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Ask HN: Can I save you 15 minutes a week?

Rather than build another side project for myself - thought I'd offer to help build something that you might not have the time to do.

salemh 12y ago
You may want to add far more details. There are a few threads by another HN user (I can't recall off the top of my head, and I can't think of a way to find him), where its "How can I help you?" Or something syntactically similar.
- kevin_employder 12y ago
  I could list my skills / knowledge base... but I didn't want to limit this discussion. I'll shamefully admit that my knowledge of dishwasher appliances is on par with the rest of us in this thread.
IgorPartola 12y ago
You can save me far more. I hate doing dishes and spend hours on them every week. Yes I have a dishwasher. Build me a rotating power sponge with interchangeable heads. Seriously, I would so buy this thing.
- j_d_s 12y ago
  Hmm. Mechanical engineer without a dishwasher here. I might take a crack at this. What about your dishwasher doesn't work for you?
  - porker 12y ago
    Not the original poster, but my dishwasher doesn't work well with Denby crockery (popular with the English middle-classes): The bowls are too deep, so if you fill a rack it washes inside the first and last only. The plates are too wide to fit in the rack, so the middle spinny-sprayer can't spin. The other part of handwashing you could improve: drying racks. Why can't I have a multi-level one so I can fit 2-3x as much on the draining board? I dislike teatowels as unhygenic, but can never air-dry enough stuff.
  - IgorPartola 12y ago
    Three things. First, it's too small so it doesn't fit all the dishes from one day. It also doesn't fit big pots and pans. Second, it doesn't scrub. Dishwashers spray and swish soapy water, but don't physically touch the dishes (since they'd break them). The consequence of this is that you have to pre-rinse everything by hand with a sponge or risk dried on food residue which is nearly impossible to remove after it's been through the high temp trying cycle. Oatmeal stuck to a bowl will not come off in the dishwasher. Neither will steak or ground beef off a frying pan (even a teflon coated one). Third, it takes too long. My dishwasher task 90-120 minutes depending on settings I choose. Now, there are commercial dishwashers that do a load in 30-90 seconds (15 minutes to load/unload). But they cost about $4k used, and I don't know if they have the problem with having to pre-rinse. The solution I picture is basically a power drill with a circular sponge on the end, but smaller and waterproof. Additionally, something like the car wash mat cleaning machine could be used for flat plates: http://www.youtoo-carcare.com/media/images/category/reinigung.jpeg http://www.youtoo-carcare.com/media/images/category/reinigun.... An equivalent of a hair dryer could be used to dry them right away. Or this could be an enclosed rack with hot air blowers built in. Throw the dishes in there, press a button, 30 seconds later, it's dry. With tools like these, I could do the hand-wash which is more labor intensive but much quicker than 90 minutes. I figure I could spend about 15-20 minutes on dishes and have them put away right away.
    - smeyer 12y ago
      I think you could fix many of these problems with a better dish washer. A big enough dishwasher should fit whatever you like, and while I grew up rinsing dishes before washing them, my current dishwasher has no problem washing away caked-on residues and such. I only wash things by hand if I need them quickly or they're not dishwasher-safe materials.
      - IgorPartola 12y ago
        Probably. A commercial dishwasher able to do a load in 90 seconds would probably do wonders for me. Then I don't even mind it being too small: I can just reload it and run it again. Problem is, these are expensive and are energy hogs. A direct dirt removal power sponge type thing would be much more efficient.
tectonic 12y ago
Hey kevin_employder, send me an email. I have some ideas.
- kevin_employder 12y ago
  Sent you an email.
  - coppolaemilio 12y ago
    Send me an email as well :)
bbcbasic 12y ago
Hi Kevin, just to clarify... are you offering 15 minutes of your time a week, or to build something that would save someone 15 minutes of their time?
- kevin_employder 12y ago
  Either - doesn't have to be an App. Could be a service. Or just my time. Anything that doesn't require my physical presence.

