040209_rg_countertop_dishwasher_01.jpgI think that most of us take it as a given that we will use dishwashers to clean up our dishes. I've had a few, but I have to say that I rarely use dishwashers. Most of the time, immediately after using dishes, I just clean them up. It takes a few minutes, but it's pretty efficient. Naturally, this means that we've got dishes drying on our dish rack all of the time, but at least it gets the job done.

040209_rg_countertop_dishwasher_02.jpgAnother way of cutting down on this, is to simply have not a lot of dishes. This actually forces you to do the dishes a lot more. It's a simple and easy way to do this. But, if that's not exactly what you want to do, and you can't seem to be able to create enough dirty dishes to fill up a big dishwasher, then maybe you should get yourself a counter-top dishwasher. These are small and compact units, perfect for bachelors and couples who'd just like to have one.

This is something that is rarely seen in the West, but is quite common in Asia, where space is at a premium. A lot of places have these little counter top dishwashers, which clean your dishes quickly and efficiently. This little dishwasher is called the Gota and is crafted from ABS polycarbonate. In its pre-wash cycle, it steams up dishes and recycles the cooled down water for later cycles. It conserves water, making it pretty green. The internal tank stores enough water for one round of cleaning. [via Yanko Design]