Repurpose a Dead Dishwasher

Our first dishwasher an old portable with a cutting board top that you would wheel to the sink and hook up the hoses when you wanted to do the dishes. It had been free-cycled to us and we used it for a number of years. When it finally died, I scavenged some of the racks for my Sweetheart to use in the kitchen. One was a narrow rack that slipped nicely into her pot cupboard and holds all her pot lids. The other was the cutlery basket. This particular cutlery basket had 6 compartments, 2 side by side in 3 rows. It also had a handle that you could pull out of the dishwasher and take directly to the table if you wanted. I immediately recognized what a great kitchen utensil basket it would make and it has sat on the counter by the stove ever since. We couldn’t think of what we could do with the larger racks at the time and the carcass so sadly, it went to the landfill. That always bugs me.

We currently have a built-in dishwasher and the other day I was looking at it with a critical eye to see what I would be able to do with this one when it dies. The cutlery holder in this particular model has a long narrow basket the single compartments all in a row. It also can be lifted out of the rack, but has no handle. I think this style of basket could be attached to the wall to hold kitchen utensils quite nicely. Or it could be attached to a pantry door for holding small packages. The racks slide out on wheels and it occurred to me that they were short enough to slip under the bed. If I nipped off the parts that stick up to hold dishes with a pair of side cutters, we could use the racks for drawers under the bed. My Sweetheart uses the clear zipper plastic bags that quilts and other things come in as seasonal clothing bags, and they would fit quite nicely in the racks.

This time, I’ve also got a use for that dishwasher carcass. I’m intending on putting it on top of my work bench to use as a mini paint booth for spray painting small items. My plan is to remove the racks and make a own solid shelf with a turntable in the middle so I can spray paint smaller items without getting paint all over everything on my work bench. The turn table will let me turn the item I am painting without touching it so I can finish all the sides at once. Whatever I am painting can dry while protected from being bumped, and when I’m done painting, I can store my paint sprayer inside, so it won’t just take up space without being useful. 

Now I’m just waiting for someone’s dishwater to die so I can try out my ideas!