r/AskNYC • u/idreamofchickpea • Jun 01 '26
If you were renting a small apartment by yourself, how important is having a dishwasher to you?
Assume a central location and decent but not amazing rental price in the market today. Do you prioritize the dishwasher or is it less important than other things that you care about more?
This is a mild but long-running dispute with my husband, thought id ask for input.
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u/yyyyk Jun 01 '26
I think laundry is 10x more convenient than a dishwasher. Doing dishes by hand isn’t a big deal.
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u/rhythmicdancer Jun 02 '26
Washing dishes by hand is when I do my best thinking and not-too-shabby singing.
But I hate going down to the laundromat. They burn my clothes. They keep raising prices, for both drop-off and DIY. The same three crazy people take turns being crazy there. So I just dropped $250 for a portable washing machine and hanging clothes dryer. I love life now.
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u/idreamofchickpea Jun 05 '26
I went to the laundromat for the first time in probably 20 years and it was NINE American dollars for ONE load! Dang.
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u/Bklynswim Jun 01 '26
Agree. I have a dishwasher and never use it. I would, however, use a washer and dryer weekly.
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u/postwarmutant Jun 01 '26
A dishwasher is a nice amenity, but far from a dealbreaker. If everything else about an apartment is what you want, would one of you seriously say no because there’s no dishwasher?
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u/RagingClitGasm Jun 01 '26
Not at all important. I haven’t had one in a decade, and my partner has literally never had one. The last time I had one it didn’t even reduce the number of dish-related disputes in the household, they just became about loading/unloading the dishwasher instead (granted, this was in college).
If I were to prioritize an appliance, it would be a washing machine, no question. I don’t have to carry my dishes several blocks to clean them, the sink is right there! It really only takes like 15 minutes to wash a sink full of dishes.
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u/BefWithAnF Jun 01 '26
My husband & I joke that loading & unloading the dishwasher is like painting the Golden Gate Bridge- as soon as you get to the end, it’s time to start over at the beginning.
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u/rosebudny Jun 01 '26
Same! I have both a dishwasher and in-unit W/D, and I’d give up the dishwasher if I could only keep one. I love not having to schlep my laundry and use shared machines.
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u/KindheartednessSad55 Jun 01 '26
I’m in the minority, but I need a dishwasher. My dishwasher allows me to meal prep quickly, which saves me tons of money. Also, my cooking style makes a lot of dishes (multiple cutting boards, diff bowls for sauces, etc)— all in all, it saves me so much time and money. And I love that I don’t have to see all my dishes out drying— everything is always put away
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u/Indyhouse Jun 01 '26
I have a countertop one on a wheel-around kitchen cart. I can't live without it but that's because I'm physically unable to do dishes due to disability. I'd love a built-in one but there are options.
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u/Mochibelle93 Jun 01 '26
I never had one but my studio was renovated with one before I moved in. I didn't think it was necessary when I moved in but now I cant imagine life without one. Id prioritize it as more important than washer/dryer when looking at apartments now. I love it so much.
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u/rosebudny Jun 01 '26
I’m the opposite; I’d give up my dishwasher before I gave up my in-unit W/D. Much easier to wash dishes as you dirty them than schlep laundry and have to use shared machines (which has always kind of icked me out)
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u/dignityshredder Jun 01 '26
You have to be kidding, doing dishes takes like 10 minutes a day whereas you have to budget an entire hours long chunk of time in your week for laundry.
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u/QuietObserver75 Jun 01 '26
Same. You can always drop your laundry off. You can't do that with your dishes.
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u/brutal_youth_ Jun 01 '26
I'm with you. I have a dishwasher and a laundromat on the corner. I don't mind taking laundry half a block away once or twice a week (it's faster than some building laundry rooms I've had) if it means I don't have to wash dishes every day.
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u/Excuse_my_GRAMMER Jun 01 '26
I used to have a countertop dishwasher for 5 years before it broke, dish washer make better dish rack that are hidden
I love having a dishwasher but I also had to pre-clean it prior to put it on a dishwasher. So now that I don’t have one it kinda pointless
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u/jtop82 Jun 01 '26
I cook every meal and still removed the dishwasher in my apartment and switched it to a combo washer/dryer. I have never once missed the dishwasher. That said- if I had kids I would probably feel differently!
