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Housekeeping

Find cleaning advice from other Mumsnetters on our Housekeeping forum.

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Original poster

Are dishwashers any good?

63 replies

skydance · 04/01/2011 14:51

We don't really have room in our kitchen for a dishwasher, but I'm wondering if we should see if we can somehow sqeeze one in as the washing up really seems to be taking up a lot of time and it looks so messy, it's silly but we have 3 children and there just always seems to be so much of it.

Do they really save you any time though, or do you find it takes ages to load and unload, and then half the dishes are dirty anyway. Do you have to rinse everything off first? I really haven't got a clue, never had any experience at all of dishwashers.

What do you think, is it worth losing cupboard space in our tiny kitchen for one.

OP posts:

StopTalkingAndEatYourDinner · 04/01/2011 21:46

do it! They are the best invention in the world!

extremelychocolateymilkroll · 04/01/2011 22:40

Definitely get one. Have had ours for almost a year now. I was also in two minds about how much time it would save but after spending Christmas at my mum's and washing by hand - especially the baby's bottles - I would say to go for it. Sometimes when you are rearranging dishes to fit the last couple of things in it can take longer than to wash them but apart from that it is definitely longer - and I rinse the dishes as even though I have a Miele stains don't always come off if they are not rinsed. It's lovely to have the dirty dishes out of view.

McHobbes · 04/01/2011 22:41

Yes yes and thrice YES!

madrush · 04/01/2011 22:45

yes, do it

Got my dishwasher repaired today after 2 weeks without it. It's so nice to have it back.

Before we moved here and inherited it, I didn't see the point of dishwashers. But they do work. If normal eating/drinking stuff comes out dirty then something's wrong with it. Sometimes struggles to cope with cooking pots etc but a soak and brush first is normally enough.

Grockle · 04/01/2011 22:46

Another yes. I wouldn't be without mine. My last one was a slimline and I could fit loads in it. Current one is a cheap (beko I think) and it's fine. I never rinse plates , just scrape off big bits and put them in the dishwasher and it all comes out sparkly. The only time it's not so good at cleaning is when it needs more salt and that is easy to remedy. Definitely get one!

DiscoDaisy · 04/01/2011 22:48

Wouldn't be without mine!

Needanewname · 05/01/2011 08:41

So have we all convinced you yet?!

Original poster

skydance · 05/01/2011 13:56

That's a landslide yes then!

You've definately all convinced me, that's it, we're getting one.

Will forget the tabletop, suspect it would be on all day and still not manage to get everything through, we'll try to get a full sized one in but if not sounds like slimline will be better than nothing. DH had the tape measure out last night and was muttering away in the kitchen, he seems to think he should be able to get the full size in.

As for saving our marriage, I know what you mean needanewname it's getting a bit like that here, think that's why DH was determined to fit the proper full size one in

OP posts:

Kewcumber · 05/01/2011 14:01

If you find your washing machine "useful" then you will find a dishwasher teh same - if you think sorting clothes, putting the washing machine on and hanging them up afterwards is too much effort and you prefer to hand wash them then a dishwasher probably isn;t for you... I know which camp I'm in.

LadyOfTheFlowers · 05/01/2011 14:04

Mine is usually, but is playing up at the mo, and I recently emptied him of an eggs' worth of shell and 2 bobby pins... he is still playing me up!

Honestly don't know what else to try.

When they work well, yes. When for whatever reason they don't, it's very dissapointing when they haven't washed properly - as bad as an underdone baked potato kind of dissapointing. :(

notcitrus · 05/01/2011 14:06

Hell yes!
Got one when we moved in together (unexpected bonus in the flat) and it was the first thing we bought when we bought a flat.
10 years on the Bosch is still running well, just a couple bits of plastic needed replacing which cost under a fiver plus postage!

Can't understand people who have dishwashers and then wash up pots and pans and glasses separately - chuck it all in! Just make sure the sprayers can get water into it all.

orienteerer · 05/01/2011 14:06

Yes, yes, yes

Rhian82 · 05/01/2011 14:22

Yes definitely!

