Both of the reasons in your first paragraph come to mind. But if you don't need it that way, and it sounds like there is a better setup in your kitchen (Layout-wise), go for it!

Thanks tackykat.

I'll have to see if the plumbing would work. Last time I didn't worry about that and they just did it. LOL. I know I don't need proximity for rinsing. So I guess I'll see if plumbing proves a constraint.

Stems from the need for rinsing before cleaning in the DW. Typically your plumber will tie in at the sink for water lines as well as draining. Newer, higher quality DW don't require the rinsing, as you've pointed out, so providing there are no plumbing, electrical or construction restraints, it shouldn't be a problem. Asking your plumber if it is possible would be advisable, but I would also ask an electrician if running electrical to the point you want it will work. Chances are it wouldn't be a problem. It's certainly much more functional to have your DW near where the dishes are stored.

Also for rinsing into sink/garbage disposal?

I almost always have something in my dishwasher that lets water pool a bit. Like a lid with crevices, or something with indentations. I like being able to have the dishwasher next to the sink so I can dump the water in the sink.

Before we redid our kitchen the the dishwasher was not next to the sink. That was one of the main things I wanted to change. I do rinse my plates since we don't run it every day and that was also a pain to bring dripping dishes to the DW.

I do think the plumbing is easier with the DW next to the sink. You may need to get longer hoses for supply and draining. Nothing insurmountable, but you should probably read the installation instructions of the DW you will have.

These days, I think it's so you can scrape the excess into the sink/garbage disposal. I wouldn't want to be doing then and then walking the dish over to a dishwasher in a different location.

I have the DW next to the sink (for above mentioned reasons) and the main cabinet for putting away dishes is... in the island right across from the DW. So the DW door opens, and the dishes and silverware go about 2 feet away. The cups/glasses are not located as close, but seemed a reasonable tradeoff.

One of my DWs is not by a sink. I've never found it a problem as I don't have a garbage disposal. I scrape scraps into a container for composting. And don't mind going the extra steps to drain water catchers. :). It counts on my step counter. :)

Thanks everyone...I don't use a disposal, we compost. So don't need sink for that either.

Why do these topics interest me so much? It's a sickness...I love to hear how other people's kitchen flows work....happy for more comments....

For both reasons above. Plumbing it anywhere else would involve $30k due to my concrete slab at the least.

The dishwasher needs a water supply and a drain both of which are readily available right next to the kitchen sink. In fact if your sink has a garbage disposal it has been designed to accept the dishwasher drainline that way if there is anything that is too large to go through all of the plumbing, the dishwasher can chew it up. You can put the DW somewhere else but it would cost more both because of the additional plumbing and also because you would have to have the kind of dishwasher that has its own garbage disposal so that it chops everything up so it can drain through the pipes.

Years ago you absolutely had to have the dishwasher next to the sink because if you didn't thoroughly rinse everything off it wasn't going to get clean. Nowadays if you rinse the dishes too thoroughly the dishwasher won't work very well so you don't need a sink to prerinse in anymore.

If this is not your forever home I would seriously reconsider any plan to put the dishwasher anywhere other than next to the sink. Such an arrangement may well impact resale as a buyer may decide that the dishwasher absolutely has to be next to the sink therefore the kitchen has to be remodeled.

While ideally I just put dirty dishes right in the dishwasher, this often doesn't work out if the dishwasher is already full, running, or needs to be emptied. So dirty dishes often go to the sink waiting for the dishwasher to be loaded. If not close to the sink, you end up stacking on the counter (yuck) or putting them in the sink and hauling to the dishwasher (yuck and annoying).

Plus the plumbing and disposal issues.

They maybe don't need to be directly next to each other but I wouldn't want them too far.

I think that 6 feet of drain line is the maximum distance that any dishwasher can go and some probably can only go less. Be sure and read the specs for any dishwasher you were planning on buying.

I always rinse, but that's how I was raised. Or maybe because I often eat foods like cheese that bakes onto pans, or braised foods that also bakes onto pans. I might not rinse water tumblers that just held... water. Unless I need to get a guest's lipstick off first.

I know some modern models say NOT to rinse -- what would actually be WRONG with that (other than you potentially waste some time)?

(Even if I didn't rinse, I'd want to clear a table into the sink if I were entertaining, rather than go load the dishwasher immediately -- although with my planned setup I can always still talk to guests while doing that! I'm with DrB477 -- sometimes you can't immediately load the DW!)

I'm on septic - no garbage disposal - but dropping extra stuff from the beverage containers down the sink is a wonderful convenience.

I know some modern models say NOT to rinse -- what would actually be WRONG with that (other than you potentially waste some time)?

Modern enzyme detergents expect and need to find food residue in order to work properly.

I think the rinsing /not rinsing may come down to habit, but I strongly suspect those of us who want a sink next to the dishwasher are in the majority. As others have said, I always have liquid/ice in a glass that needs to be dumped down the sink or a stuck-on-cheese casserole dish that needs soaking.

If I were looking at your house with intent to buy, a separated dishwasher and sink would be a big negative in my mind.

Personally.. I am too CDO to put dishes directly into the DW... I, at the very least, need to scrape them and rinse off the food. If I see something will not come off, I am compelled to scrub it clean.. lol. To me, the dishwasher cleans and disinfects it.. I simply take things OFF the dishes that I do not want IN the DW.. lol

That is my story and I'm stickin to it :P

R

My garbage is under the sink and my dishes and cutlery are on the same run of cabinets. So the dishwasher next to the sink is the best layout for us. For things like rice, eggs, etc. I always rinse and meat scraps and bones need to be put in the garbage. We compost but not those things. So for me, I would not want a layout with the dishwasher away from the sink. My DH manages to slop dirty rinse water on the floor when loading the dishwasher as it is!

We scrape and don't rinse. Guests rinse. Even when told not to. If the DW is full, they stack these rinsed items on the counter. Gross. There is room in the sink. Wasn't this thread about annoying things your inlaws do when they're trying to be helpful?

I am required to have an air gap in my dishwasher setup. My current plumbing is new, but previously I have had the air gap do its cute little spewing thing and it is nice to have THAT aimed at a sink.

Some meals at my house (especially big holiday meals) result in some hand-washed items, some DW-washed items, and some (like crystal) that can go either way depending on how much space I have in the DW. So for me it's easier to have the sink and DW next to each other so I can make a game-time decision about what goes where.

I just did some work in a house with a small "U" shaped kitchen. With the sink centered under the window, there wasn't room for a dishwasher to either immediate side. The dishwasher was installed on the left leg of the "U" and seems perfectly fine there.

I had corner sink once with the DW set off by a 24" bank of drawers. Not next to, but close. (Next to would of course have been unworkable.) It was convenient. And pretty close.

'Why do these topics interest me so much? It's a sickness...I love to hear how other people's kitchen flows work....'

I have the worst kitchen ever, but I find kitchen discussions somewhat interesting too.

My husband reckons that the stove, fridge and ... maybe it was the dishwasher... or sink... all have to be in a triangle with a minimum of steps or some such thing. Hogwash, I say. Surely it's more comfortable to have a bit of movement. I like leaping around when doing something other than reading.

One day - don't hold your breath - we'll have our kitchen redone. This house was built in the 70s and still has the original one.