Pick one - washer/dryer OR dishwasher?

washer/dryer if you don't plan to send your clothing out and don't do big parties with real plates/silverware

Only one because of space or house rules?

Dishwasher. Definitely. Maybe if you had kids the equation would change, but otherwise the dishwasher is required.

we have a dishwasher but no w/d and i would really prefer to have the reverse

because of space

Remember this: You can send your laundry out but you can't send out dirty dishes. You might personally not mind doing the dishes, but think about the resale value... Apts w/o dish washers are considered "incomplete," while it is normative not to have w/d in the unit--and the lack of w/d is therefore much less damaging to your future sales efforts.

Depends...laundry room in the building? On your floor?

Dishwasher, now that I have one, is a must have! I might feel differently with kids who produce more laundry and would make going down to laundry room more complex.

Personal preference - washer/dryer. However, I think nyc212 is right about what the market would answer

no laundry in the building, but a laundromat next door and several more in the area.

Only in NYC would there be apts without dishwashers. Yet another downside of rent stabilization, no incentive for landlords to improve apartments.

Definitely a dishwasher. Handwashing dishes is a major pain, and IMO it doesn't get things as clean as a dishwasher does.

ooh--glamma--I just read your last post. Not having laundry in the building may be a game changer. Do you really want to be schlepping sacks of clothes over to the laundromat in the dead of winter? This is a toughie. In your case I might actually opt for the W/D provided that they are full-size and that the dryer can be vented out (otherwise it simply won't work correctly).

oh goodness. dishwasher, without a doubt. send laundry out.

i vote for the washer/dryer though i can't imagine living without a dishwasher either. have you considered a dishwasher drawer which may take up much less space?

i would ask the question if it's a walkup or an elevator bldg. if walkup, what floor. on a 5/6 floor of a walkup, i would do my dishes by hand with a smile on my face while my laundry is washing.

w/d.

If you do go for the washer/dryer, look into getting one of the front loaders that are both a washer and dryer. Having one of those stacklable washer/dryers is going to be a huge eyesore.

This is the one from LG I have in my house in NJ and it works great. Of course, my house is 4k square feet so I have a spearate w/d.

http://www.lgwasherdryer.com/combos/wm3988hwa.htm

DISHWASHER although I prob use my washer /dryer more

yeah it's third floor. i send the laundry/drycleaning out. i am so excited for my dishwasher. my roommate was pushing for the w/d so i was just wanted to make sure i wasn't crazy! thanks all for the responses!

Dishwasher, but if you choose the washer/dryer, you can always get a detachable/portable dishwasher.

We have a washer dryer in the basement of our building, but we always send out laundry.

As a parent, yes kids produce a ton of laundry, but they also produce a TON of dirty dishes - I would say d/w if you can choose only one.

You really can't fit an 18-inch dishwasher AND a small wash-and-dry-in-one-drum? What if the latter were a rollup and connect version? What if that happened near/in your bathroom instead of kitchen? What if you converted a closet adjacent to plumbing? I doubt your new building is as particular about wet-over-dry as some are.

Make it happen!

But if you really really can't, go for the w/d over the dw ... you really don't have THAT many dishes to wash on a regular basis, whereas the burden of "laundry day" or even coordinating dropoff/pickup is nearly as great as the near-instant gratification of "I need more clean socks NOW, and I need what I need when I need it!"

I never understood the people who consider a w/d to be a must-have - but now I'm hearing some of you saying that a w/d is preferable to a dishwasher?! That's madness to me. I live in a 5th floor walk-up without laundry in the building, but I don't mind the laundry situation too much. A dishwasher, though, I would kill a kitten for. Maybe I'm overestimating the amount of labor they save (I've never had a dishwasher as a "grown-up") but I covet me a dishwasher. Even hum they make is comforting, and the way they cause the lights in the whole house to dim when they switch cycles - heavenly!

I've had both, neither, and one or the other at various times.

The only reason I could possibly imagine preferring a dw to wd is if I had ZERO counter space and had to dry each dish by hand (otherwise unnecessary in NY because we have soft water).

w/d.

glamma, 18 + 24.
And perhaps you can go with the w/d and accommodate http://www.compactappliance.com/PDW45EW-Koldfront-Portable-Countertop-Dishwasher-White/PDW45EW,default,pd.html?cgid=Appliances-Dishwashers-Portable_Countertop_Dishwashers on your counter.

dishwasher i use it daily although i used to have wd on my floor it's actually much easier to do all thew loads at once in a giant laundry room we4 have now. im a cast so sorry for the bad grammar

thanks alan, definitely something to consider!

Are we talking rental or ownership? For ownership, I don't think you want to go w/o dishwasher in kitchen.

glamma, not sure which thing you're considering, but consider that if you can get a wd one-drum combo into a closet, you still have all the storage space above about 35" height. It's a Nguyen-Nguyen situation.

