The Best Portable Countertop Dishwasher Saved Me Hours of Scrubbing

In our tiny one-bedroom in Moscow, in a five-floor walk-up from Khrushchev’s era, we did not have the luxury of a dishwasher, or even space in the cramped kitchen to dream one up. As the youngest child, I was the designated suds specialist. Time passed and I moved to New York City for college (and then stayed), quickly accumulating a hefty 12 years here. Still, I had yet to experience an installed dishwasher in an apartment of my own. So, I continued living life as the designated dishwasher — until this summer when I decided to break from routine and take up surfing. (I swear this is relevant to the story.)

I’d gotten a little Airbnb in the Rockaways and booked a class with a local surf school. About 45 minutes into the lesson, I rode a wave and jumped off the board near the shore, only for the board to bounce back up from the water and hit my left hand. Ouch. I looked at my middle finger — completely limp at the top joint — and I couldn’t move it. “Did I just break my bone?” I asked my instructor. “Let’s get you out of the water,” he affirmed.

After seeing multiple doctors and a hand surgeon, I received the news that I would need surgery for external fixation, meaning I would have nails sticking out of my finger during the recovery process to put all the little bone shards back in place. For the next six weeks, I couldn’t get it wet, sweat, or lift anything with my left arm, so I had to rely on friends and lovers coming weekly to help do laundry, cook, and, most importantly, wash the mountains of dishes that were piling up. However, this quickly became unsustainable. As the view of dirty plates, cups, and neglected pots spilling out of the sink onto the counter, the stove, and the kitchen island began giving me heart palpitations, I knew I needed a solution that wouldn’t require a week’s wait or the charity of others.

Then, I remembered my friends had gotten a 5-liter Novete countertop dishwasher, and they absolutely adored it. Maybe I would too? I kept going back and forth: Would I use it often enough to make up for the price? Was this a luxury or a need? How would I budget for it? I didn’t know what to expect, but I’d already leaned on my friends so much. I caved after their beaming review.

Novete Portable Countertop Dishwasher

Prices taken at time of publishing.

This portable dishwasher only measures 16.9 x 16.8 x 18.1 inches, but holds four full place settings and fits up to 12” dishes loaded at an angle, easily meeting daily needs for a family of 3 or 4; the double-layer design offers enough space for four serving bowls, four cups, four small plates, four dinner plates, seven spoons, seven forks and seven knives; perfect for small-sized houses, apartments, dorms, boats, and campers/RVs.

I didn’t realize how much mental space the mess in my kitchen was taking up until I’d had the appliance for several weeks. I love to cook, and I eat most meals at home, so I worried that my dish output might overload the brave little washer. It’s perfect for one or two people, and it can usually hold dishes and glassware from two consecutive meals in a single washing cycle. But it even handled a dinner party I’d thrown for six people. You don’t need to hook it up to a water connection, unless you’re handy like that. Instead, you can fill up the water tank from the top of the appliance before running it, almost like filling up a Brita.

But there’s more: I can’t believe how much water it saves compared to my typical dishwashing routine, and it still conveniently drains into your sink via plastic tube. Plus, it has saved me so much time; no more standing at the sink for an hour while watching TikTok to make it bearable. Instead, it lives up to the promise of being as compact as advertised, seamlessly taking the place of my KitchenAid stand mixer on the countertop, allowing me to do literally anything else while its different modes based on soil level do the dirty work. There is also a sanitation option for baby bottles and lactation devices. (Also a fruit washing option that I’m curious to try.)

I have never experienced so much relief in my life. Of course, the machine has its limitations: I can’t fit in big pots or pans, the machine’s filter needs regular cleaning, and sometimes the spray arms get caught on the dishes, so you occasionally need to pause the cycle and rearrange a heavy load. But as someone who has never had any kind of dishwasher (and even for people who have), this was a revelation. Even now, with my hand back to a functional norm, I do not regret getting this machine. I am the compact dishwasher’s biggest fan and highly recommend you get one, too.

Irina Groushevaia is a freelance culture and lifestyle writer who has been featured in Eater, Bon Appétit, Food52, and other publications. An immigrant from Moscow, they currently reside in Queens with their cat Beluga.