The worst chore when living alone? Dishes.
Cook a meal and suddenly: pot, pan, plate, chopsticks, cup... piling up in the sink. "I'll do it later" means it's still there the next morning. Then it's even harder to start.
I looked into dishwashers, but built-in ones need construction and cost a fortune. Not happening in a studio. Then I found countertop dishwashers — just connect a hose to the faucet. Done.
Magic Chef countertop dishwasher. No plumbing work required.
Setup took 15 minutes
No construction. Attach an adapter to your faucet, connect the intake hose, hang the drain hose over the sink. That's it. There's also a manual-fill option if your faucet doesn't fit — just pour water in.
Haven't hand-washed dishes in 2 months
Not exaggerating. Eat → load dishwasher → press button → done. Fits 1-2 people's worth of dishes. Plates, cups, utensils, small pots all fit. Large pans don't — those still need hand washing.
Standard cycle takes about 90 minutes. Quick mode is around 30. Run it while doing other things.
Cleaner than hand washing
Hot water (70°C+) dissolves grease better than hand washing. Plastic containers with curry stains? Come out clean. Drying function means no water spots when you take them out.
What to know
Takes up counter space. "Compact" is still microwave-sized. Tight studio kitchens need to plan. I put mine on a small shelf next to the sink.
Large pans don't fit. 26cm frying pans are too big.
Needs special detergent. Dishwasher-specific. Regular dish soap = foam overflow disaster. Costs under 5,000 won/month on Coupang.
Some noise. Water sloshing sounds. Fine during the day, noticeable at night.
Not a luxury — it's a time investment
20 minutes of daily dishes × 30 days = 10 hours per month. The dishwasher costs 200,000-300,000 won. That's buying back 10 hours every month.
For people living alone, this might be the most needed appliance of all.
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