Looking for an eco-friendly way to clean the dishes (that doesn’t require a pair of rubber gloves)? Let me introduce you to the Loch Capsule Dishwasher*. In our tiny home, we thought a dishwasher simply wouldn’t fit. That was until we discovered the Capsule! Here’s my full review of this compact, portable dishwasher after a few months of use…
What Is The Loch Capsule Dishwasher?
The Loch Capsule Dishwasher is a compact, portable dishwasher designed for small spaces and dishwashing on the go. It has a minimalist design – sleek white body, small black water tank, and two discreet pipes for water intake and disposal. It doesn’t require any plumbing; it simply pulls water from the tank, and drains into your sink. It has touch-sensitive controls, light-up interface, and beeps when programming. And, it’s just 27cm wide, 47cm high, and 52 cm deep.
We live in a tiny cottage here in Brighton. One of the biggest issues in our kitchen is space. We barely have enough room for food storage in our pantry and small fridge; a dishwasher was always out of the question. Or, so I thought, until Loch invited me to review their compact solution. Not only does it fit on the small countertop next to the sink, it’s also more eco-friendly than washing by hand.
Where Can You Use The Loch Capsule Dishwasher?
The Loch Capsule is designed to fit next to a sink. This is the optimal configuration, as it permits easy filling of the water tank, and easy draining with the drainage pipe leading straight into the sink. The machine also requires a kitchen-top socket, and is not designed to be used with under-counter sockets.
Before my Capsule arrived, I had hoped to slot it under our kitchen sink. We have enough space, but the combination of filling the water tank, placing the drainage pipe, and connecting the machine to an above-counter socket made this impossible.
How Is The Loch Capsule Dishwasher Sustainable?
Dishwashers use 80% less water than hand-washing on average. Loch claims that the Capsule Dishwasher is even more efficient than that, saving 86% less water, and 73% less energy too. With water bills skyrocketing (especially here in Brighton), I’ll do anything to save on the amount of water we use! With standard use, Loch estimate the Capsule costs the average household just £10/year to run.
Alongside water-use and energy-use, the Capsule Dishwasher is one of the highest rated compact dishwashers for Energy Rating, clocking in at an E rating, with Energy Star certification in the U.S. This may seem low, but when I compared this to leading brands, I could find nothing above E or F ratings.
What Fits Inside The Capsule Dishwasher?
As a compact dishwasher, I’m sure you’re asking what fits inside. From personal use, I estimate the dishwasher to have a third of the capacity of a standard home dishwasher. Loch says you can fit up to 35 items; in my experience, the dishwasher fits far less than this.
For our household of two, we can fit our full breakfast pots in the dishwasher (2x glasses, 2x mugs, 1x portafilter, 2x bowls, and some cutlery), but will need to run the dishwasher in shifts, or supplement with hand washing, for lunches and dinners. Part of that comes down to my love for cooking – I may have a small kitchen but I cook a lot from scratch. This means there’s often a fair few pots to wash up, and at least one saucepan.
As with any dishwasher, placement is key. Frustratingly, the limited width of the Capsule means that placing items at the recommended 45° angle reduces capacity considerably. Sure, you can fit a full-sized 31cm frying pan in, but little else.
How Effective Is The Capsule?
Capacity aside, the Capsule Dishwasher is a small but mighty machine. It takes liquid dishwasher detergent (never use hand soap or washing up liquid) and rinse aid, and this combination leaves dishes sparkling clean. (Be sure to use eco-friendly cleaning products!) I am especially pleased with how well it handles glassware, with no misty or dried-on stains.
The Capsule has multiple settings, starting from a 15-minute quick wash, through to a 2-hour 46-minute eco-friendly full wash. We tend to run a 30-minute regular wash, which will do a good job on a range of glass, ceramic, and metal cookware. This takes a full tank of water (2.6 litres), and heats up to 75°C to effectively kill bacteria. Towards the end of the wash, the machine will hum when drying the pots using the UV-light and fans.
I’ll be honest, when I first started using my Capsule, I thought the longer washes were a bit excessive. 2+ hours to clean 12-15 items? It didn’t make sense. However, on speaking with the Loch team, they encouraged me to try these washes for tougher dirt and stains, such as peanut butter or dried-on sauces. They were right – the longer washes do far better at removing dirt and grime. However, I still can’t shake the feeling of it being a waste of time, when it would take me less than 10 minutes in-front of the sink.
My Overall Rating: 6.5/10
The Capsule lives up to its eco-friendly credentials and it’s an effective little dishwasher. However, its practicality is limited due to its size, and conversely, due to how passionate I am in the kitchen. Personally, I think the Capsule dishwasher would be best suited to someone who lives alone, or a couple that doesn’t cook very often. It’s also a great option for campervans and similar live-in vehicles – it’s only 12kg and has a handle for portability. However, in my experience, it doesn’t fully eliminate the need to hand wash large dishes or tough grime.
My top recommendations for making the most of the Loch Capsule Dishwasher:
- Stack larger, less grubby items like pot lids above cups, glasses, etc.
- Remove the cutlery cage when you’re not using it – this will save on space
- Be sure to keep the rinse aid topped up for perfectly clean glassware
- Position the draining pipe using the suction cup provided – this will ensure it doesn’t move during drainage
In our kitchen, we’re still divided over whether we’ll keep using the Capsule. We find it difficult to have both the Capsule and to hand wash due to our lack of work surfaces (we only have one counter top for food prep, and a half-counter where the Capsule sits). However, if you have space going spare next to your sink, it’s likely a good pay off.
What do you think of the Loch Capsule Dishwasher? I can answer any questions in the comments!