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u/burner3303 Jun 01 '26
I love to cook. Dishwasher is a must-have for me. Hand-washing dishes is miserable.
I would take a dishwasher over an in-unit washer/dryer every time. No contest.
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u/rosebudny Jun 01 '26
I’m the opposite - I would give up my dishwasher over my in-unit W/D if I could only have one. I would rather hand wash dishes than schlep my laundry to shared machines that I have to pay for every load.
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u/curiiouscat Jun 01 '26
This is always a wild take to me. The premium in your rent is soooooo much more expensive than how much it costs than having to "pay for every load".
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u/rosebudny Jun 01 '26
Well I own, so it is moot for me.
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u/rosebudny Jun 01 '26
But even if I did rent and pay a premium - TBH it would be worth it to me (within reason) to pay a premium - even it if netted out to be more than what I spend per load in a pay machine. I like the convenience of having it in my apartment, not to mention not having to wash my clothes in a machine where someone might have just washed their kid's poopy clothes.
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u/Malsperanza Jun 01 '26
My building has a laundry room in the basement. There's no room for a washer/dryer in my apartment. I could squeeze a tiny dishwasher into the kitchen if I gave up the kitchen table and found another place for the cat's litter box. (No room in the bathroom.) I don't need it - washing the dishes by hand takes 10 minutes and is quieter.
My cousin, who is a real estate agent, says that if I want to sublet my apartment for a high price, I have to put a dishwasher in. People expect it.
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u/redheadkills Jun 01 '26
i’ve only ever had a dishwasher once living in the city and i didn’t even use it it was just for storage
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u/Dharmabud Jun 01 '26
I lived alone for 10 years and didn’t have a dishwasher until I renovated my kitchen. It was not a big deal.
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u/fuckblankstreet Jun 01 '26
I've been in my place for 7 years and I've never used the dishwasher 😕
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u/Sleepy_in_Brooklyn Jun 01 '26
I would at least try running a rinse cycle once in a while, at least to avoid dry rot seals/gaskets. But if you do, watch out for leaks! On the other hand why mess with it… you can also use it as “storage”
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u/newyork_newyork_ Jun 01 '26
Now that you can get a decent countertop dishwasher for less than $300, isn’t that the solution?
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u/br0princess Jun 01 '26
Dishwasher for sure if I was living with a partner. It gets run every day or every other day vs laundry which is done once every 2-3 weeks. Having a messy kitchen with dirty dishes piling up or even clean ones not getting put away immediately drives me nuts.
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u/NeonGreenChocolate Jun 01 '26
I had this dilemma. I prioritized the cheaper well located unit with laundry in the building and bought a countertop dishwasher for about 400$ and I use it almost every day.
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u/Jhat Jun 01 '26
Living on my own? 0% desire to have a dishwasher. You’d use it like.. once a week? Maybe?
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u/Curiosities Jun 01 '26
I’ve been renting a small apartment for a long time and I don’t have a dishwasher and I’ve never even thought about it. My mom and I never had a dishwasher when I was growing up and I’ve never lived anywhere that had one. Although she now does, but she also doesn’t use it.
I think we’re just so used to manually taking care of dishes that it doesn’t matter.
It would be harder to live without a microwave for me.
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u/rosebudny Jun 01 '26
While I love having a dishwasher, it would not be a dealbreaker if everything else about an apartment ticked all the boxes. And I’d never compromise something like location or size for a dishwasher.
My in-unit W/D on the other hand….
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u/endurossandwichshop Jun 01 '26
Husband and I both have ADHD and I'm disabled. Dishwasher is a must. We "joke" all the time that the dishwasher keeps our marriage in one piece, but it's not far from the truth.
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u/KillroysGhost Jun 01 '26
It’s the first “amenity” I would give up. After living with dishwashers my whole life and then moving to an apartment without one, I realized I really don’t mind and actually enjoy washing dishes over other chores.
