy it! You won't regret it! And you don't have to hook it to the faucet! Major bonus feature!

04/20/22 UpdateEverything still working as it's supposed to but my dish rack is now rusting and falling apart. I never did anything to it, never bent it, never cut into the plastic wrap around it..nothing...but it's rusting and falling apart. I need a new one and I hope I can get one otherwise I have a large paperweight on my hands.*******************************06/30/2021 UPDATEIt's been almost 4 months since I've owned this and I have never been happier. I use this dishwasher at least twice a day every single day. I use powder detergent from the big box store with a blue logo and I use their store brand. It's the best stuff ever and very inexpensive to buy. I have changed one thing, I no longer use the magnet to keep the door ajar to dry the interior and dishes. The reason being is that I didn't think about keeping the seal moist and not letting it dry out. It's imperative the seal stays supple so it work properly. Also I buy a dishwasher cleaner from Amazon so it will help eliminate hard water deposits in the machine. I buy a little bag, about $7, and it lasts me several uses since I use such a small amount whereas 1 bag is normal for a normal size dishwasher. Don't listen to the naysayers and negative reviews. Yes it's small...it's a small dishwasher..don't expect to fill it to the brim and get everything sparkling clean. You have to arrange everything to make sure the jet spray hits everything. I have found out one thing, I was pouring water in the machine yesterday, got the beeps and realized that I didn't turn the machine on first. So..it's good to know it will let me know it's full of water without it being turned on...good to know. Again, best purchase I've made and I highly recommend it.Next to my portable washing machine I bought a few months ago, this is my new love. I cannot say enough good things about it. I call her Rosey after the Jetson’s robot. She’s sleek, sexy and cleans. She didn’t come cheap though that’s for sure.********************************When I unpacked Rosey, I noticed some rusty looking stuff in the bag on the side of the machine towards the bottom back. When I opened the plastic wrap there was a hint of rust smell. This worries me just a bit. I’m sure most of everything in Rosey is plastic so I’m curious as to what is metal and rusts especially in a dishwasher. She did have some moisture and water droplets in it and I knew they tested it beforehand, I just thought they might have let it dry first before tightly packing it up to ship. I wonder how long it stayed wrapped with water in it before I got it. As I said this worries me and I hope I won’t have problems in the future. I did buy the extra warranty just in case.Rosey is quick, thorough and a lifesaver. I have a bad back and our kitchen sink is low, I’m 5’9” and I found myself leaning on my arms while washing dishes; I’d also take breaks before I get done. Now I don’t have to be in pain while washing the dishes. It’s just my 86 yr old mother and myself so there isn’t a lot of dishes but enough to do 2 loads a day. I want also to comment that yes it’s a small machine but it will fit the lid to my 8qt Instant Pot or my Dutch oven with no problems. Some are complaining that the machine is "too small" "so tiny" "...can't fit my dishes" and I call them whiners. It's a small machine...you get what you pay for so don't expect to get HUGE loads of dishes done; it's not going to happen. What needs to happen is the person needs to learn how to play Tetris and Jengo and learn how to stack and lean dishes. Do more loads as well. You can't expect to get all the dishes done at once if it's completely full and the bottom sprayer arm can't spray the dishes above it.I have noticed that if the cart is too heavy with dishes the sprayer arm will catch on the bottom of the basket and not rotate. I have played around with the basket and I have figured out that either I can distribute the weight in towards the back of the basket OR there’s just enough room to place something, a small plastic or rubber thing but not sure what since I haven’t done it yet, under the front left wheel and that will lift the basket just enough to give clearance to the sprayer arm on the bottom. As I said, I haven’t tried it yet but I will one day. Meanwhile, the top sprayer arm is a hit and miss during rotation as well and I’m not sure why. I have included a picture of the top sprayer arm and with a twist of the middle the arm will come out of the washer and you have to make sure you line up everything just right to put it back. I took it out, inspected it, no blockage, rinsed it out and put it back but to no avail it still rotates intermittently or slowly. I have to assume is the water pressure that rotates it, just like the bottom arm, and that it just isn’t getting enough pressure maybe. It works and gets the job done. I haven't had any dirty dishes after washing them so I can't complain.I have read and reread thru all the reviews and learned quite a few things from other people’s experience with the machine. There were a few people who were confused thinking the whole middle piece comes out of the bottom metal filter and what I found out is that the plastic middle OF the bigger round middle piece comes out and makes it easier to clean inside the filter. I have attached a pic of what I’m talking about.Also, the whole pouring water in the top hole in the machine thing is brilliant BUT it’s design is flawed as more water would splash up out on top than IN the machine and when filling the machine 3 and ½ pitchers full of water some is bound to end up all over the place. I saw a review that used a collapsible silicone basin with drain over the hole and that’s how she fills her machine but I got to wondering about a canning jar funnel since it’s shorter and wider so I found once on Amazon and ordered it. As I continued to read the reviews I found someone else who had just done that herself. Two great minds think alike! I’ve attached a pic of that as well.Now yes the machine sucks moisture out with the "Air Fresh" cycle selected and it mostly of dries everything but it’s not completely dry (at least 90%) and I tried to figure out a way to leave the door ajar so air can circulate but nothing would work UNTIL I thought of using a small magnet. I had a refrigerator magnet break on me a while back so I threw the plastic away but kept the magnet. It’s a little rectangle sized magnet and pretty much the same size as the door magnet on the machine. Once the machine is completely done I put the magnet on the machine and close the door…et voila!...the door stays ajar with a crack to circulate air and it keeps the door closed out of the way. The light automatically turns off so I didn’t have to worry about it staying on. JUST make sure you take off the magnet before you start washing. I turned on the machine but it wouldn't let me select a cycle and I thought the machine was broken but then remembered the magnet. I took the magnet off, closed the door and was able to set the cycle and start the machine. Nice feature that it won't let the machine start without the door being tightly closed. Brilliant! Again, a pic is attached as well.I bought two types of detergent, powder and gel, and I can’t really tell a difference between the two when it comes to how well it cleans the dishes. I have read that powder is best if you have hard water and stuck on food since it has enzymes. My water is so hard if I threw it at someone it would kill them; gotta love the water in the desert southwest of Arizona. I do worry about hard water deposits tho as I have to regularly use vinegar in my coffee pot and tea kettle to get rid of it. I’ve read that vinegar is bad for any dishwasher so I’m not sure what to do if problems arise.Oh…I read someone’s review that said they had a problem with the cheap suction cup on the drainage hose so I bought some aquarium suction cups with plastic straps and stuck them on my drainage hose and they work great. Also, one more tip, I added a Command strap on the back side so I can coil up the drainage hose to get it out of the way as needed. Now DON’T do what I did and forget it was there and use the machine…what a mess….lolOverall this is a brilliant piece of kitchen machinery and I’m so so so happy I got it. I plan on babying Rosey and treating her right in hopes that she will last a few years. And before I forget, there is someone on YouTube who has figured out the error codes and he tells you what to do. I will say one thing that’s handy is pushing the Glass button and the Air Fresh button will starting the draining process and that’s really handy to know.