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Slimline dishwasher Vs full size

16 replies

LighteningRidge · 13/12/2019 06:26

I've moved house and the kitchen is somewhat bijou and my full size dishwasher doesn't fit so we're washing up. In the new year we plan to refit the kitchen (cheaply) as this one has had its day and badly laid out. In 5 years we plan to borrow more and extend the kitchen to what we want.

Do I refit with my original full size dishwasher or buy a slimline one to save space? I have the money to buy one and refit the kitchen. My home consists of me, DP and DS (newborn). I have never had a slimline so don't know if they are any good in terms of internal space. Bad habits on our part can see us fill a full size dishwasher in a day. WWYD?


If you’ve landed here looking for up-to-date advice on whether a slimline or full-sized appliance is better for your home, we’ve recently refreshed both our best dishwasher and best slimline dishwasher guides with plenty of high-quality, Mumsnetter-approved models, including guidance on choosing the right size for you. We hope it’s helpful.
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OP posts:
Megan2018 · 13/12/2019 06:33

Full size.
We went from full size to slimline in a previous housemove and it was rubbish, we have moved again and back to full size again. It was a relief! The slimline was just useless capacity wise, we had to change model when we lived there and didn’t help.

Up until 12 weeks ago it was just me and DH (now have a DD). We also put it on most days. You will regret slimline if you can fit full size, in previous house we couldn’t as it had limited space but had been fitted with a hugely expensive and beautiful kitchen which we couldn’t change.

Northernsoullover · 13/12/2019 06:33

I've only got room for a slimline one and there are 3 of usi n my house. It does us just fine but I've never had the space for a full size one. Therefore I don't know what I'm missing.
I do wash large saucepans by hand to save on space in it. I know for some people this might be the entire point of a dishwasher but I prefer washing them by hand when they are just used anyway because nothing sets into them. I just have a sink of water ready and do them before we even eat.
Thank you for this non political post Wink

RicStar · 13/12/2019 06:37

I have a slimline one - there are 5 of us and it's fine- mind you we are mostly all out in the day. I dont think we would fill a full one quickly enough and would run out of things.

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Soontobe60 · 13/12/2019 06:39

We went from full sized to slimline when we moved house. The slimline was a waste of time and I ended up doing the washing up by hand most of the time. We've now gone back to full sized since we had a new kitchen. There's just 2 of us, and we run it probably every third day. Don't put pans in, or big dishes. We do have lots of plates and cutlery though!
However, with a baby, I'd say go for the slimline now knowing that it'll be on every day, then upgrade once you get a bigger kitchen.

MiniGuinness · 13/12/2019 06:44

I also went from full size to slim line. At first it was ridiculous and I ran the dishwasher 3 times a day. I soon got used to it. I would prefer a full size, but it is fine. I wash big pots (or put on a second time) but apart from that it now only runs once a day. As you are just a couple I can't imagine it will ever be a problem and if you are planning an extension eventually it is really not a big deal for now.

DonKeyshot · 13/12/2019 06:46

Jig your refit around until it will accomodate your original fullsize dishwasher - you won't regret it.

I'm envious of your ability to fill a full size in a day. Household of 1 here and it takes me a week to fill mine, but I do eat out a lot and have little time for cooking when I am at home. However, it will come into its own again over the holidays and I'm looking to forward to hearing it whirring and gurgling away on a daily basis.

Another who thanks you for a non-political post. There's only so much wailing, gnashing of teeth, and tearing of hair one can take in a night. Smile

stripeypillowcase · 13/12/2019 06:56

as you already have the dishwasher go with it and make space for it.

Blackbear19 · 13/12/2019 07:01

Given the cost of slim vs full, they are about the same price, and plans to rejig later I'd make space for your existing full size.

LighteningRidge · 13/12/2019 07:19

Thank you all for the input sounds like my trusty full size will be useful again.

I'm home all day as on maternity so with guests, breakfast lunch and dinner the full size got plenty of use. In also hate washing up my hands are already battered and I've only been here since Tuesday!

Also I'm happy my first world problem helps bring some relief from the politics Grin

OP posts:
MrsT1405 · 13/12/2019 07:35

I'm doing a refit and have bought a half size drawer dish washer. It means less bending and I hope it works out better than a slim line.

TheNoodlesIncident · 13/12/2019 08:03

We have a slimline dishwasher but we didn't have a full size one before, so not used to a bigger one. We are household of three and I mostly put the dishwasher on every night. It generally does us very well but like a PP I can't put saucepans in so they get washed by hand, plus top rack space is quite limited and a lot of melamine items have to go in there - I've tried putting cups elsewhere in it but they don't get washed properly inside on the bottom rack. So it's not perfect!

If I were you I'd try to make the full size one work, or at least hang on to it if you can for refitting at a later date.

As an aside, our Hotpoint dishwasher is gradually blasting off the glaze/finish and pattern on any item put in it, do all dishwashers do this? It's brutal!

LighteningRidge · 13/12/2019 08:15

@thenoodlesincident

I think it is a rinse aid and salt issue and how high you run the temperature. I had some cheap but nice patterned glasses from IKEA which are now cloudy. The pattern is still there though. I think the nature of a dishwasher is to be brutal if you want it on a high temperature.

OP posts:
Topsy44 · 13/12/2019 08:22

I have a slimline one but if I had the money I would be refitting my kitchen to incorporate a full sized one. The slimline one does ok but I hate washing up by hand and when you have people over for dinner etc. I find it takes at least a couple of loads before everything is done.

It would be a full sized one all the way for me.

reluctantbrit · 13/12/2019 09:22

We moved from full size to slimline and used it for 5 years. Not ideal, it was on every day and for the first 2 years none of us was home during the weekdays, just weekends.

We normally wash pots and pans up anyway but we found we bought mugs, glasses and plates to have some available while the rest was in constant washing up mode.

Saying that we had no choice, the kitchen in the new house was fitted and we couldn’t change the way the white goods were set up. We then totally refitted it and have a full size now again.

If you can loose the space the full size take up I would go for one.

Floralnomad · 13/12/2019 09:28

We’ve had a slimline for the last few years , there are 3 of us and it’s been fine space wise , unfortunately it’s on its last legs and we can’t find another that will fit in the hole so we are moving the kitchen around and going back to full size .

MamaFlintstone · 13/12/2019 09:38

We have a slimline as that’s all there is space for. It’s just, DH, toddler DD and I so it’s fine. It fits a day’s worth of stuff in provided I haven’t been using loads of pans for cooking so I run it each evening.

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