The idiot's guide to dishwashers

H

huskerdu

Registered User
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Hi all,
I am just about to buy my first dishwasher and I have no idea what
features I should look for. I dont need anything flashy, just an integrated
dishwasher with a low energy rating, for a 4 person household,
All constructive advice gratefully received.
 
Re: The idiots guide to dish washers

I have a basic model from De Detreich, by basic I mean it doesn't dry the dishes, but uses less energy by virtue of this anyway. It's an "A" rated machine with a limited number of functions and I don't think a drying programme is necessary- they'll dry themselves. I think you're best off spending the money on one of the really good brands like De Detreich, Bosch or equivalent. Even their basic models are considerably more costly than your typical budget machine (which may have lots of options thrown in) but longevity is the key! Whatever machine you go for periodic cleaning is key- especially to avoid blockages and smells. BTW I reckon it has to be one of the greatest inventions ever!
 
I would actually go for semi-integrated rather than fully integrated because it means you don't have to open the door to see the indicators/controls.

Apart from that, I would concur re: bosch above. We have come across a few in various houses along the way and the mechanical quality of the bosch is way ahead of any other models we have had. We inherited a non-bosch in our current 2nd hand house, but will buy bosch without doubt when it comes to time for a change.

Regarding features, the only feature I have heard of that I wish I had in current machine is the option of a quick cold rinse for those occasions when you have longer times between washes and just want to wash off the heavy stuff while deferring a full wash until unit is full.
 
nt00deep said:
Regarding features, the only feature I have heard of that I wish I had in current machine is the option of a quick cold rinse for those occasions when you have longer times between washes and just want to wash off the heavy stuff while deferring a full wash until unit is full.
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Yes, this is a very useful feature, especially if you have stodgy food remains (like porridge etc!) which is difficult to remove if dried in.
 
I just give dishes a quick rinse off to remove any food particles before I pop them in the dishwasher as we only run it about twice a week.
 
i cannot understand why people do that. my wife does it an it drives me crazy.

if you are going to "wash" the dishes before putting them in then why not spend an extra 5 mins and just wash them properly??????

if the dishwasher can't get the stuff off then it's no good in the first place!
 
3ps said:
i cannot understand why people do that. my wife does it an it drives me crazy.

if you are going to "wash" the dishes before putting them in then why not spend an extra 5 mins and just wash them properly??????

if the dishwasher can't get the stuff off then it's no good in the first place!
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This is also very wasteful. How much water do you waste rinsing dishes that are going to be washed anyway?
 
There are only two of us in the house, it keeps our dishwasher clean and saves alot of money on repairs & who wants that ugly smell in the dishwasher. It only takes 2 mins to rinse the food off after the plates have been scraped off into the bin (if not cleared at table!) The dishwasher is usually run once we run out of glasses & the plate rack would still have loads of room. I always wash my saucepans and cutlery in the sink as I don't like the streaks that sometimes can be left on the cutlery!
 
I think any arguement regarding wasting water etc using the rinse function is not valid. The fact is that a dishwasher uses less water and detergent to wash dishes than is required to wash dishes by hand.
 
I also have a 6 year old miele dw ... we bought it for the cutlery tray at the top really ... it's pretty good ... easy to unload etc. I use it every day ... but then I do a lot of cooking and there are 4 of us ... the only thing that is a bit annoying is the way it beeps when it's finished washing ... even though the dishes are too hot to unload it still wants to remind you it's finished :)
 
I'd vote for the miele also - though mine doesn't do any beeping - dratted microwave is bad enough - need to start a new campaign - "silence the applicance"!
 
"keeps the dishwasher clean" come on!! it get's cleaned every time you use it. It's the cleanest thing in the house!
"saves money on repairs" what!!??

each to their own....
 
Anyone know what is causing the following problem with my dishwasher: when I am washing dishes in it, an mini-explosion occurs (seemingly towards the back of it), and I sometimes get the smell of burning. I have cheched the back, the plug, the socket, and the fuseboard, and all seems to be alright. The outpipe is not clogged. I saw an article on the Internet about hydrogen building up in the hot water system of the house, if it is left a couple of weeks without water being drawn; this hydrogen can enter the dishwasher and cause reactions in it. But that does not seem to be the problem as I draw water from the hot water system of the house each day. Any suggestions gratefully received.
 
Carpenter said:
I think any arguement regarding wasting water etc using the rinse function is not valid. The fact is that a dishwasher uses less water and detergent to wash dishes than is required to wash dishes by hand.
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Get out of town. A dishwasher uses gallons upon gallons of water each wash.
 
Henny Penny said:
... the only thing that is a bit annoying is the way it beeps when it's finished washing ... even though the dishes are too hot to unload it still wants to remind you it's finished :)
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You can probably turn that feature off, check the manual you got with it, usually you just have to press certain buttons in sequence to toggle between beeper on/off.
 
Thanks JohnDigital. We're moving house shortly so I think we'll leave the beeping dishwasher where it is!
 
BlueSpud said:
Get out of town. A dishwasher uses gallons upon gallons of water each wash.
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AFAIK a dishwasher filters and recirculates the cleaning water as it washes so it does in fact use less water than hand washing. Also it operates at high temperatures- shifting grease and dirt far better than the hottest hand wash we ordinary mortals can endure. I rest my case!
 
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