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How the Electric Sink Sunk

Touted as a blessing three times a day, Kohler invented an electric dishwasher in 1926. Ahead of its time and discontinued, people thought it was an unnecessary luxury.

Touted as a blessing three times a day, Kohler’s electric dishwasher invention debuted in 1926.

Marketed as the “crowning glory of the kitchen” and the “best gift of the Electric Twenties,” the KOHLER electric dishwasher debuted in the late 1920s, an innovation ahead of its time. It promised to improve cleanliness and provide protection from the spread of influenza, while eliminating the “thrice-daily drudgery” of washing dishes by hand. Despite being unveiled with much fanfare, it was discontinued after only a short time, perhaps considered an unnecessary luxury as the U.S. entered the Great Depression.