How to place a dishwasher in a small kitchen

PMM in a small kitchen About 15-20 years ago, many of us did not even think about a dishwasher, considering it an attribute of luxury, a kind of excess that had no place in the average kitchen. Today everything has changed, and there are more different types of equipment in the kitchen; it’s just a pity that the kitchens in houses built by Khrushchev were small and remain so. It’s completely unclear where to put the dishwasher, since there’s nowhere to turn around anyway. There are some acceptable solutions in this regard, which we want to share with you today.

Possible solutions

The problem is really serious. How to fit a stove with an oven, a refrigerator, a dishwasher, a microwave and a bunch of other appliances in a small kitchen, not counting the furniture? How to optimize space so that the kitchen can satisfy the needs of the family to the maximum? First, you need to sit in the kitchen and calmly, in silence, think about what solutions actually exist and are available at a given moment in time, and we will help you.

Careful space planning. If you haven’t purchased equipment and furniture yet, you can plan the space centimeter by centimeter and fit everything you need, perhaps giving up something that is not so necessary.
If there is no space, you can purchase a narrow built-in dishwasher, which will only take up 45 cm in width. Moreover, it “hides” in the furniture and will not be an “eyesore.”
If there is no space, a narrow compact dishwasher will help out. It will require incomparably less space than any other dishwasher.

Compact dishwashers are called tabletop, because their weight and dimensions allow them to be placed directly on the table, somewhere in a corner.

And finally, the 3-in-1 technique will help solve the problem of free space, the features of which we will talk about a little later.

Interested? Then let's look at these possible solutions in more detail. We hope our experience and our advice will really help you.

Careful space planning

If there is nowhere to put the machine, then first of all you need to think about space planning. You might say that your space is too small to think about any kind of planning, but in fact, a sober look and careful calculations can work wonders. You need to make calculations in a room where even rough repairs have not yet been carried out, in order to take into account every little detail from the characteristics of the future floor covering to the location of sockets.

If you find it difficult to calculate the space of your own kitchen, invite a designer. He will charge some money for consulting services. But it will help you draw up an interior plan, according to which you will create your composition. One that the new dishwasher will seamlessly fit into. What should you pay attention to?

kitchen planning

The kitchen set must be made exclusively to order according to individual sizes. It is necessary to calculate the number of objects and their size, taking into account the thickness of the material. First, list what you need, and then cross off the items that can be neglected.
Think about what equipment, besides the dishwasher, will be in the kitchen. If you have the financial opportunity to completely update your equipment, great; you can buy narrow and compact models and thereby save some space.We are talking, first of all, about large appliances such as an electric stove or refrigerator.
Try to use pieces of furniture for their usual purpose as functionally as possible. For example, some dishwashers fit under the sink. This is not the best solution, but it also has a right to life.
Some furniture and even equipment can be hung on special brackets to the wall. This should not be neglected. Of course, you can’t hang a refrigerator or electric stove on the wall, but some kind of cabinet into which you can put things from an extra cabinet is completely possible. And the vacated cabinet can simply be removed, and there will be a place for the PMM.

You can hang a microwave oven, bread maker or multicooker on the brackets.

You can free up space for your dishwasher by reducing the size of your open countertop. The bottom line is that the tabletop is made retractable or folding. When folded it is very small. And if the housewife needs a workspace, she simply pulls out the secret part and gets a full-sized tabletop.

In general, we want to tell you that a solution can always be found, the main thing is not to stop searching. Even a hopelessly small room can be turned into such a “candy” that it will fit not only a dishwasher, but also a washing machine.

Narrow built-in machine

You can save some space if you carefully select appliances for your kitchen. For example, a narrow built-in dishwasher can save as much as 15 cm, because unlike standard models, it is not 60 cm wide, but 45 cm. There are even models that do not reach 45 cm, so you can choose. In what difference between built-in and non-built-in dishwasher We will not discuss now, but will move on to more pressing issues. Let’s just say that for a small room, built-in models are always a priority.

It happens that literally 1 cm or even less is not enough to accommodate a narrow dishwasher. There is no other way to gain additional space, but there is a solution. You can remove sound insulation from the body of a built-in dishwasher. The equipment will be louder, but you will get the missing centimeter and solve the problem.

Compact dishwashing equipment

Thinking about how to place a dishwasher and refrigerator? Don't rack your brains, everything is obvious. You can’t give up a refrigerator and it’s better if it’s spacious, but you can give up the usual floor-mounted dishwasher in favor of a compact model. Tabletop dishwashers are a real godsend for those who have to live in cramped conditions. It can be placed on top of objects, such as a table, and it will work great there. However, you will have to endure some disadvantages:

limited capacity within 6-7 sets of dishes;
the inability to wash large items that simply won’t fit;
loud sound during operation.

Excessive noise is the “disease” of most compact dishwashers. It's difficult to get rid of, but if it doesn't bother you, then you don't have to bother.

Note that compact dishwashers are placed in cabinets suspended from the wall or attached with special durable brackets directly to the wall. In this case, the machine will not take up any useful space at all and will remain just as functional as if it were standing on the table. Compact models of dishwashers fit well into the sink under the sink.There they also do not interfere with anyone and function perfectly; moreover, there are no problems with connection, since all communications are nearby.

3 in 1 equipment

Strange name, isn't it? 3 in 1 appliances, what is it and what does a dishwasher and space saving in the kitchen have to do with it? In fact, the 3 in 1 technique is the solution to the problem. Let's give an example and everything will become clear to you. Candy TRIO 9503 is an electric stove with a glass-ceramic worktop, oven and dishwasher. Everything is combined in a compact package. There is a stove on top, an oven in the center, and a dishwasher at the very bottom, very convenient and, judging by the positive user reviews, practical.

What types of 3 in 1 equipment exist today? This technique does not differ in species diversity. Today on the market you can only find Candy TRIO products with electric and gas stoves; unfortunately, there are no other options. But this option is also quite acceptable. What are the disadvantages of 3 in 1 technology?

High price. This disadvantage can be considered relative, since the stove, oven and dishwasher together will cost more than if you bought the 3 in 1 option.
Relatively low reliability. Buyers complained about the first samples of 3-in-1 equipment, now positive reviews predominate, apparently the manufacturer is drawing conclusions and correcting the shortcomings.
Limited in a functional sense. There's nothing you can do about it. The 3-in-1 appliance has a small oven for 1 tray and a small dishwasher for 6 place settings. But it has a full-size stove - 4 burners.

So, in a conceptual sense, we looked at how a dishwasher could be placed in a small kitchen.Perhaps some will say that our article lacks specifics, but the topic is quite abstract. If you could see before your eyes a specific kitchen into which you need to fit a dishwasher, then you could give specific advice. As it is, you have to make do with general recommendations, but in certain circumstances they can also turn out to be valuable. Ask specific questions in the comments to the article or on the forum, we will be happy to discuss this topic in more detail. Good luck!