Dishwasher recomendations

[cstwwt]

Hi! I have a maytag dishwasher that is 18 or so years old......I don't use it much....maybe 20 times a year.......but it is not working right and I've tried all the on line suggestions to make it work better.......so I'm shopping for a new one, any suggestions?? TIA!!!!!

 

[vicki_c]

I always start with Consumer Reports. You can even look at it at the library or you can do a short-term online subscription.

20 times a year - that's hilarious (to me). We run our dishwasher 2x a day many days!

 

[BridgetBordeaux]

We have had a good experience with our Whirlpool dishwasher. It also got a good rating in CR several years ago. It was a mid line model. Not the base version, and not the most expensive either.

 

[bop28]

We have a Kenmore Elite, but wouldn't buy another one. Nothing is as clean as I like. I would buy a Whirlpool next. Something with no frills.

 

[melmel]

Our house came with a GE when we bought new 7 years ago. I hated the thing almost from day one. It never seemed to work properly. Even to the point of getting the service guy to come out before the warranty was up. He just told me the water wasn't hot enough and to run it in the sink before starting it. That did little to help and I hoped everyday the thing would finally die. About 5 years in it finally did and we went shopping. I asked friends and family and found out that Bosch was the way to go. I love it. We didn't go top of the line it was probably mid range price. A little more than the Whirlpool but over all I can't say enough about how wonderful it is. It has a 1/2 load cycle, as well as the standard delay start, and multipule levels like pots and pans dishes etc... But the other thing is it doesn't have a heating element. This means that the plastic never fully dries, but it never did with the element either. But it also means I can put plastic stuff where it fits instead of far from the heat, and if something falls during the wash cycle it doesn't melt into a puddle during the dry cycle.

 

[JoseCSS]

I recommend BOUSCH. It is very quiet and cleans the dishes like a dream. If it weren't for the red light I wouldn't even know it was turned on. I got a mid-level model for the mid-$500's and it has been worth every penny.

 

[formill]

We had a GE as well and gave it away- it NEVER cleaned the dishes- my parents had one too- same issues.

We have had a couple of Kenmore's- the one we have now is good- I really look for lots of wash levels....ever stayed in place and the only wash level is one arm on the very bottom of the dishwasher- have no idea how they think the top rack can ever get clean??? Anyway our Kenmore has very top arm...under the top rack arm....very bottom arm and also a "turbo" one at the back you can turn off or on- meant to shoot water into casserole dishes you stand upright on bottom rack. The other thing I looked for was a metal food chopper in the bottom........some do not have this have a straining device for any solid food pieces. Biggest difference for me is dishwasher detergent- I only buy Cascade gel packs they seem to work the best and I only ever use the longest cycle- pots and pans- it really works- takes forever but it works- we never rinse the dishes just scrape. We have a "smart" meter now for electricity and pay more at different times so the delay timer feature is used every day so dishes are done in the night when electricity is cheapest.

 

[lisaross]

I have a Whirlpool - i also check the Consumers Report and usually pick the Best Buy!

Hi! I have a maytag dishwasher that is 18 or so years old......I don't use it much....maybe 20 times a year.......but it is not working right and I've tried all the on line suggestions to make it work better.......so I'm shopping for a new one, any suggestions?? TIA!!!!!

 

[thomas998]

Would pick a GE over the Bosch... Our old house had a GE and we miss it now that we have a Boschinthe new house. Theyboth cleanthe same,but the GE had a easily removable basket on the door for flatware, the Bosch doesn't so you are alwya sticking your fingers on forks and knives when you start trying to empty the flatware.

 

[JoseCSS]

Theyboth cleanthe same,but the GE had a easily removable basket on the door for flatware, the Bosch doesn't so you are alwya sticking your fingers on forks and knives when you start trying to empty the flatware.

That is a flat out lie! Maybe your particular model wasn't like that but all of the ones we looked at not only has a removable basket, but had one that you can change the configuration of (it can either be flat along one side or square.

 

[Snappy in OK]

We have a Kenmore and love it. It cleans great, and it is super quiet! I don't recall what was in the house when we bought it, but it was noisy and didn't clean very well. I think it was a GE.

IMHO, I suggest looking at Consumer Reports. There are different models by each brand, and an entry level won't usually be as nice as a higher level model. Consumer Reports will give you the model numbers. You don't have to buy the top end model to get a great dishwasher (or any other item).

Good luck!

 

[Judique]

I have a Whirlpool which I am very happy with..it's two years old and does a great cleaning job.

Daughter bought a higher priced Bosch - my WP was about $500 - her Bosch was $600 - and she is not happy and wants to change it out after about one year of use.

I've had Kenmore, Maytag, and Whirlpools in various homes. I like the Whirlpool best.

