Introducing the Loch Capsule: A Compact, Quick, and Efficient Dishwasher That Sanitizes Your Gadgets!

A dishwasher can feel like an essential luxury for many, and it was one of the first major kitchen gadgets I invested in as soon as I could. I thought it would be the appliance I’d miss the most during my vanlife adventures.

I got my hands on the $459.99 Capsule countertop dishwasher from Loch to test out while living in a tiny home by the beach and on a two-month road trip in my van. This compact powerhouse can wash and dry two place settings in as little as 20 minutes, reaching bacteria-busting temperatures of up to 75 degrees Celsius (167°F). Plus, it features a UV-C light that can sanitize your gadgets without water. Impressive, right?

What I discovered during this review was less about the dishwasher’s limitations and more about my own willingness to do dishes by hand when resources are tight—whether it’s space, energy, water, time, or money. I also found I’m not ready to become a germaphobe, despite claims that cellphones are dirtier than toilet seats.

The Capsule has a sleek, minimalistic design that looks great on any kitchen counter. While the exterior is plastic, the interior tub is stainless steel, which is a nice touch that enhances drying speed, durability, and hygiene while keeping odors at bay.

This unit is tall and deep enough to fit larger dinner plates and pans that typically wouldn’t fit in a standard countertop model. It measures 46.5 x 26.2 x 51.5 cm (18.3 x 10.3 x 20.3 inches), providing a compact footprint with an internal capacity of about 30 liters. Weighing in at 12 kg (26.4 lb), it’s relatively easy to carry thanks to its integrated handle.

If you’re cooking all your meals at home, you’ll likely only need to run it once a day for a single-person household, or twice for two people, based on my experience. It comes with an external clean water tank, allowing you to use it anywhere with access to power and water. No plumbing is necessary, but you can hook it up if you prefer not to refill the tank constantly.

Setting it up is a breeze. You just plug it in, fill the water tank, and connect a hose to the sink for wastewater disposal. In my van, I had to get creative and install it in my “garage” with an optional wastewater tank since the hose was too short to reach my sink.

The Capsule features a glowing white display with capacitive buttons that respond even when your fingers are wet. While it looks inviting, it’s worth noting that it operates quite loudly, typical for countertop dishwashers. I measured around 56dB from a meter away, which is significantly louder than my built-in dishwasher that runs at 38dB. The sound varies as the water flows and the pump vibrates, so don’t expect it to double as a white noise machine while you sleep.

The Capsule can also wash gadgets and fruits. It fits about seven apples, which take eight minutes to wash, or you can add UV cleaning for a total of 12 apples. The waterless UV mode is handy for sanitizing baby bottles and personal devices like phones and earbuds using medical-grade UV-C light.

Loading the Capsule can feel like a game of Tetris at expert level. Initially, it took me about five minutes to fit 18 items into the small space, but now I can do it in a minute or two. Filling and emptying the water containers adds a few more minutes. An optional $19 “dual tray” shelf can be added to create space for larger pots or to utilize any free space for washing silverware or smaller items.

There are several cleaning modes available, ranging from a quick 15-minute Meal Wash to a thorough 152-minute Intensive Clean. I found the 15-minute mode effective enough that I rarely needed the longer cycles, as long as I didn’t let the dishes sit too long.

To put it to the test, I loaded the Capsule with all the breakfast and lunch dishes from two people, including greasy plates, peanut butter-covered silverware, a yogurt bowl, espresso cups, a juice glass, a chef’s knife, tongs, and a sport bottle. While my 12-inch pan fits inside, its handle does not, so I had to wash it by hand. My 10-inch pan fit just fine, but it didn’t leave much room for anything else.

Everything came out clean, hot, and mostly dry after the 15-minute Meal Wash, comparable to my larger built-in machine. I was impressed. The cycle used 2.5 liters (0.66 gallons) of water and consumed between 220Wh and 300Wh, peaking at around 900W. The 15-minute wash actually takes about 20 to 25 minutes to complete, while the most intensive mode ran for 2 hours and 28 minutes, using 420Wh and nearly 4 liters of water.

For comparison, my vanlife dishwashing method allowed me to wash and dry everything, including the 12-inch pan, in just six minutes using one liter of water and no power. This method involves wiping off excess food with a paper towel or discarded packaging, filling a bowl with unheated tap water, and getting to work with a soapy sponge. Sure, vanlife isn’t as clean as regular life, but it gets the job done.

If I were to install the Loch Capsule in my van, I’d need to run the 15-minute mode twice daily to handle the dishes my wife and I typically use. That would mean about 500Wh and 5 liters of water each day—a 33.3% increase in my average daily energy usage and a 100% increase in water consumption. I can’t justify that. This dishwasher is better suited for setups with more water and battery capacity or for those who frequently stay at serviced campsites.

Most vanlifers don’t travel with full-sized dishes and pans, so a more compact countertop dishwasher from other brands priced around $300 might be a better fit. Loch also offers a Capsule Solo for $399.99, which lacks the UV features and plumbing hookup but is otherwise the same model, currently on sale for $339.99.

Even in a tiny house, I find it hard to justify the Capsule’s $459.99 price tag, even at the sale price of $390.99. For one or two people, it’s simply faster to wash dishes by hand, and I don’t lose any valuable counter space. Plus, all that hand washing makes the UV feature feel unnecessary.

To really justify the purchase of a Loch Capsule dishwasher, you and possibly one other person must truly dislike washing dishes, have easy access to water and power, and need to maximize space while using larger pans and dishes. That’s a specific niche, but one that the Loch Capsule dishwasher fills quite well.

The Loch Capsule is a solid countertop dishwasher with minor drawbacks—it just isn’t the right fit for me.