It sounds like there's a market niche for a combo washer/dryer/dishwasher

for me personally, i own, and am getting a dishwasher b/c i think that's the obvious choice (my roommate is disagreeing). but i think it's a good question in general for any manhattan resident. boy do i hate doing dishes!!

Buy dishes from the Candy Man!

glamma, is your renov totally done and you're just sliding something into a 30" space? Or are you planning the kitchen layout now?

Because it's not a supergreat solution for various reasons, but there's also the undersink dishwasher option: http://www.nextag.com/under-sink-dishwasher/products-html ... you could then put the wd next to that.

I'd swap my dishwasher for a washer/dryer in a heartbeat if I could.

w/d without a doubt! ... buy paper plates, plastic utensils, plastic cups, who cooks in the city anymore?

"buy paper plates, plastic utensils, plastic cups, who cooks in the city anymore?"

Um, *I* cook.

And all that throwaway crap is hardly good for the environment.

Seriously, even for a dinner party for 6, washing the dishes takes less than 15 minutes.

i can pay someone to pick up my dirty laundry, wash and fold it to a higher standard than i ever could, then return it to me while I am working for about $20 a week. given the fact that I have to dry clean suits, etc so I have to deal with these people anyway, i vote dishwasher. after a few glasses of wine and dinner i dont like washing dishes. and it has to happen a few times a day.

It's a tossup, depends on your lifestyle. When I was childless & working long hours, we had very few dirty dishes at all. None for bkfast (would grab something on the way to work), none for lunch and maybe 1 or 2 for dinner (1 pot cooking!). On the weekends, would have bkfast out, and eat at home on Sunday night. Rarely had dinner parties.

As for laundry, it was fine to do laundry in the basement once every 2 weeks, because work clothes were mostly dry-clean only.

Id take washer/dryer anyday over dishwasher. I like putting my tshirts in the dryer before I put them on. Makes it warm and takes out wrinkles. Dont you have to rinse dishes anyway before putting them into dishwasher.

Technically you don't have to rinse first, but if you're only one or two people and don't eat all your meals at home, the dishes and flatware get all crusty before you have a full load. Not to mention the mold that forms along the way and makes you get everytime you open the door to put another spork in.

"Technically you don't have to rinse first, but if you're only one or two people and don't eat all your meals at home, the dishes and flatware get all crusty before you have a full load. Not to mention the mold that forms along the way and makes you get everytime you open the door to put another spork in."

Growing up in the suburbs in a large family, we rarely used our dishwasher because technically you DO have to rinse first (unless your dishwasher is a high-end model equipped with its own garbage disposal). Those chunks of food will otherwise eventually clog your drain. Even with routine meals for a family of six, we found it took just as much time to wash the dishes by hand as it did to rinse, load, and then unload the dishwasher. We used the dishwasher only when we were entertaining.

For that reason, I couldn't understand when I first moved to NYC (still can't, actually) New Yorkers' obsession with their dishwashers -- particularly in households of only one or two people!

Seriously, Alan -- if you're just ONE or TWO people, it takes less than ten minutes to wash, dry, and put away the dishes, including the pots and pans.

Are you now actually arguing with me while agreeing with me?!

Women don't have as many t-shirts & cotton things to wash. So it's really a tossup if you are a busy single young professional (I'm also assuming that you don't need extra towels for gym).

Washer/dryer DEFINITELY... I think most of the folks saying they don't want one don't have.
Now that I have one, I need one. AWESOME.

You can always use paper plates, or washing dishes easy... its in your apartment. But having to send out/share machines UGGGH.

fuggedaboutit.

glamma, when you have your own w/d you can use http://www.charliesoap.com/ and not have all kinds of disgusting silicones and stenches in your clothes and linens.

Better yet, be uber thrifty and make your own detergent.

Washer/dryer...I've lived without a dishwasher before and managed fine. Try living without a W/D !

W/D, I hate to use a w/d used by other people, but I can definitely eat on paper plates and washing dishes is not so bad unless you have family...

I'm with the washer dryer in the apartment. Every week I'd just put my dishes in a bag and bring them to the nearest dish cleaners to wash and stack.

Glamma, can you have both if you install both a dishwasher and a small washer, and no dryer? You can always hang dry, although if you're doing frequent loads you'll probably wind up sending laundry out anyway.

I said years ago that I would never do laundry myself again. But I'm happy to put dishes in the dishwasher.

Hey, how about sticking the laundry in the dishwasher?! Socks on the drying rack, t-shirts on the low rack...or put the dishes in the washing machine?! I see possibilities here...

YOU CAN HAVE BOTH!! I have the GE under-the-sink dishwasher (as Alanhart mentioned above)--the sink is a little shallow & the upper rack is smallish, but still perfectly serviceable--and next to that an LE under-the- counter washer/dryer combo (no venting required). Total space required for the sink & '3' appliances is 48 inches! They've been going strong for 5 years.