 

[meg8017]

I would NOT recommend whirlpool at all. Their customer service is terrible. We JUST bought one. We couldn't find one we liked in a store, found one on their website with the features we wanted in our price range and went to a local appliance dealer to order it. (slightly better price, installation and haul away). After it was installed, we noticed it did NOT have 2 of the 3 features that whirlpool had hightlighted on their website as "reasons you'll love this dishwasher". I called them immediately (as in 25 min, after the installation guy left), was on the phone with them for over an hour. The final result was them saying, oops our bad. we put the wrong information on our website. too bad for you. I called whirlpool corporate and spoke to someone there and haven't heard back. Sorry, but when you sell me something and it's blatently NOT as descriebed and offer no recourse, not even an apolgy, that is wrong. Maybe not legally, but ethically. And the dealer we purchased it from won't take it back, their policy is once it's out the door it's yours. (which I understand, it's not their fault). To top it off, this stinkin dishwasher doesn't even work well, we run it at night and every morning there is a large puddle of dirty water sitting in the bottom of it

 

[bop28]

That is a flat out lie! Maybe your particular model wasn't like that but all of the ones we looked at not only has a removable basket, but had one that you can change the configuration of (it can either be flat along one side or square.

 

[thomas998]

That is a flat out lie! Maybe your particular model wasn't like that but all of the ones we looked at not only has a removable basket, but had one that you can change the configuration of (it can either be flat along one side or square.

Now normally i would have offered you the chanceto stop by our house and put up our dishes... But we really don't need folks like you in our town.

And like it or not our Bosch does not allow for you to move the flatware basket from where it is... If you say your model does should I call you a liar?

 

[Abbie]

That is a flat out lie! Maybe your particular model wasn't like that but all of the ones we looked at not only has a removable basket, but had one that you can change the configuration of (it can either be flat along one side or square.

Good heavens, you don't need to call him/her a liar just because their model is obviously different than yours. As it happens our Bosch also has a silverware basket that can only go in one place in the dishwasher and that is not always convenient. I wish I could change the configuration of it or have it on the door out of the way.

I know I am in the minority but I hate our Bosch. The way the bottom rungs are slanted allows very little to go there, it's always a struggle to figure the best way to put stuff in and I don't think it cleans as well as our old Kenmore either. The only good thing I can say about it is that it is very, very quiet!

 

[gardenergirl]

We have a Bosch from Lowe's-purchased a year or so ago. It's more bottom of the line Bosch, but I think it was a Consumers report recommended model. We use it once or twice a day.

Love it! Pretty quiet, has the features mentioned by PP. It has a fold down thingy for cups that we don't use-our cups are too big! It doesn't use as much energy because it doesn't have the heat dry cycle-but all the plates and glasses come out dry anyway-and super hot if you try to take them out right after the cycle is done. The plastics don't hold the heat, I guess, so they are usually a little wet-but I think they were with our old washer too.

There is one thing though that is a little annoying-not a big deal, but there is no food grinder in the drain, so when the kids put plates with lettuce or larger bits of food directly in the dishwasher, the lettuce is on the bottom of the dishwasher after the cycle. Kinda gross.

About the silverware basket- it is removable and configurable on my model. We use it as a long basket on the side of the washer, although it could be configured as a square basket-basically it folds in half to make the basket. (Our previous dishwasher had the square basket only-but it was ancient!-I like it on the side much better-seems to take up much less room.) It is removable (or you couldn't configure it!), so when we put away the silverware we lift out the basket and put it on the counter to unload it. So much easier at eye level, since the directions say to load all the silverware with the handle facing down. We leave it in the dishwasher to load it up. I think it only fits in one spot in the washer in either configuration.

I was surprised how many features are available on dishwashers-have fun shopping!

 

[kellia]

We got a Bosch earlier this year, I hate it! It cleans great and would probably be okay for a smaller family. But for a family of 5, nothing fits in it. The setup is really strange, I'm not sure what kind of dishes are supposed to fit in there, but mine sure don't!

 

[kidsister]

I just bought a Bosch...mid to top of the line....but then I lost my house, so it is sitting in storage still in its crate. I researched a bunch before choosing this model/make and I wish I could use it but can't . So hey, if you decide on Bosch, I can probably make you a really good deal under $400 plus shipping!!!! (Its one with the black glass face)

Of course, only usig a dw 20 times a year, you could probably get a used one for free if you aren't too particular and install it yourself (not all that hard to do).

 

[MickeyManiac]

I know a lot of people like their Whirlpool but I can't stand mine. I have to put vinegar in the bottom everytime I run it or else the hard water builds up on the dishes. Yes, our water is pretty hard but our old builders special Hot Point never had a problem with it.

It's a mid range Whirlpool that's about 3 years old and I can't wait until it dies.