Help me answer all of my questions about dishwashing machines!

March 28, 2006 7:52 PM

Help me answer all of my questions about dishwashing machines!

I have never been amazed by dishwashers like the people in the commercials. It always seems that you have to hand wash everything like normal if you want the stuff to come out spot-free from the dishwasher. Do dishwashers actually end up saving time? Assuming they do, what features / techniques make the difference? Can I get a tabletop dishwasher that will work as well as a regular size one? Should I be going for top of the line, bottom, middle?

posted by dino terror to technology (13 comments total)

Can I get a tabletop dishwasher that will work as well as a regular size one?

No.

It always seems that you have to hand wash everything like normal...

You do not. especially the newer ones that have a garbage disposal grinding device built in. The demo shows a platter with an entire birthday cake on it dropped in and it comes out clean. Just pick out the larger steak bones.

Should I be going for top of the line, bottom, middle?

Like printers, many washing machines use the same "engine," and the differences are sometimes slight and superficial as you move up the line. When I was shopping for one, I couldn't believe the way it was rigged. Like the bottom line one has a smaller silverware tray, as a deliberate aggravation. The way the dinky little features were added, like putting a flip-top plastic lid on a section of that silverware tray for bottle tops was a joke but still you did want to have it.

Nowadays they almost all have plastic bodies so the premium for a solid metal enameled enclosure is not there.

The thing that usually breaks first is the mechanical timing wheel, so I got one with a digitally style pushbutton control panel. What happens when you push one of the buttons? You hear a motor inside the thing turn the same mechanical timer. Grrr.

If you are not going for stainless steel front, etc., an upper middle model is still only $200 or $300, and is just about the best bang for the buck in quality of living that I can imagine.
posted by StickyCarpet at 8:45 PM on March 28, 2006

My apartment has a medium-sized very nondescript white Whirlpool that goes under the counter. I figure it must be relatively cheap, since it's supplied/maintained by my university. The dishwasher seems old, and although I don't think it dates from 1971 (when the building was finished), it was probably only replaced when NYU began leasing the building. I mean, there's no way you could mistake it for top of the line anything.

I make all kinds of stuff with sauces, and grilled meat with sticky bits, and things with some oil or grease. I don't even think of rinsing or soaking a thing; I just put everything in the dishwasher with a pepsi blue Electrasol three-in-one tab (no messing with measuring out soap!). After a day or two for the dishwasher to fill up, I turn the dial to Light China.

The next day, when I empty the dishwasher, everything is sparkling clean. I must admit I've never washed clear glass plates and held them up to the sun, but I have been known to do a couple of pirouettes in sheer glee. Assuming the dishwasher isn't prone to breaking down, I think the soap matters at least as much.
posted by booksandlibretti at 8:58 PM on March 28, 2006

One feature I appreciate is the ability to raise and lower the upper rack, one side a time. That means you can have a big pot on one side of the bottom, and long stemmed glasses on the other side of the top.

You can do the usual shopping trick of checking out the details of each model in a display room, then call your model # into a discount delivery vendor. Check the web or the yellow pages under "appliances," and you can save $100 or so.
posted by StickyCarpet at 9:00 PM on March 28, 2006

Dishwasher detergent is much much stronger than washing-up liquid. Highly alkaline I believe. It will power through most gunk quite well, modern machines and powders really are a world away from the old time stuff. However it will also scour fine glassware and plate, so the really good stuff has to be handwashed still, or it will develop a permanent cloudiness. Environmentally a machine should be using about 15 litres a wash, about the same as a sink, maybe less. Energy use will be the same if you're on electric hot water, more if you're on gas and have an internal water heater.

I think they do save time - on at the end of the day, unpack in the morning.

Here in Australia we're starting to get some very cheap chinese models. These may be quite good, a total bargain, or they may be a waste of money in the long term, they haven't around long enough to know how reliable they are. But they sure are cheap.
posted by wilful at 9:22 PM on March 28, 2006

The joy I get from hand washing dishes is equal to the joy I get from ironing clothes. Hint: I avoid ironing clothes at all costs.

I confess to having just spent close to $1k on a dishwasher. If you're reaction is "why the hell would you do something like that?" then you don't have a wife insisting that you need it.

It's not necessary to spend that much to get a good, new dishwasher. As others have indicated, there are only incremental improvements the higher you go up in the product line. They do save time, they are environmental better (less water used) and they can wash darn near anything pretty well.

