Dishwasher cutlery basket holes are too big to contain the cutlery

[trainedopossum]

Has anyone here solved this problem without creating a new one (like mould or bits getting caught in the filter)?
I’ve been down an Amazon rabbit hole of cut-to-fit plastic mesh so I know there’s probably a solution but there were too many options and most of them looked like garbage.

Ah thanks for that, you can see that the handles are not falling through the bottom mesh or whatever you call it, because your lovely shiny cutlery is sitting proud of the lid, the lid isn’t stopping them falling through, the bottom bit is.
Apparently you can get a cut-to-fit mesh for the bottom bit. I think it’s either that or a new basket.

I do know what you mean though and I don't think the lid flap thing solves it, because the height of a basket is nowhere near the length of a fork handle (four candle...) so if it's an especially thin handled fork or broken basket, then it can slip down anyway.

Thanks for confirming that there is some quality difference between brands, at least I’m not hallucinating this particular problem.
We had an expensive washer (Which? best buy, ffs) that was rubbish and died quickly so we’ve bought a cheap one and it’s great. It’s all so random.

We had this. Bought a generic cheap replacement basket and no issues. I think the plastic had worn thin plus our cutlery was too thin. Was really annoying!

Xposted - I think only teaspoons with teeny handles slipped through the Siemens basket.

FWIW the Beko basket was actually fine. It was about the only thing on the dishwasher that worked. The filter was shit though and didn't stop anything, and the spinny arm was constantly getting clogged up the second it encountered anything more solid than fresh air and then because it had this stupid dual-rotation feature it would get stuck and pelt high pressure water at the door which would escape and go everywhere.

An old old tip from a Swedish women’s magazine in the like 90s - cut the flat part of a plastic fly swatter to fit the basket bottom ;)

edited because part of become Pernod 🙄

Yes thank you, that’s exactly it, they seem to slip down regardless, and some knives fall halfway through and get stuck in the bottom AND top so you can’t open the basket to get them out. It’s like when you put a long wooden spoon or something in a drawer and it pops up to stop the drawer from opening.
I know what I mean, if no one else does

Omg genius! That’s it! You win!! 🍾🥂

Yes this is exactly what’s happening with the exception (thank god) of the water spewing out, it just stops the arm from spinning so stuff remains dirty.

I have decided that if you get a cheap thing it has to be the simplest possible, most old fashioned mechanism with absolutely nothing that can go wrong, it's complicated parts with too many features that have to be designed well to not go terribly. I think this is the expensive vs cheap conundrum - because sometimes the expensive brands are not necessarily good in build quality, and I am extra suspicious of the Which best buy stuff because in the category of goods I know a lot about (car seats) generally the best buys are not the actual best option by any means, they are more likely to be the brand which has designed its product to perfectly conform with the performance on that particular test, but IRL with longer term use they can have problems (e.g. Cybex spinning car seat that was the Which? best buy for a few years was constantly getting brought back to the shop because while other seats had an anti-rebound bar with a more chunky design, Cybex's smooth sweeping stylish slide design had a tendency to collect dirt and grit from your DC's shoes and deposit it directly into the spin mechanism, which would then lock up.)

So you can do well with cheap things but never get swayed by marketing claims of fancy features on cheap items! And be suspicious of fancy features even on expensive items/test winners. If you want to spend more, then find out which brands actually have the reputation for build quality and which features stand the test of real life use.

We had the same thing happen with our dishwasher. Turned out Dh had some plastic mesh stuff with smaller squares than the basket, he cut some and put a piece in the bottom of each square holder and hey presto nothing falling through problem solved.

Buy a new set of cutlery with wider handles. it might be cheaper than a new basket. £4 for a 16 pc set in Ikea.

Yes I think that’s exactly what I’m looking for, apparently it’s called plastic canvas or polypropylene mesh and I’m going to buy some.

I like your deep dive. I get stuck on all kinds of decisions and it’s helpful to have a guideline/mission statement/manifesto.

For the time being I would slice some washing up sponges and put them in the bottom of the basket. This could be the quickest cheapest solution considering you have a million other things to do.

Then if I found that bits of food were clogging up on them I’d order mesh things.

But if your mum is a very diligent plate scraper it might never be an issue.

I too bought a Which Best Buy - thankfully it wasn’t an expensive appliance like you - just a cordless iron it was total cr*p. Never heated up enough, water dripped out of it, clothes got wet and couldn’t iron a wrinkle out.
Gutted as I really trusted Which reviews. ☹️

What brand dishwasher is it ?

I think Which have become a victim of their own success - everyone wants a "best buy" because it's good advertising so some manufacturers optimise their product to the test rather than designing it well for longevity.

They should probably change the criteria at random to avoid this.

The comedian who made fun of the clip on a radio programme would be thrilled

I've just had a new dishwasher and changed from a cutlery tray to a cutlery basket. I much prefer the cutlery tray after having the basket for 2 weeks.

Do you have the 'lid top' to the basket? - that will stop them falling through.

Oh I’m sure, classic Viz Top Tips territory.
Was the advice to use a new flyswatter or is that down to reader’s discretion? 🪰

https://www.amazon.co.uk/100inch-Flexible-Resistant-Replacement-Running/dp/B0D93WM725/ref=asc_df_B0D93WM725?mcid=69585fbe68db34eb9460ee94772368cf&tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=712746451585&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=9695742569231673067&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9073559&hvtargid=pla-2362004959411&psc=1&hvocijid=9695742569231673067-B0D93WM725-&hvexpln=0&gad_source=1

cut to fit. Tie on the underside with cable ties which you can trim the excess length off

This seems like a good option, will look into a tray, which would solve the problem of the sharp, narrow vegetable knives too.

About the suggestions to buy a set with a better shape, one of DM’s sets of cutlery has a teardrop shaped handle which I guess stops them from falling through if placed in the basket upside down but the handle wouldn’t fit through a slotted lid of a cutlery basket so fork tines would still slide down through the bottom (apologies if that’s not utterly clear) but I hate using them, will persevere with a solution that works for cutlery both fat and skinny.

Am I the only person who was instructed as a child to put cutlery in the basket business side down for safety reasons? (I did once trip and fall onto the open dishwasher so reaped the rewards 🤷🏻‍♀️)

I think the trays only work if the dishwasher comes with them, they can't be added later.

I also point all knives down for safety reasons - it makes me nervous when people don't!

I have this issue when I use chopsticks so just lay them on the top shelf

Did you not go to manufacturer and buy their recommended one for your model?
more expensive tho more suitable