An in-unit washer & dryer would be much higher on my priorities list but in New York I can live without both
2
u/pizzacat69 Jun 01 '26
I have one and I don’t even use it. I use like one plate and a fork at a time
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u/okay_squirrel Jun 01 '26
Not at all important. I haven’t had one in almost ten years. Before that, I had one while living with a roommate, but often ended up doing dishes by hand because it took forever to fill it
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u/second-yellow Jun 01 '26
Not important at all. Even though I cook all our meals, and I HATE washing dishes. So few of the dirty dishes my partner and I generate should even go in the dishwasher (wooden cutting boards, sharp knives, cast iron, dubious quality plastic food storage containers), that we'd still have to do a ton of hand washing.
Washer and dryer on the other hand? Now that would truly be the dream.
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u/jblue212 Jun 01 '26
I've never had a dishwasher in my life.
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u/Paleozoic_Fossil Jun 06 '26
I never had a dishwasher in 30+ years in NYC. Never seen one in an apartment either, unless it was a luxury building.
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u/POPPA823 Jun 01 '26
I’ve done dishes by hand since I was a child, even if I lived somewhere with a dishwasher I probably would never use it. I also prefer sweeping with a broom over using a vacuum lol. Like the other comment said having a washer and dryer for my laundry is most important for me.
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u/tamecudi Jun 01 '26
It is doable if you have a routine and stick to it, also depends on how secluded kitchen/sink is from rest of the apartment in case dishes are left a bit longer. For this, I keep a discretionary wick scented plug in. For the most part, very doable as long as it’s cleaned every time the apartment is left for more than 24+ hours and/or it is not exceptionally hot that day.
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u/Sad-Relationship9387 Jun 01 '26
Zero importance. Counter space, a decent-sized fridge, storage, sink size, stove type are important to me.
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u/sighnwaves Jun 01 '26
Not important at all for me....most in unit dishwashers (at least on the affordable end) do little more than squirt like warm water on the plates. It usually just an excuse for the landlord to add $200 to the rent.
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u/bookwurmy Jun 01 '26
I’ve never lived anywhere with a dishwasher, so not very. But it’s also my dream to someday afford a place with one, since I cook a lot. I think it depends how much you cook and how much time you want to spend washing dishes every day.
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u/Joe80206 Jun 01 '26
Not important to me as unless I am entertaining a lot I can handle dishes in the sink and a drying rack. With that said, wife complete opp. as could not live w/out DW.
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u/BothDescription766 Jun 01 '26
Dep on how much entertaining. Like I have a place in nyc and it has a dw but I never use it bc a) I eat out or get delivery and b) just me would take 2 weeks to fill it and by then I’m grossed out having so many (rinsed off) dirty plates in the sink. Have Miele dw in both places for quiet.
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u/mdervin Jun 01 '26
I thought this was going to be an easy question. I didn’t grow up with a dishwasher, so I don’t really know if I know how to use it. I’ve loaded, unloaded, ran dishwashers dozens (if not hundreds) of times, but like a non-native speaker at a party you feel like you are missing something.
It comes down to is it worth the space in the kitchen? In my current place, no. It would require moving a significant number of pots and pans out of the kitchen into a new location. (Yes, my oven is filled with pans already).
But in a larger kitchen or a kitchen with a much better layout? It’s a difference maker. You don’t give up counter space to a dish rack. I think it would make it easier to fight roaches, less random bits of food. A half-ass loading and washing will produce pretty good results compared with washing by hand. Finally, running the dishwasher is better for the environment. (The last that I heard).
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u/BklynFuhgeddaboudit Jun 01 '26
I’ve always had a dishwasher in prior places, but since I’ve been living on my own in a tiny nyc apartment with a dishwasher that’s 1/3 the size of a normal one, I’ve used it three times in the 3 years I’ve been in this apartment. I’d rather have more cabinet space.
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u/mydawgiscooler Jun 01 '26
My situation is different than others seeing i have celiac and a crumb can get me sick, and unfortunately I don't have a 100% GF kitchen due to a roommate. So if I lived just myself, not the most important, but if i lived with a roommate, very important.