Big box retailers like Sears often offer a discount of around 10% on purchases when you sign up for a credit card. That can be a good way to save a few pennies. Happy hunting.
posted by quadog at 10:05 PM on March 28, 2006

I just got a new dishwasher. with my old 12-year-old model the dishes would never come out totally clean without prewashing. I upgraded to a new new but cheap (around $300) frigidaire and it works like a charm. No high-spending necessary.
posted by puke & cry at 11:05 PM on March 28, 2006

To me it depends on how many are in your household, how often you cook, and how willing you are to do a few dishes. It's just the two of us here, and we cook four or five meals a week (yeah, we eat out too much). Having worked in kitchens for fascist chefs, I automatically use the "clean-as-you-go" method, and by the time dinner is ready I've taken care of just about everything but the roasting pan, or the frying pan, and maybe some utensils. Handwashing, drying, and putting away. So all that's left is what we use while eating: maybe a platter, two plates, two bowls (mmm...sallit!), two glasses, forks and all.

These get rinsed and put in the dishwasher, where we find them three days later, unwashed and smelly.

I hate my dishwasher, because it's a place for putting dirty dishes we forget to wash. I'd just as soon replace it with some under-the-counter shelves, but this bossy gal I live with won't let me.

I guess if you regularly cook meals for four or more it would be handy.

They are relatively affordable, however, and the newer ones with the disposal are nice. A couple we know has one and they take great delight in never putting anything in their sink, it all goes straight to the dishwasher. Seems to work for them. I'd just as soon spend the ten minutes it takes to wash dry and store everything and then it's all done.

And if my wife ever gets a clean glass out of the run but not yet unloaded dishwasher and then fails to re-secure it, thereby indicating that it is full of clean dishes instead of dirty ones, and I come along and fill it the rest of the way with dirty dishes......then they will never, ever find the body.

Luv ya honey!

A contributing factor to this is that the previous owner of our place had the magnificent foresight to install a huge, useful, two-compartment sink, which makes hand-washing a breeze.
posted by BitterOldPunk at 11:40 PM on March 28, 2006

I know of a guy who has two dishwashers.

He doesn't keep his plates etc. in kitchen cupboards.
He just takes it out of the dishwasher that is currently clean, uses it, and puts it into the other one.

When it gets full of dirty dishes, he runs it.
Now he has one machine full of clean stuff again, and one which is empty and ready to be filled with dirty plates.

Brilliant :)
posted by Katti at 1:58 PM CET on March 8
posted by Sharcho at 1:07 AM on March 29, 2006

I've also heard that, in the long run, if you run the dishwasher only when it's fairly full, you save water over hand-washing.
posted by baltimore at 6:14 AM on March 29, 2006

Honestly, a dishwasher is one of the greatest inventions of all time. I lived without one for many years, but after one day in a new apartment with one, I would never go back. Shell out the dough for whatever the medium range one is (not tabletop!) and you won't be sorry.
I do rinse the dishes before they go in, but it takes only a few seconds.
posted by CunningLinguist at 6:58 AM on March 29, 2006

Is there such a thing as a relatively silent dishwasher? That would pretty much seal the deal for me as far as replacing my current one.
posted by popechunk at 8:47 AM on March 29, 2006

Dishwashers are a godsend. I have lived recently in a series of apartments that did not come with a dishwasher -- I bought a portable one (it's a full-size one just like the kind under the counter but it's on wheels and has a hose you hook up to the faucet - mine could be converted to an under-the-counter unit if the situation came up). Because it's on wheels I can use it as a kitchen island when I need the extra work space. I've transported this thing around for over 8 years and it's going strong. If it dies I'll replace it immediately.

Whether I pre-rinse or not depends on how long the dirty stuff will be sitting there, if I'm running it right away I don't bother. If it's going to sit there for a day or two I do lightly rinse to avoid grossness. (I live alone and don't always have a full load every day.) It's nice to have a place to stash the dirty dishes without having to wash them immediately.
posted by redheadeb at 8:54 AM on March 29, 2006

I love my dishwasher. I resisted for a long time, but I got one for free. It is a fairly old model, but it works perfectly. I do not pre wash anything (except for a very quick rinse of pans) and everything comes out super clean, even things that I would have had to scrub hard if I had washed it by hand. It saves me even more time than I thought it would and it gives me so much peace of mind to not worry about having to do the dishes (I have a toddler - I gave up doing the dishes right after dinner).

It is true that a dishwasher saves water, especially the newer models. The detergent is much more environmentally unfriendly though, so that's a trade off.
posted by davar at 1:23 PM on March 29, 2006