Rebecca Manzi “If no one will invent a dishwashing machine, I will do it myself,” said Josephine Cochrane, an American noblewoman, and in 1886 she invented the dishwasher, designing it herself by taking measurements of every single piece of her services.
Washing dishes by hand? Such a bother and waste of water! Anyone who has ever ever had the joy of using a dishwasher will never go back to washing dishes. But do we know who we have to thank for this miracle of invention? An incredible lady whose name rarely gets a mention: Josephine Cochrane.
In 1886, Josephine Cochrane, a noblewoman from Illinois and a lover of hosting dinner parties, decided to put an end to a problem that had been bothering her for some time: her delicate porcelain dishes kept chipping because of the servants. That’s when she uttered a phrase that would change history:
“If no one else is going to invent a machine to wash dishes, I’ll do it myself.”
And she went ahead and exactly that. Josephine drew the first prototype of a dishwasher and had it made in her friend, George Butters. Her idea was clever but simple: a pump system that would spray soap and hot water directly onto dishes, eliminating the time-consuming process of washing dishes in cold water and ash, which was the practice at that time.
To be as efficient as possible in washing, she measured each piece in her china collection and came up with individual compartments for each type. She fashioned a copper boiler to hold these sections, turn them, and wash them in a soapy water stream and a clean water rinse. The dishes remained in the compartment after the cycle to dry, and the machine was ready for another load.
A success that was not immediate, but unavoidable
Josephine demonstrated her invention to acquaintances and friends, who immediately called it the “Cochrane dishwasher.” In 1893, the machine formally appeared at the Columbian Exposition in Chicago, where it received the highest award and attracted many onlookers.
Despite the initial excitement, it was decades before the dishwasher arrived among common families, due to its price and to the high volume of hot water required to operate. But those barriers have long been overcome: today, according to Istat data, more than 50% of Italian families own a dishwasher.
In 1897, Josephine founded the Garis-Cochran Manufacturing Company, which would later become the KitchenAid brand, now owned by Whirlpool Corporation.
A legacy that changed the world
Josephine Cochrane did not just invent a dishwashing machine; she shattered the mold to design a revolution in the home appliance industry. Thanks to her foresight and perseverance, today we are blessed with an invention that has simplified the lives of millions. A trailblazer who must be remembered and glorified!