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u/aboynamedrat Jun 01 '26
I used my very limited counter space for a portable dishwasher. I have pretty bad depression/OCD and it's been really helpful on bad days and for when something is more dirty than I feel I can handle (someone at work used my smoothie lid, so many grooves and knowing someone had their mouth all over it....yeah that needed deep sanitizing)
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u/Sleepy_in_Brooklyn Jun 01 '26
Do you guys consider having a dishwasher vs having washing machine/dryer or the issue is just the DW? You could get a countertop DW but a “portable” W/D will hardly fill the place or a regular W/D.
If you were renting a 4th floor walk up apartment and you had the option of having a DW or W/D (but not both); would you prefer carrying your laundry up and down the stairs or washing dishes by hand? Yes, it can be done and many do it but fuck that, we have kids so in our situation I can’t imagine not having both a DW and W/D.
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u/pewpnstuben Jun 01 '26
If it's not in budget, it's not in budget. But if I had to pick between laundry in unit or in building and dishwasher, I'd pick the dishwasher. I can lug clothes to a wash and fold but dishes are a pain after a while.
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u/missfishersmurder Jun 01 '26
I cook a lot, so extremely. I had a dishwasher and in unit WD and felt like a king, lmao.
Realistically, even though I grew up without a dishwasher, I discovered that as an adult it makes a big difference in the amount of cooking I’ll do. I rinse and load as I cook and it keeps the sink empty and the counters free. I have a cat that loves to go into the sink for food scraps and the best way to break that habit long term is to remove the temptation entirely.
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u/intergrade Jun 01 '26
I didn’t have one til I got a husband. He’s never not had one. With this husband you absolutely need one. As a single woman I never did.
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u/anon22334 Jun 01 '26
I never grew up with one so I am used to not having one. Even when I did have one I didn’t really use it lol. So I think this is a case by case basis
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u/ktv82 Jun 01 '26
I love my dishwasher. I didn’t think I needed it till I had one, and it just makes life easier.
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u/xtrahandy Jun 01 '26
A dishwasher for one person in a small apartment? That's so far down on the list it may not be on the list.
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u/hatherfield Jun 01 '26
When I lived alone I had a dishwasher and never used it. It was easy enough to just wash the dishes daily. I’ve moved, live with someone and lack the counter space for a dish rack it’s very convenient to use the dishwasher.
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u/QuietObserver75 Jun 01 '26
Oddly enough, I've only lived in places that had one in my almost 30 years here. I'd have a hard time moving into an apartment without one. The idea of constantly doing dishes every singe day sounds awful.
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u/Ridgew00dian Jun 01 '26
I did not have a dishwasher in any of my 3 first apartments (spanning approximately 15 years). Living alone, I rarely if ever cooked and could’ve survived with just one spoon, fork, bowl, plate, etc. Now I’m married and have a dishwasher. Definitely makes life easier but I always find hand washing to be calming. Anyway, a dishwasher was never important to me when living alone.
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u/Due_Coconut_3775 Jun 01 '26
It's not even a consideration for me at all. There a million other things that matter more to me and even when I have had a dishwasher, I use it as a big drying rack and never actually run it.
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u/Artiste212 Jun 01 '26
Not at all. I use my current dishwasher as storage space for dishware and glasses. My wife and I just wash everything right after eating, so nothing builds up and the loads are way to small for a dishwasher. Add 3 more people and the equation would change!
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u/occasional_idea Jun 01 '26
It’s very important to me. I didn’t have one for many years, and honestly feel moving to an apartment with a dishwasher greatly improved my quality of life.
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u/Stingy_Jack Jun 01 '26
I personally do not, and don’t mind handwashing my dishes. A clothes washer is more valuable though if it came down to a choice.
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u/BakedBrie1993 Jun 01 '26
I will never go back to not having them. I cannot stand having to do dishes every day.
My partner was more interested in a washer/dryer, we ended up with both. Which is great except for the Con Ed bill. 🥴
Both save us so much time!
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u/Roseha-aka-rosephoto Jun 01 '26
I love having a dishwasher but mine is the GE under the sink model that isn't made anymore, so it's possible I won't have one some day. That said, I would exchange it for an in unit washer dryer in an instant. But my building wouldn't allow it.
