Idea: Put a dishwasher in the bedroom
I don’t know if it’s true for every dishwasher, but mine makes the most soothing sounds. The humming machinery, revolving spray-arms, and trickling water combine to make a churning rhythm that must trigger some subconscious memory of being in the womb. All I know is that I’ve never had a dishwasher that was so relaxing.
It makes different sounds in different stages of the wash. Sometimes it’s mostly white noise. Sometimes it sounds like a babbling brook. Sometimes it’s constant, and sometimes it has rhythm like a mother’s hearbeat. But all of it is blissful.
So how about installing one in the bedroom? If I could hear the dishwasher from my bed, I think I would sleep most soundly. And I’d be more likely to actually remember to run the dishwasher.
Of course it would be a hassle to load and unload a dishwasher in the bedroom. And I don’t have enough dirty dishes to run it every night. So I guess I would settle for a white noise sound machine with a Dishwasher setting. I’ve never liked those machines — the tinny speakers don’t sound at all like the real thing — but as long as they’ve already got settings for Ocean, Summer Night, and Rain Forest, how hard could it be to add Dishwasher? I’d have to hook it up to a speaker system with bass to get the really low churning sounds that are so satisfying.
Here’s a small soundbite of one cycle:
Aaaaaahh.
Comments
Please, please, post a full-length recording.
Posted by: Alan | May 6, 2010 1:29 PM
Hehe, you probably listen ambient, do you ? The darker flavors.
About the white noise machine - probably you’d like pink or brown noise more, white has too much hiss in it.
Posted by: VEC7OR | May 6, 2010 1:35 PM
Another problem with putting a dishwasher in the bedroom is that they produce this bizarre smell. Or at least, the one that was in my house growing up did.
Posted by: Colin Barrett | May 6, 2010 1:43 PM
What if you put it on the other side of the wall, near your head?
This would work best if your bedroom and kitchen are adjacent.
You might need to cut some “sound holes” in the wall, but they could be covered by your bed and the washer itself, so there’s no visible sign of the modification.
Posted by: Joe Andersen | May 6, 2010 1:51 PM
White Noise for iPhone has it. It shows in the Video:
http://goo.gl/1ZIQ
Posted by: Bill | May 6, 2010 3:04 PM
Thanks. Now I have to pee.
Posted by: Jason | May 6, 2010 4:13 PM
Oh, God no!
Posted by: Slager | May 6, 2010 4:56 PM
Worst. Idea. Ever.
Posted by: Jack Everitt | May 6, 2010 5:54 PM
That doesn’t sound like my dishwasher, which sounds like the bowels of hell in a rainstorm. Yours sounds more like the a toilet bowl in a rain shower.
So what brand do you use?
Posted by: sara | May 6, 2010 6:12 PM
Easier to put a bed in the kitchen, if that’s really your thing.
Posted by: W | May 6, 2010 8:42 PM
This might not, repeat not, be a good idea for anyone with a weak bladder.
Posted by: Peruecken | May 7, 2010 6:56 AM
You don’t need a white noise machine, just record this one time, with a rather long recording, and set it to loop. :D
Posted by: Zagorath | May 9, 2010 3:29 AM
Very soothin…zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Posted by: Marianne | May 9, 2010 10:22 AM
I am surprised nobody has mentioned the sadly now defunct site, iserenity.com which provided a wide range of background noises (with names like “Library Lullaby”, “Fan Fair”, “Waterfall Whisper” and so on). As far as I can recall, they featured not only dishwasher, but hairdryer, clothes dryer, airplane noises as well. Yummy.
Posted by: RG | May 10, 2010 6:57 AM
the closest thing I know is this : http://www.rainymood.com/
Posted by: Captain_Coke | May 11, 2010 2:23 PM
This is genius! As a child, I was lulled to sleep by the sound of my parents’ dishwasher. I would sleep on the floor near my door instead of my bed to be closer to it. My parents replaced it with a state of the art silent dishwasher.
Posted by: Sarah | May 11, 2010 3:35 PM
You might be onto something. When my parents were alive, my Dad was the Chief Dish-Doer. Mom would head out to the family room to nap in front of the 6 o’clock news, Dad would clean up the kitchen, and I often would lay on the couch in the living room reading a book. Dad would turn on the dishwasher, join Mother in front of the TV, and I inevitably wound up snoring with a book in hand, soothed by the churning coming from the next room.
Posted by: JBeez | May 20, 2010 2:04 AM
I smell what you’re selling but frankly, I’m pretty sure I’d end up waking up to pee constantly.
Posted by: mariospants | May 22, 2010 11:33 AM
hahahaha…move here to Vancouver and you will hear that sound all day and night through fall and winter. It’s called rain!:) I think your idea is brilliant! Love your site!
Posted by: Jan | May 22, 2010 4:15 PM
Too bad my dishwasher makes gawdawful noises.
Also white noise doesn’t work for me anyway.
Posted by: Endocrom | May 23, 2010 7:58 PM
I like the idea of a Washer/Dryer in bedroom so you never have to lug hampers anywhere. Hum away!
Posted by: Morta Di Fame | May 24, 2010 5:40 PM
Easier than bedroom dishwasher - baby monitor. It’s cheaper and can be used for many other things. (Like spying on guests.)
Posted by: Julie | May 29, 2010 11:09 PM
Books for new parents often suggest this - or the vacuum cleaner - as a soothing noise that can help put cranky babies to sleep! Apparently it’s very womb-like.
Posted by: Gingerale | September 7, 2010 8:20 PM