To think a dishwasher will change our lives?

When I lived on my own I thought they were a waste of time. When we moved in together there was already one in the kitchen so I used it. When it broke down I really missed it and needed a new one ASAP. As Joni said "you don't know what you got 'til it's gone".

I was always anti dishwasher (weird thing I inherited from my mum, who was also only anti dishwasher because she was poor) and once I got one… oh wow. Definitely worth it. I got my mum one for her birthday (I also got her something fun) and now she loves it.

For me I enjoy cooking more because I’m not looking at things thinking “fuck I need to wash all this”.

You can just put dirty dishes in them. Scrape the food off, but no need to rinse.

When we moved in 2007 to a house that had one, we called it the Zanussi Marriage Saver. Not been without one since.

Honestly, I had one once and gave up using it.

I naively thought you just put dirty plates in. I didn’t realise you had to rinse them off first. Might as well add some washing up liquid and clean it properly there and then.

Rinsing, loading, waiting for it to be done, unloading. I just wash up as I go along, a few bits at a time and leave them on the rack to dry. Less hassle.

We are getting a new kitchen soon and no way would I waste cupboard space on a dishwasher.

(Now a tumble drier, I couldn’t live without!)

Have you tried not hanging around waiting for the dishwasher to be finished? I put mine on before I go to bed and wake up to clean, dry dishes to put away. I spend about as much time thinking about what my dishwasher is doing as I do thinking about what my fridge is doing.

We got our first dishwasher when we redid the kitchen having been without one for 25 years at that point. Can’t really say it is life changing, it only gets used when we have guests, there’s only the two of us and DH is happy to wash up by hand.

I don't pre-rinse things; well, maybe the very occasional very dirty thing, but I'm talking once in a blue moon. I think dishwashers have improved a lot over the years – I did used to have to pre-rinse things if I wanted them to wash properly.
I wouldn't say I fill mine precisely, either; remember that meme about how there's always one person in a relationship who stacks the dishwasher like a Scandinavian architect and one person who stacks the dishwasher like a raccoon on meth
And we put it on overnight, when we're out during the day, so we're never waiting around for it.
It also means we don't have to dry things, which is liberating, particularly as I hate tea towels; I think they're just germ factories.

EDITED for typos

I think pp was really just making us aware of how much she loves her dishwasher! 🙂

Really? Outside of MN there are many people who don't have fully equipped kitchens.

Fair enough.

Probably not a life changer, but certainly makes life a bit easier, and may reduce your energy cost slightly.

I've had a couple of Bosch ones, that have been good, but currently have a Miele one which is much better. (Cleans better, quieter, better build, holds more.) Miele also make some with auto dosing which saves the minor hassle of adding detergent each time. (I've not used one or done a cost comparison, but I have a auto dosing Miele washing and it's very convenient )

I acknowledge they are more expensive, but in my experience are cheaper in the log run.

I prefer the cutlery rack over a basket, as it takes less space, cleans better, safer with sharp knives and easier to unload. I don't have a problem with glasses as the hight is adjustable on the cup glasses tray. (I think many people never realise it's adjustable).

I use Sainsbury's dishwasher powered, as it's much cheaper than capsules and tablets and works fine on mine.

You may want to consider one that has a delayed start, as some electricity providers have a lower rate over night, or yours may in the future.

You may find that you'll need more cutlery, cups, plates etc, in order to fill the machine efficiently.

You don't need to rinse plates before loading (this is a wasteful misconception), you may need to clean the filter occasionally and be aware how to clean the pump impeller (RTFM) as people often think their machine is broken but it's just a cherry stone etc stuck in the pump.

I never, ever rinse anything. It all goes straight in. You stack it as you go, then go away and do something more interesting while it washes - I go to bed. It’s taken me three minutes to unload and put away this morning.

I have had a dishwasher for about two weeks now, and I will never, ever go back. Washing up is my most hated housework task by several orders of magnitude, especially as my husband works from home and I’m a housewife - so two or three cooked meals a day. I have a half-sized compact tabletop dishwasher passed on from my grandmother, who was using it to hide cakes from her younger grandchildren 😂 I really recommend the smaller size to anyone who doesn’t have a spare cupboard to sacrifice. I mean a proper half-sized one, that’s as wide as a normal appliance, not the tiny little things with the glass windows and water tanks I often see people buying. They would definitely work for a one or two person household who doesn’t do much cooking, but I wouldn’t be able to get half of my cookware in them. Mine is essentially just a single normal dishwasher shelf, and I can fit my 30cm pans and cast iron pots in just fine.

@Question285 we have a tabletop one, great for the 3 of us, goes on 2/3 times a day

Never had a dishwasher, we redone our kitchen a couple of years ago and the designer said there’s normally 2 categories….people who have never had a dishwasher don’t know the difference between having one or not and the people who have always had a dishwasher and can’t live without it. I do prefer having another cupboard!
We don’t mind handwashing.
I would find a dishwasher a faff, you still have to rinse the plates etc like you would before handwashing then you have to fill it precisely, wait for it to be finished, then unload it.
When it can be done and put away in 10 mins by handwashing.
If your husband is ok to continue with handwashing then just stick with that.

My household loves our dishwasher, even my DP, who previously did most of the washing up and actively likes doing it. For me it's fairly necessary because I have a painful physical condition and need to minimise work with my arms and hands.
I'm surprised that with two small children you don't think you'd have enough to fill it, but if that is the case you could get a slimline one; it would save space as well, obviously.

Same

Non-stick ones are a problem, but stainless steel or enamelled are fine in our experience.

Of the less expensive brands I rate Beko. We have a dishwasher, washing machine, dryer and fridge-freezer from them, ranging from 3 to 10 years old, and never had an issue with any of them. Obviously they'll all break tomorrow now I've said this, but still.

The only thing we ever used to argue about was washing up.
Dishwasher was a game changer. We rented for years and a dishwasher (or space / plumbing for one) was on my essentials list.

Didn’t have one until I moved to current home. So was 30 when I first had one.

I would not be without one anymore. Ever. Would rather be without my washing machine than the dishy.

kitchen always looks clean (store dirty dishes until a full load). So much cheaper in terms of energy and uses less water too.

I think I save 45 minutes a day not handwashing (if you think about that being 3 times a day for 3 meals)

dishes get much cleaner versus hand washing.

I'm 66 and had one scince l got my first home.
I hated washing up at home.
Only me at home now.. but I couldn't do without it.

Oh yes, you will never regret it, OP. What a wonderful thing a dishwasher is! My fantasy dream kitchen - which may become reality one day - will have two dishwashers. I much prefer a cutlery basket to a cutlery shelf, find it much more convenient.

Or stainless steel