Dishwasher Cutlery Baskets

[MyBonnieLiesOverTheOcean]

AIBU to think that we go through more dishwasher cutlery baskets than is normal? I've had my dishwasher for 3 years and have already had to buy 2 replacement baskets as previous ones got holes and the cutlery falls through. So that's roughly 1 per year.

Is this the norm? Or are we a bunch of savages when it comes to loading cutlery?

How often do you have to replace yours?

[shoofly]

I have had 2 dishwashers in previous house in a span of 15 years. Never replaced the basket, never needed to. We moved into this house almost 5 years ago and we're on our 4th basket. It's an integrated Hotpoint dishwasher and the baskets are just shit. I don't put knives blade down. My friends 10 year old dishwasher (not hotpoint) recently died and we're now using her old basket, which seems to be lasting better. Espares sell the replacement hotpoint ones.

[Natsku]

Never had to replace one but I don't drop the cutlery in from a height, I put in carefully (to make sure none of them are too close otherwise they might not wash properly). I put sharp knives blade down and everything else handle down (except for little teaspoons as the handles would slip through)

[HandbagFan]

We've just put our second new one in after 6yrs. We're obviously heathens too!

[Pouncival]

I have a Miele with cutlery tray at the top - the racks all need replacing now as they are starting to rust in places but to be fair it is 12 years old

[user1486076969]

Never replaced one....all cutlery goes (blade/fork) in sharp bit down.

[londonrach]

New one to me. Never knew you replaced that bit. Ive knew dish washers for 30 years and can say 100% first ive ever heard of it.

[Flumplet]

Hmm. Thinking about it I guess we could do with a new cutlery basket. It does have a couple of holes. I'd never contemplated a replacement basket to be fair. We have had our dishwasher for about 7 years or so. Maybe a bit more. I thought this was going to be about the basket falling over when you try to fill it. That's annoying too. Every single time.

[Redpriestandmozart]

I'd rather replace baskets (about twice a year) because we always put knives point down rather than saving the baskets and having sharp knives pointing upwards to take our eyes out or fall and stab ourselves on them!!!

[kel1493]

My dad has had his dishwasher for 15 years or so and never replaced the basket..

[woodhill]

Never but no have cutlery shelf on new dishwasher

[DancingLedge]

Having now given this issue the serious thought it deserves, I am quite certain that the cutlery basket replacing years have a temporal coincidence with the um, "livelier" teenage years.

As the plastic is not, as far as I know, directly affected by teen hormone surges, my working hypothesis involves the effect of hormonal changes on the height of the cutlery above the basket when the teen chooses to release the item.

[camelfinger]

Never known one to get holes in before. Current one is 6 years old. Cutlery sticks up except for sharp knives which point down. I like cutlery trays in holiday homes where you only wash a few items at a time but in real life I'd be too lazy to lay things out individually, even with all the space it'd save.

[Socksey]

Never had to replace mine and I always put the knives pointy end down to stop myself getting cut every time I unload it...

[jarhead123]

Never replaced ours?

[BarbaraofSeville]

In about 15 years of dishwasher ownership we've never damaged a basket and it's always been handles down for cutlery, except blade down for sharp knives. Not dropped from height because that makes them bounce out again, which is annoying.

The cutlery tray sounds like hard work to be honest, but seeing as we currently have a 2 YO Bosch, I hope a new dishwasher is a long way away, old one, which was a mid range hotpoint, was around 13 YO when it died.

You can usually get spares from the manufacturer, partmaster.co.uk or espares or search for your model number to possibly find other suppliers. Usually expensive though but there could be second hand ones on ebay - I've sold turntables from microwaves before for a few quid. I'm now kicking myself that I didn't think to sell the cutlery basket from the old dishwasher, it seems there is a market for them - who knew?

[CointreauVersial]

We got holes in ours, and had to replace it.

It was partly due to sharp knives dropped from a height, but also had a lot to do with the plastic components - they pretty much rotted and degraded - that included the wheels for all the racks. Everything went brittle and crumbly.

[Pouncival]

No, the cutlery tray isn't hard work - I'd never go back to a traditional basket now

[Twofurrycats]

2 dishwashers since 1999. Never replaced cutlery thing.

[Salmotrutta]

No, no no to the basket!

I have a Miele with a tray.

That tray has been admired by many a visitor to our house.

They have Cutlery Tray Envy.

[Ethylred]

This thread screams for a diagram.

[Huldra]

You're savages.

We ditch the wierd lid to the basket pretty quick, does anyone put each fork into an individual space? We've had the odd small crack to the side but nothing that means the basket is no longer fully functional. We chuck things in at speed and with no thought.

Now I'm wondering how we ever got cracks on the side.

[DramaAlpaca]

We must be savages too.

We went through three cutlery baskets during the 18 year life of our previous dishwasher, a Bosch. I also had to replace basket wheels that wore out.

Current dishwasher is three years old and we haven't needed to change the basket yet.

[CatsRidingRollercoasters]

Salmotrutta I too am in your tray club, except mine is a Whirlpool. I love it and so do my visitors. Sometimes I rearrange it for no reason, just because I can.

OP, back in my pre Whirlpool days of baskets in dishwashers, I never ever had this problem. I always used to put forks pointing up. Knives have to point down though! My SIL told me that someone was once killed when they fell on their dishwasher and a sharp knife was pointing up. I don't know if it's true or an urban myth but I took note and it was always blades down after that.

[WeShouldOpenABar]

Are you one of the posters from the thread about wearing knickers and jeans loops out by pulling them up, do these groups intersect, are they a new species who do not know their own strength!