"YOU CAN HAVE BOTH!! I have the GE under-the-sink dishwasher (as Alanhart mentioned above)--the sink is a little shallow & the upper rack is smallish, but still perfectly serviceable--and next to that an LE under-the- counter washer/dryer combo (no venting required). Total space required for the sink & '3' appliances is 48 inches! They've been going strong for 5 years."

Only if your co-op board APPROVES the washer/dryer.

instudies - hysterical. you guys are great and now i know exactly what to do. just put everything that's dirty - dishes, clothes, whatever - in some swirly, soapy machine of my liking and not sweat the small stuff!

As I was doing the dishes last night -- scrubbing a pot from dinner -- I wondered, as I reached for the scrub brush necessary to do the job, how "clean" dishes really get in a dishwasher that doesn't actually SCRUB them, but rather just splashes water all over them.

Dish washer is the only choice.
Only a dishwasher has the heat necessary to disenfect items that touch your food. Bacteria can easily hide in the nooks and crannies of your plates, utensils, etc. I would love a W/D set up but, if you can only have one, think long term health and safty.

"Only a dishwasher has the heat necessary to disenfect items that touch your food. Bacteria can easily hide in the nooks and crannies of your plates, utensils, etc. I would love a W/D set up but, if you can only have one, think long term health and safty."

Long-term health and safety? My God -- it's a wonder people lived into the 1980s!

If you're worried about disinfecting your dishes and silverware (those same dishes that held your food and in which you put in your mouth), there's always antibacterial dish soap.

And for those of us who are worried about the overuse of antibacterial soaps, just add a little vinegar to the wash water. Bingo! Disinfected.

Of course, unless you're routinely handling e.coli, hot water from the tap combined with soap works just fine. Many people have successfully lived their entire lives without benefit of "disinfection" from dishwashers.

Sorry Matt,
Here you are very wrong.
dishwashers heat sterilize their contents. It's not an autoclave but, for a kitchen it's close. In the 1980's and the 70's and the 60's and the 50's we had dishwashers...at least in my family. If you think washing you flatware with antibacterial soap is (safety wise) analogous to the dishwasher you are simply misinformed.
Next time your at the dentist mention that sterile equipment is not your preference, recommend that the doctor just rinse them off with a little antibacterial soap...that should do the trick. Would you pay to eat in a restaurant where the dishes were washed and dried by hand? I've read many of you posts and recognize your knowledge base which clearly does not extend into the realm of food and health safety.

For those of you with an open mind to learning....Since the 1950s, design and sanitation standards have been in existence for commercial dishwashers used in restaurants and other food service establishments around the United States. In fact, before a dishwasher can be installed, many health departments require proof that the unit meets American national standards for design, construction, materials, and performance, to ensure the unit can effectively clean and sanitize dishes.
Until 2001, however, a similar standard didn't exist to determine if residential dishwashers could also clean and sanitize dishes effectively.
Behind NSF/ANSI Standard 184
Since many small businesses, including bed and breakfasts, day care centers, and nursing homes, do not have the need for or space to accommodate a commercial-size dishwasher, small business owners and health departments began looking for a way to determine if residential dishwashers could clean and sanitize dishes as effectively as their commercial counterparts. To help meet this need, NSF/ANSI Standard 184 was developed.
This national standard establishes minimum design and performance requirements for residential dishwashers. While there are a few differences between this standard and NSF/ANSI Standard 3 for commercial dishwashers, the sanitizing requirement is identical in both standards.
The chief difference between Standard 3 and Standard 184 relates to final rinse temperature requirements, which is lower for residential units.
This doesn't mean residential units are less effective. Rather, because of the lower temperature requirement, it can take a residential unit longer to sanitize dishes.

When it come to safety kids...Take advice from your good friend falco.
Want to live dangerously? Smoke cigarettes, drink excessively, through caution to the wind and ride that sex worker bareback and know in your heart, that Matt is cheering for you.

Funny, the same folks complaining about hygiene from their own dishes... have no problem putting their underwear in (and on) the same machines some guy's skidmarks were just in....

If you want to play the "sanitary" game, shared laundry rooms are the last place I'd start that argument from.

somewhereelse,

When was the last time you ate off someone else's skid marks?

WAIT!!!!!
Don't answer that.
Some things can not be un-read....

well, lucky me, I don't have to do my dishes in the shared laundry room, either.

I have neither now, and would 100% prefer a dish washer. Sometimes we drop our laundry off, sometimes we do it ourselves, but neither is a huge pain. Dishes on the other hand... My boyfriend and I trade cooking and he uses so many more dishes than me that we had to put in place a rule that whoever cooks also does the dishes.

falcogold1, you would be revolted at my dishwashing habits. (But then, I'd never heard of "dirty sanchez" until you brought it up, and still wake up screaming, so we're even.)

I've got an antique dishwasher that hasn't been used since a Thanksgiving maybe ten years ago. Those dishes are still in it.

Day to day, it's just swish with Dawn, rinse, put in rack where they sit for 24 hours gathering effluvia, then use again.