Freestanding dishwasher - newbie here.

[POPholditdown]

I have finally decided to get a dishwasher, as I’ve realised life is too short.

Originally I wanted to wait until we have a new kitchen and get an integrated one, but that is still a couple of years away. I’m sick of washing the pots, as is OH. I wash them, blink, and more appear.

Anyway, I’m looking to just get a cheap and cheerful one to last until we get a new kitchen, but I don’t know where to start?

To begin with, would we need to remove a cupboard? Or can we get one to just fit into the cupboard?

Any particular recommendations?

I don't think a dishwasher will fit into a cupboard, unless it is one that is designed to hold a dishwasher. I'd have a look on ao.com/John Lewis/Currys etc for the measurements of dishwashers - I think they are all 600 mm wide or thereabouts.

Compare this with the internal dimensions of your kitchen cupboards, which are likely to be just less than 500 mm if you have a standard mass market UK kitchen (B&Q etc) or 600 mm if it's from Ikea. Don't know about other types of kitchens - bespoke, high end etc.

We have a freestanding dishwasher that fits into the space that is correctly sized for an integrated one, which I think is a 600 mm hole that could hold either an appliance or a cupboard (our kitchen is Ikea).

Reason being that about a year before we got a new kitchen extension our dishwasher broke so we had to get a new one, so by the time our kitchen was being fitted out, we had a nearly new dishwasher. This was the cheapest available Bosch, bought for £250 so not cheapest available, but not high end.

I don't particularly like the fully fitted look, so just slotted our existing dishwasher in an empty space. I did think about selling the Bosch and going with a new integrated one, but decided not to bother.

When this one breaks, I will look at an integrated one and as it happens I did buy the door that would enable me to have an Ikea integrated dishwasher (it was only about £30) but I may go with another freestanding one because in my experience, integrated appliances are more expensive with less choice than freestanding ones.

That's a lot bit waffly, but hopefully helpful.

Why not get an integrated one so it will fit in a cupboard? You can get ones that are just behind the cupboard door, rather than it being attached. Beko do a cheap one for about £200

I bought a second hand f/s Miele d/w for a holiday home ten years ago. Steam cleaned it - emptied and scrubbed hoses and filters, ran hottest wash using a couple of caps of baby sterilising fluid - still going strong. It cost £100 - I think I’ve had my money’s worth! Losing one cupboard well worth having the actual dishwasher amenity. Then choose what you like when you redo the kitchen. The reason for sale of our d/w was kitchen remodel. We have the same dishwasher in main kitchen ( it was £ 900 ish new ) you could save now to spend later.