So what do I need to know before buying a dishwasher?

[SpeedyGonzalez]

Should I just buy a Bosch? Or is one Bosch really that much better than another?

Also what stuff are you meant to put in the machines - stuff to clean the dishes, stuff to clean the dishwasher, etc etc.

TIA.

bump!

You need a dishwasher where you can take out the filter and rinse out any gunky bits of food that get trapped. Otherwise I think they're much of a muchness. Bosch are good when you have a kitchen / living area as they are super quiet.

Thanks for that tip, anonymosity!

Get one that has a slide out cutlery drawer at the top. It cleans the cutlery better than a basket where it's all in together.

i buy tablets when they are on offer (particularly like fairy ones) and also have rinse aid and dishwasher salt (use supermarket own make of both of them). I occasionally run a dishwasher cleaner through it too. We have a bosch one with a cutlery tray and it is super quiet.

I have had a bosch since 1994 (shh don't say that out loud)

Measure the gap and allow for the pipework behind. Our old slimline Bosch was far better than the Siemens one we inherited with the house. lots of brands are the same as each other ie Bosch/Neff - and the parts are the same. We use the basic tablets.

Get a full size one, even if you think you don't create that much washing up. DH and I put our full size one on at least once (often twice) every day and there are only the two of us (well, plus DD but she's still ebf).

Ours has a cutlery tray (soooooo much better than a basket - no constant tipping over of the basket, and lots more room for pans and stuff - and it cleans the cutlery better) but it's a Miele. My mum has a Bosch though and she loves it. She's had it quite a while and it's been no trouble (have probably cursed it by saying that).

Thanks so much, everyone! I didn't know any of this stuff before.

Check that your mugs fit in properly. We bought ours online and the glasses and things just don't sit right in the top drawer. You might look a bit odd in the shop trying it out but that's what I am doing next time we buy one!

I'm on my 3rd Bosch - many years each & they have all been wonderful.

You generally only get a cutlery tray with a Miele, & IMO the extra cost isn't worth it, even though they do last a lifetime or so Anyway I find the baskets are fine, I always put forks tines up (if not they can poke right through the bottom & stop the spray arm going round) but everything else points down, just make sure spoons don't nest.

Aldi d/w tabs are cheap & recommended by Which.

If you live in a soft water area you don't need salt or whatever.

Not true about Miele and cutlery trays. I have a Neff dishwasher (about 18 months old) and it has one.

Supplier told me that Miele invented cutlery trays and had the patent for 10 years. It ran out around two years ago so you should be able to get one in a dishwasher. Mine wasn't in the Miele price range.

Ah so would you recommend Neff, pip? Am sold on the cutlery drawer thing.

I'd say get a slimline. We are 5 and it's sufficient. No need to wait to get it filled before setting it on.

If you're in Scotland you don't need dishwasher salt. You only need it in hard water areas.

We got a tabletop years ago (Bosch...) when I decided that moving in with now-dh was a bad idea with respect to washing-up!

It's still going happily. Yes it could be larger (we don't have room for saucepans etc) but have no complaints, it uses powder (tabs don't fit!) and uses less than a big one, too.
I remember putting it in place, opening the bag of detergent and wondering what on earth rinse aid was. And having to go back out to the shops!

If it broke I'd break the land speed record down to the nearest dealer...

Beware though, I was warned by one friend that a well-known supermarket's own brand detergent ate the glaze off her mugs. I hastily switched to Finish and have had no problem apart from one plate, which is an old arcopal glass one and the pattern is coming off. But its twin is fine, so prob a duff one.

we are 4 persons and have a tabletop one from Zanussi.
only had it a few months but it works well. it runs every day and fits in most of our stuff, only large pans are handwashed (but they are not dishwasher safe anyway).
it takes the normal tabs and large plates are not a problem.
dh has got a "packing diploma" an stacks it very well

Bosch here too and I love it! :)

Make sure you have water in to the machine sorted and you'll need a waste pipe too. Something they didn't say when we bought ours!

It was the cheapest full size bosch one in John Lewis and is fab. Everything goes in it and you can adjust the height of the top drawer- v useful for big plates on the bottom or tall glasses on the top.
We only ever use the quick cycle and it cleans saucepans brilliantly on that!

I also love "Mr Bosch" as he is affectionately known in our house. There are 3 of us, but I fill it practically every day, as our saucepans are dishwashable.

Don't get a Smeg! Crap, crap, crap you run the dishwasher on the tough cycle, then get all the dishes out and wash them by hand because not one is clean.

Before that I had a Bosch, that was fab, only got rid of it when getting a new kitchen, and it cost half the price of the Smeg.

We have a John Lewis one (which I believe are actually made by AEG-Electrolux.) I'm very pleased with it.

You don't need really expensive tablets - I find Lidl's basic ones are just as good as Finish and less than £2 for 30 tabs.

You will also need dishwasher salt to soften the water and in a hard water area it will need topping up fairly often (I do ours monthly).

Don't buy expensive dishwasher cleaners, soda crystals do the same job for pennies. Make sure you clean around the seals and the filter regularly and also clean the holes in the spray arms as they get clogged with food bits and scale.

I put everything in ours; wooden spoons, saucepans, the washing machine drawer, the hob racks.

What you need to know before buying a dishwasher is that DISHWASHERS ARE A BIG CON.

You have to load them, unload them, clean half the things again, extend your kitchen to allow space for drying all the plastic things that don't dry, you still have to do the washing up anyway because half your stuff isn't dishwasher safe or there isn;t room for it. You need a PhD in Tetris to load the bastard thing. Your glasses won't fit. Your plastic cups will go cloudy. All it's good for is washing plates, some cutlery and basic mugs which are the easiest things to wash anyway. It's like if you were about to sit an exam in advanced astro-chemistry and someone said "Hey! I can help! Give me £200 and I'll... take the lid off your biro for you!" And then it took them 3 hours to take the farking lid off and they roared loudly the whole time they were doing it. Thanks for that.

Yuno whaaaaaat?!!!!

Love your exam analogy...but I think you might need a new one. Or turn it up to "top whack" or "slightly less eco" or whatever your high setting is called.

(Although I have that with the work one...we all have to rinse our plates before loading it, god forbid if you put something in it that's actually dirty.)

My Bosch came with a diagram on how to put all the stuff in. We can't get as much as they did in, but we have a damn good try.

If the DW doesn't clean something, we stick it back in for the next night. Family of 3, run it once a day. We use the 30 minute cycle unless we have pans in which case it's the 2-hour "eco" setting. Best kitchen appliance EVER!!!

Yes, I am happy with my Neff and the cutlery drawer was my main requirement. I wouldn't want to have a small one. It's great when you have people round to dinner and can throw the stuff in the dishwasher, turn it on and go to bed. (yeah, that's probably not so safe but I do it anyway).

mine is normally put on a bedtime too (my Bosch has a cutlery tray too). I rarely have to rewash things after dishwashing them and dry plastic items with a tea towel if they havent dried properly.