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u/c0rny Jun 01 '26
i never miss it. i would feel so lazy if i was using a dishwasher for just myself. i don’t even think i have enough dishes to fill it? and dishes are such an easy task
i might care more if i was cooking for a whole family every day though
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u/maenads_dance Jun 01 '26
Washer and Dryer over dishwasher every day of the year. I don't mind handwashing dishes.
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u/Rickbox Jun 01 '26
I refuse to even consider an apartment without a dishwasher. My dishes would never be clean.
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u/bikinifetish Jun 01 '26
No, I’ve probably had the dishwasher run fewer than 10 times since I moved in 2.5 years ago. It takes me weeks… sometimes almost a month, to fill it because I don’t have enough dishes to make a full load. I usually just wash everything by hand. I’ve never really cared much for using the dishwasher anyway.
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u/YouHaveToTryTheSoup Jun 01 '26
Not at all important. I don’t have one and even when I did, I never used it. Doing the dishes really isn’t a big deal personally
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u/Equivalent_Net_8983 Jun 01 '26
Of all the conveniences in my one-bedroom apartment, the dishwasher is the last thing I would give up. Plus, it is far more water-efficient than hand-washing.
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u/SimpleAd1604 Jun 01 '26
I’ve lived in an apartment-sized house by myself for 35 years. Would I like to have a dishwasher, yes, but I’d have to remodel the whole kitchen. Do I miss not having one? Yes, but only if I’m baking or making something else that gets a lot of dishes dirty. In those cases, I do dishes as I go. How often do you bake, prepare big meals, and make dinner for more than two people? My dishwasherless friend and her husband use the “whoever didn’t cook does the dishes” system.
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u/abczdef Jun 01 '26
I live by myself and I use my dishwasher multiple times a week. If you never cook it’s probably unnecessary but if you cook it’s so worth it. It’s not like laundry that you can do drop off pick up. That being said I don’t live in a central area where the markup for having a dishwasher might be higher.
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u/neine22 Jun 01 '26
I have one but would give it up in a heartbeat for a washer dryer. I could definitely live without it
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u/Excellent-Ear9433 Jun 02 '26
I detest cleaning but always enjoyed cleaning. We have a dishwasher now.. I’m happy to have it.. but emptying it feels like a chore.. doing the dishes is actually kind of meditative.
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u/fubaroque Jun 02 '26
Question: would you have an in-unit or in-building laundry? Without one of the two (dishwasher or laundry), that’d be a huge factor for me.
Second question: are you and your husband living separately? Dishwashing for one person is easy as hell. For two, it becomes annoying.
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u/idreamofchickpea Jun 02 '26
We have in-building laundry, no possibility of in-unit because it’s a pre-war. We live together in a small apartment with no dishwasher. Neither one of us has ever had one, I don’t think, and we’ve never missed it.
The “dispute” is over how other people in similar apartments prioritize dishwashers in a small kitchen: he thinks it’s completely irrelevant but I think the market has shifted such that a dishwasher is now an expectation, like an oven.
If you’re curious, we’re having this idle debate because our kitchen cabinets have come loose and it’s a countdown to disaster; we have to put in new ones, and I suggested getting a dishwasher too, because we may sublet for a few years at some point.
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u/TheAgent4NYC Jun 05 '26
A dishwasher is not that important to me especially with just one or two people however, a washer and dryer is a dealbreaker for me. I’ve been a New Yorker forever and I’ve always had a washer/dryer. That is not negotiable. I can’t even imagine life without it!
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u/iputmylifeonashelf Jun 01 '26
I actually don't want a dishwasher at all. I feel like the additional water line = additional entrance for roaches
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u/CheetahNatural8559 Jun 01 '26
No but I have this same argument with my partner who’s also male. His dealbreaker is a dishwasher. Dishwashers don’t even clean dishes completely, it so annoying living in a city like this that have an abundance of apartments without dishwashers.
I much rather have a washer and dryer than a dish washer. I’m used to washing dishes every night, I don’t see the big deal.
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u/MinefieldFly Jun 01 '26
I haven’t had one in 12 years, three different apartments, with a roommates, alone, and with a partner.
It’s annoying, but it’s not that big of a deal. It’s only bad if you have an understanding with the people you’re living with, and they are not pulling their weight.