Are dishwashers worth it?

[yourdaysa]

We are moving to a new house soon and there seems to be space for a dishwasher

Would you bother? Are they really any good? I've heard you have to pretty much wash up what's there anyway before you put it in

Thanks! I've never had one before, I have heard they're life changing

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MNHQ

I grew up without a dishwasher and couldn't understand why DH was insisting on one when we moved in togehter. Well, my mum was a SAHM, we both work and there is just no time. We were 6 months once without one and I hated it.

I don't put pans/pots or my wineglasses in it, everything else goes unless too big like some of the casserole dishes. They are then DH's responsibility to wash up.

We don't rinse, just scrap up food waste

@Babyroobs, haha, pre dishwasher my husband ( dishwasher as I was cook) sometimes used to be washing up the food processor bits twice a day
I put almost everything in the dishwasher (including 1980’s crockery, pots pans, wooden spoons) things I hand wash are the plastic lids from storage or serving bowls as I find they warp a bit, one vintage cake plate that was my grandmas and an ivory handled vintage butter knife.
I was amazed at how clean the teapot was after going through the dishwasher, all the tannin stains went.
I also wash Lego, duplo and other plastic toys in the dishwasher plus the oven racks
I’d hate to be without one!

Well worth it. Not as essential as a washing machine but we replaced a microwave to have one and I've never had a tumble drier.

Yes, Yes, Yes, YES! They are worth EVERY penny! Every penny. Ours recently broke down after a few repairs and we haven't yet got the money to replace it. No one wants to do the dishwashing, it's time-consuming, a pain in the arse, and how the hell we ever lived without a dishwasher before I'll never know. And no, you do NOT need to wash them even a little bit beforehand. Just scrape any sauce, bones etc from the plates before you put them in, but you do that with an ordinary sink handwash, anyway.

I got ours ripped out of the kitchen during a refit and didn't replace it, I don't miss it!

Also it is really good if someone is ill in the house (or needs to self isolate) very hot water. No tea towels and you know things are properly clean.

At the start of the year we had all new white goods and I’m always telling the dishwasher that he’s my favourite . We had a slimline one before and he’s full size with a cutlery tray instead of a basket , he’s wonderful .

@Tlems

I got ours ripped out of the kitchen during a refit and didn't replace it, I don't miss it!

Why wouldn't you, it seems to save so much aggro from what people have said?

If there’s just three of you, you need to make sure you have enough stuff that you don’t run out before the dishwasher is full. Even with four of us, sometimes it’s not full but we might have run out if clean knives for example.

@OP I got rid of ours as we never used it. I just find washing up so much easier. It just seems like extra steps to me.

Genuine question @ LST not being sarky, what extra steps are there? Scrape plate, put it in the washer and press start,that's it.

I can't live without one!

The kitchen is ALWAYS tidy. Use something, put in dishwasher.
Nothing hanging around, nothing drying, no mess.

It's much more economical, and you don't have to do it yourself.

I put everything in the dishwasher. It runs at least once a day, after diner, more if it's full earlier.

I just scrape plates, as I would if I was hand-washing anyway, and the instruction manual specifically say NOT to pre-wash. Absolute essential in my house.

We got rid of ours many moons ago when there were just two of us. We found we didn’t use enough crockery for it to go on every day. I didn’t like the smell either! Fast forward ten years, tow children and a new kitchen this year. We had one put in and it’s a game changer. As mentioned by many, the dishes aren’t just hanging around and the whole kitchen is tidier. Use finish power balls and also salt and rinse aid as we live in very hard water area. Still wash up the odd few bits but I love having it.

Before child I wasn't arsed, now I honestly think yes they're great!

I cooked roast pork today, 3 veg, roasties, gravy, Yorkshire pudding etc for 4 people. Finished 5 mins ago - kitchen is already cleared down and the dishwasher is on. Sorted.

Yes would one without one

Also, be mindful of whether your current cookware is dishwasher proof

@Shmithecat2, this is the main reason I was umming and erring about getting a DW. My saucepans have wooden handles, and although they’re nearly 30 years old they don’t need replacing (Prestige), but they won’t be DW safe. But I’m pretty sure I’ll get one when I have the new kitchen fitted though as that would be the ideal time to do it. It’s more for future-proofing my property than anything else (in case I decide to move), but having a tidier kitchen would be a massive bonus.

I couldn't live without mine (XH had to convince me that we needed one when the children were babies, and he was right).

I'm not sure how anyone could keep up with teenagers without a dishwasher. Last night, I had five 16+ year olds here (only two of them belonged to me). They were all eating and drinking and generally making themselves at home. I wouldn't even have space for a drying rack to accommodate all the stuff they used.

Fairy or Finish tablets are good (I am currently using Fairy Platinum). I know Aldi are rated highly, but I don't live near an Aldi so can't try them. I get the salt in Waitrose.

BTW, mine is a Bosch. It wasn't stupidly expensive - I went for a basic one. However, you can get them for £80-100 ish on Facebook Marketplace.

I can't believe anyone has to ask this question!

To me it's like asking is a washing machine worth it or should I just wash them outside in a bucket with a mangle...

I don't wash up anything that goes in the dishwasher, I scrape off any food debris into the food waste bin and chuck it all in. Put it on an eco wash every night and have clean dishes to put away every morning. The only things I don't put in the dishwasher are my nice pans, posh glasses, my child's plastic drinks bottles and wooden chopping boards.

I can’t understand people who say they are more work than washing up

@TheCupboardOfChaos

BTW, mine is a Bosch. It wasn't stupidly expensive - I went for a basic one. However, you can get them for £80-100 ish on Facebook Marketplace.

I've seen some amazing prices on FB but how do you know it'll even work properly? I feel suspicious

The only stuff I wash off first is fruity stuff like banana and tomato seeds because they tend to bake in if they dry out before the wash. I scrape off any lumps and wipe as much grease off as possible with kitchen paper because you don't want that in your pipes, however you wash up but otherwise, everything goes straight in.

OP, good question. I am afraid I tend to think that someone who can spell and punctuate is probably telling the truth if they say it works - though I appreciate this is not necessarily a good measure of anything! I also slightly judge by where they live. I would tend to avoid anything from a dodgy area.

I put everything in it, including wooden handled things. Not least as XH had a list of about a million things that weren't allowed to go in the dishwasher - including pans, as they were a waste of space and, therefore, a waste of electricity.

@yourdaysa

Can I ask -

As a hand washer I use Fairy. It's a must. A Lidl one is pretty similar but generally, Fairy is best. Is this the same for dishwasher tablets?

Is there one really good brand that others just don't compare to?

Fairy and finish are the best but I don't like the most expensive finish quantum tabs because they are far too abrasive.