We rent, so we've never been able to have one before, but our current rented house has a slimline one and it's the most wonderful thing ever. Slimline one isn't perfect and we sometimes have to do more than one wash a day, but definitely definitely worth it.

craftynclothy · 05/01/2011 14:34

On the fence here. Dh loves it. I could take it or leave it.

IMO it doesn't take long to load up (maybe just a bit of fiddling around if you've a lot of random bits to fit in), in fact that's one of the better things about it cos you can stick stuff in during the day until you have a full load and it's not sitting about looking messy. Stuff doesn't need rinsed, though I tend to rinse stuff like mashed potato off the pan and that sort of thing.

OTOH I find there's often one or two items that don't go in the dishwasher that need doing by hand, though if it's something that won't "break" (like wine glasses) I stick it in anyway (figure if it gets wrecked it's an excuse to buy a dishwasher proof one). I also find I often stab myself on the cutlery when unloading.

The main issue I have with it though is it takes 2.5hours to do a wash and then all the plastic stuff is wet (like kids' plates/bowls/beakers) and of course that's all on the top shelf so it drips onto the stuff below and I find I have to dry most stuff when emptying

Kewcumber · 05/01/2011 14:37

you don;t need to "load" it! Just put your plates etc in teh dishwasher instead of the sink.

aristocat · 05/01/2011 14:40

yes and yes ...... cant imagine washing up!

minervaitalica · 05/01/2011 15:25

2,5 hrs to do a wash???? Crafty, that cannot be right - my mum has one that takes ages and it's never more than an hour. Mine is more like 30-45 mins depending on the cycle. And I would not buy or rent a house without one, full stop. Things come out much cleaner anyway.

On word of warning: I think cheap dishwashers are a false economy - I have tries 5 in different flats and houses I lived in, and the more expensive ones (Bosch/Siemens) did a much betterjob.

craftynclothy · 05/01/2011 15:42

Yes, 2.5hours. It's a Siemens one (not a cheapy) and the guy in John Lewis really rated it. He said he always uses the "Auto" setting as it detects how dirty the plates are and how full the machine is and works out the right temp and time for the wash and it is always 2.5 hours .

PuppyMonkey · 05/01/2011 15:50

I have a smashing DeLonghi one with two separate deep drawers so you can put the top half on, or the bottom half, or both together. I am in love with it.

Grockle · 05/01/2011 21:16

Yeah, mine takes a good 2.5 hrs (longer, I reckon) BUT I put it on overnight, whilst I am pottering in the garden or when I go out (I know you aren't meant to do that) so it's not a big problem. I LOVE that it cleans mucky pans and leaves glasses sparkling with no effort at all.

mousymouse · 06/01/2011 08:54

the eco setting on ours (zanussi table top) also takes that long.
but according to the manual the auto setting only uses half a liter of water more and the same amount of energy and takes 80 min or so.
since we are renting it is installed at the kitchen sink, so we only let it run over night as the tap is used by the mashine...

Original poster

skydance · 06/01/2011 09:43

mousy how do you find the table top, do you manage to get all the days washing up in? Do you think it would be any good at all for 5 people?

I'm thinking we need the bigger size, although the table top would be so much easier to fit in, wonder if I could just plonk full sized one on work top

OP posts:

mousymouse · 06/01/2011 09:56

we are 2 adults + 2 dc and manage to get almost everything in. it easily fits 10 plates plus cups and cutlery, but I have to admit dh has got a "packing diploma" so is very good at stacking.
we put it on once a day and really makes a difference!
the only thing we wash by hand now is large pots and pans that can't go in a d/w anyway.

Hassled · 06/01/2011 09:58

I don't know how I survived without one. We got our very first the December before last - when it broke this December (luckily just within the year) I was distraught - I was actually thinking "but how am I going to clean the dishes now?" :o.

reallywoundup · 07/01/2011 08:52

couldn't live without one, never mind the spakly dishes... how would you make toffee vodka without one

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