Rather than build another side project for myself - thought I'd offer to help build something that you might not have the time to do.

salemh 12y ago

You may want to add far more details. There are a few threads by another HN user (I can't recall off the top of my head, and I can't think of a way to find him), where its "How can I help you?" Or something syntactically similar.

kevin_employder 12y ago
I could list my skills / knowledge base... but I didn't want to limit this discussion. I'll shamefully admit that my knowledge of dishwasher appliances is on par with the rest of us in this thread.

IgorPartola 12y ago

You can save me far more. I hate doing dishes and spend hours on them every week. Yes I have a dishwasher. Build me a rotating power sponge with interchangeable heads. Seriously, I would so buy this thing.

j_d_s 12y ago
Hmm. Mechanical engineer without a dishwasher here. I might take a crack at this. What about your dishwasher doesn't work for you?
- porker 12y ago
  Not the original poster, but my dishwasher doesn't work well with Denby crockery (popular with the English middle-classes): The bowls are too deep, so if you fill a rack it washes inside the first and last only. The plates are too wide to fit in the rack, so the middle spinny-sprayer can't spin. The other part of handwashing you could improve: drying racks. Why can't I have a multi-level one so I can fit 2-3x as much on the draining board? I dislike teatowels as unhygenic, but can never air-dry enough stuff.
- IgorPartola 12y ago
  Three things. First, it's too small so it doesn't fit all the dishes from one day. It also doesn't fit big pots and pans. Second, it doesn't scrub. Dishwashers spray and swish soapy water, but don't physically touch the dishes (since they'd break them). The consequence of this is that you have to pre-rinse everything by hand with a sponge or risk dried on food residue which is nearly impossible to remove after it's been through the high temp trying cycle. Oatmeal stuck to a bowl will not come off in the dishwasher. Neither will steak or ground beef off a frying pan (even a teflon coated one). Third, it takes too long. My dishwasher task 90-120 minutes depending on settings I choose. Now, there are commercial dishwashers that do a load in 30-90 seconds (15 minutes to load/unload). But they cost about $4k used, and I don't know if they have the problem with having to pre-rinse. The solution I picture is basically a power drill with a circular sponge on the end, but smaller and waterproof. Additionally, something like the car wash mat cleaning machine could be used for flat plates: http://www.youtoo-carcare.com/media/images/category/reinigung.jpeg http://www.youtoo-carcare.com/media/images/category/reinigun.... An equivalent of a hair dryer could be used to dry them right away. Or this could be an enclosed rack with hot air blowers built in. Throw the dishes in there, press a button, 30 seconds later, it's dry. With tools like these, I could do the hand-wash which is more labor intensive but much quicker than 90 minutes. I figure I could spend about 15-20 minutes on dishes and have them put away right away.
  - smeyer 12y ago
    I think you could fix many of these problems with a better dish washer. A big enough dishwasher should fit whatever you like, and while I grew up rinsing dishes before washing them, my current dishwasher has no problem washing away caked-on residues and such. I only wash things by hand if I need them quickly or they're not dishwasher-safe materials.
    - IgorPartola 12y ago
      Probably. A commercial dishwasher able to do a load in 90 seconds would probably do wonders for me. Then I don't even mind it being too small: I can just reload it and run it again. Problem is, these are expensive and are energy hogs. A direct dirt removal power sponge type thing would be much more efficient.

tectonic 12y ago

Hey kevin_employder, send me an email. I have some ideas.

kevin_employder 12y ago
Sent you an email.
- coppolaemilio 12y ago
  Send me an email as well :)

bbcbasic 12y ago

Hi Kevin, just to clarify... are you offering 15 minutes of your time a week, or to build something that would save someone 15 minutes of their time?

kevin_employder 12y ago
Either - doesn't have to be an App. Could be a service. Or just my time. Anything that doesn't require my physical presence.