By A couple points of logic: It only takes a little water to make a lot of steam; in terms of volume, one drop of water expands by about 1,600 times its size. Secondly, steam can clean the heck out of stuff, from frat-house carpets to greasy car engines. Conclusion: steam dishwashers make all sorts of sense.
Is steam the most efficient way to clean dishes? Some say, yes.
Most dishwashers naturally produce steam in the drying cycle – the water heats and evaporates – but without serving a purpose. Only recently have manufacturers started harnessing the power of steam for washing dishes. They create the steam by either heating the water in the tub, or more effectively, directing high-pressure steam through nozzles at targeted areas.
Because of that impressive water-to-steam ratio, steam dishwashers are very resource efficient. With just a little water, a model like the LG SteamDishwashercan blast away the oily, chunky bits that we’ve always hoped would disappear by the time we open the door at the end of a cleaning cycle.
LG is among the few brands to promote steam dishwashers.
Apparently other major brands are offering steam features as well, but in my research, not many of their websites had fruitful search results for steam-specific functionality. LG and Maytag are among the few. It looks like prices for steam dish washers generally span from $600 to $1000.
Initially I thought this new generation of dishwashers cleaned with steam only, but after a little reading up on them, it appears that the steam function is one of several washing mode options; that is, in addition to other usual hot water methods.
Reviews were certainly positive on the LG Steam Dishwasher, with virtually every commenter raving about how quiet it is along with how clean the dishes come out. Apparently steam cleaning is not just for carpets any longer, and early results point to the truth of the saying that it's much better to get steamed rather than be up to your glassware in hot water.
LG also has excellent reviews on their Steam Washer and the amazing wrinkle-zapping Steam Dryer.
Fascinating — there's obviously more to steam than just a lot of hot air when it comes to dirt and germ warfare. Bottom line: it pays to vaporize your enemies after all!
Thanks, Josh, for pointing readers towards the latest trend in kitchen (and laundry) appliances. I've made a mental note to myself — steam heat is definitely coming to my home in the near future.