But, again we had no dishwasher there.  We didn’t think too much of it at first, but after our son was born and the bottles and dishes piled up faster than we could keep the place stocked with Dawn, we bought a portable dishwasher – one that attaches to the sink faucet.

We were so happy with that little portable dishwasher.  It was a game changer for us.  Fortunately after that place (we didn’t stay long because a gorgeous home became available near the beach, then we moved to a larger house for son #2), all of our places have had full-size dishwashers.  We’ve enjoyed the convenience of dishwashers so long now that we’ve forgotten what it’s like not to have one… except that one time our current unit broke.

The good news about dishwashers is you don’t have to spend a fortune to get one.  We put together a terrific list of 10 excellent dishwashers under $500.

1. 22″ 55 dBA Compact Dishwasher

The 22″ 55 dBA Compact Dishwasher is perfect for office kitchens, apartments, or any small-sized kitchens. This fantastic dishwasher offers full-size power in a complete compact design. It’ll perfectly fit between most cabinetry and countertops.

Apart from that, it’s spacious cavity loads up to 6-standard place settings. Some of the other features of this dishwasher that made it a necessity for every home includes durable stainless steel interior and super easy controls. Furthermore, its quick connects to any kitchen faucet kills the need for permanent installation or direct plumbing.

Consumes less space in the kitchen

Very affordable

Easy to get going

Produces a loud sound while working

Does not turn off automatically

This stunning dishwasher comes with all the convenience of a full-size dishwasher for adequately cleaning your dishes. It has enough space to accommodate 6-standard place settings, making it an excellent choice for apartments, office kitchen, singles, and couples.

With push-button electronic controls and ease-of-use, the Magic Chef Countertop Dishwasher is designed with a stainless steel interior that includes a silverware basket, durable rack, and cup shelf for easy loading.

Quick-connect assembly for ease of installation

Easy-to-clean filter

Great for small kitchen

Portable

Can’t run water while in use

Does not remove food from dishes and silverware

 3. Front Control, Freestanding Dishwasher in Stainless Steel

 This 24 inches Front Control Frigidaire Dishwasher provides large capacity, tall tub design with 14-place settings, enabling you to wash an extensive collection of dishes at once. Secondary, the 3-wash cycle option offers you the flexibility to choose the type of cleaning that is suitable your load, so you don’t have to waste energy and water when washing smaller loads.

 Furthermore, this quiet sound dishwasher operates at just 60 decibels and provides a no-heat dry option to conserve energy further.

 UltraQuiet sound package at 60 dBA

Easy to remove and unload silverware basket

2, 4, and 6-hour delayed start options

Does not dry dishes

Digital panels tend to need frequent replacement

The lustrous Frigidaire 24 inches built-in, freestanding dishwasher with integrated controls makes use of the special OrbitClean Spray Arm technology which provides 4X better water coverage.

It has a well Heated Dry system which ensures there’s no need to towel dry the dishes before putting them away. With its high capacity and ability to control water pressure, this top control dishwasher will guarantee a wash that perfectly fits your needs.

 That’s not all; it also has an integrated console with Ready-Select controls which lets you easily select options with a simple touch of a button.

UltraQuiet sound package

Its NSF Certified Sanitize cycle eliminates 99.9 percent of common household bacteria

 May require expensive to repair after the first year

Doesn’t do a great job of drying