Dishwasher Advice - Aurora,IL

I have a high end KitchenAid and Love it. Mine is white on outside and stainless on inside. I paid more than 600-800, closer to $1400 but it has been worth every penny.

Stay away from Maytag.. I bought their top of the line and it died within 3 yrs. Horrible machine.

I did a lot of research about 6 months ago, and ended up with a KitchenAid. I forget the exact model number, but it's really really quiet, it cleans well, and it has heated dry. I like it alot.

I did consider a Bosch too, but decided against it for 2 reasons 1) no heated dry and 2) the tines on the bottom shelf are really close together. I actually took a few dishes to the store with me, and found that I couldn't get my bowls to fit on the bottom rack at all because the tines are too close. And even my plates, which have a small ridge around the edge, didn't fit well. No sense in buying a dishwasher that won't fit my dishes!

ETA: To contribute to Suz's comment - one model of the KitchenAid has a potscrubber, where there is an extra super power jet in a particular spot in the dishwasher. You set your really baked-on dish in the spot and pick the potscrubber option, and it will superclean that dish. It's not unique to KitchenAid, several other brands also have something similar.

funny you should post this, i was thinking about posting a question on this subject.
we've got a middle-of-the-road whirlpool. it does just fine (i use the heated dry on every cycle), easy to load, relatively quiet, no problems. but i pre-soak and wash everything. my husband (and sons and brothers who cycle in and out of the spare room) roll their eyes at me as if i'm being obsessive, but i'm the queen of hating housework and don't do anything above and beyond what's absolutely necessary- and since i do the dishes 99% of the time, i know what's necessary. and if there's crusted or baked-on or dried stuff on the dishes, they don't come out clean. and if there's one thing i dislike more than doing dishes, it's RE-washing them.
one of my BFFs just told me about a kitchen aide dishwasher she just bought. we've discussed before our unhappy need to pre-wash our dishes, and the dishwasher being more of a final-polish-and-disinfect tool. but she says her new dishwasher can take a casserole with shepherd's pie hard-baked onto the sides and get it sparkling clean without her touching it beforehand.
to me it sounds like unicorns and a congress that works. some things are just beyond belief.
so, not wanting to highjack your question, but i hope your suggestions include some discussion as to how well people's dishwashers actually work!
ETA, thanks, nickname!
:) khairete
S.

If you want a new one, go for it. We have a Bosch and it's been very serviceable and quiet.

However, any dishwasher can get gunk built up in the washer arms so the little holes are clogged up. We used to throw in an occasional jar for recycling (peanut butter jars and tuna fish cans especially) since it seemed to use less water than all that hot water with hand washing. But the dishwasher repair guy told us that it's not just the food residue that gets inside the sprayer arms but also the glue from the labels. So we stopped that.

You can remove the sprayer arm and clean it out with hot soapy water and (carefully) using a skewer or other pointy item to clean out the holes.

Sometimes the rubber gaskets that seal the door wear out and bits of black rubber are circulating around in the wash water. And of course make sure the soap container is opening all the way and at the early part of the wash cycle. It might be worth $50 or $75 to have a local appliance repair person come in and give it a once over before you drop $500.

If you're determined to get a new one, you might want to give Consumer Reports a quick look - they can often give you a head's up on best buys and repair records. We also have a local Sears outlet for clearance items and many of my friends have negotiated a good deal with them because they really want to get rid of stuff. You don't always have to pay the list price just because it's already a markdown from the sales floor price.

I have a Kenmore Elite that is white with stainless steel inside (it matches my other appliances). It also has the button on the very top of the door so no one will accidently turn it on (got it when my daughter was 4).

It cleans well and the inside stays clean. If it gets streaky inside I run it empty with vinegar. I have never had a problem with the drain clogging but I clear off any food debris before I load it (just scraping is fine).

We spent up to $1000 (maybe a little more) but the have similar models for less.

Go online and check out models that you like and read the reviews or go to consumer reports.

I'm really happy with our Kenmore. I don't think it's as fancy as Jackie's Kenmore but it works really well. I occasionally do a vinegar rinse as well.

Whatever you buy, make sure it has a disposal feature and that you don't need to rinse the dishes before you put them in. With today's technology it's completely unnecessary, and a waste of time and water. I never rinse, just scrape off excess, and the dishes come out completely clean.

We always consult Consumer Reports before making an appliance purchase.
Our dishwasher has a heated drying option - we never use it.
Most the time we just open the door when it finishes and let it air dry.
Plastic stuff never melts this way.

Love LOVE L O V E our Bosch!

I, too, was suspicious of the drying cycle but the stainless steel interior gets so hot you don't need an additional heater. Plus, not having that heating ring allows us to put plastics in the bottom rack without melting.

It's incredibly quiet, does an excellent job and I don't rinse much of anything before putting 'em in (the occasional really sloppy, saucy plate is an exception). We've had this beast for probably 4 or 5 years now and have never had a minute's trouble.

We use Method detergent tablets and have found them to be so much better than other brands. No residue. No etching of the glasses. Much better than the Cascade we used to use.

I never thought I'd get so excited about an appliance -- but I really like this one!

I have owned 2 houses that had Bosch dishwashers, and 4 houses that haven't (we've had Kitchen Aid, GE, Hotpoint, and Kenmore). By FAR the Bosch were the best. The dishes came out very clean, no issues with plastic items drying, and they are VERY quiet. So quiet that they come with a little light that shines on the floor when they are working, because otherwise you can't hear them at all. You should be able to get a nice Bosch for $600-800.

ETA: Our Kitchen Aid dishwasher was a distant second to the Bosch, mostly because the door on the stainless model is very heavy, and the hinge mechanism is plastic. We had ours break several times, which was a hassle. It was also much louder than the Bosch. It did get the dishes clean though.

It has to have a disposal in the drain. That's a must.

Went to Sears and looked at their options. The guy laughed at me when I said I wanted one with a disposal. He thought there wasn't such a thing. We left. I went in a few days later to pick up the stove I'd ordered and the same guy came up to me and told me he'd done his research and found out I was right, he thought I'd been making a joke. He was really nice about it.

We've bought several appliances at Sears and Lowes and got what we paid for. Name brands are best. The ones that have excellent reputations aren't always the best so figure out what you want then go compare prices.

I wanted racks that didn't break down and rust so we got one that has...the racks are coated with a substance that is heavy duty and doesn't come off, either an enamel type or heavy plastic, I can't remember but we've had it years and years and it still looks new inside.

I also wanted one with it's own water heater. This keeps the hot water in the water heater for baths and stuff.

There are many options out there for sure!

I have a bosch and hate it hate it hate. the inside is stainless. dark and dreary inside. It has streaks of what looks like soap on the bottom of the unit. which it should not have after all the rinse cycles. i have contacted the service department and had them out. you can't have anything at all touching the walls of the unit so a pc of silverware, or a bowl or pan handle etc. It took us forever to get the setting right for the rinse agent. the only soap we have found you can use is the finish stuff in the gel packs. liquid leaves a film on everything and the hard soap packs don't completely disolve. when we replace it I will be getting one that is white inside. Bottom line for me it is the worst dishwasher I have ever had.

there is one upside and that is that the top rack can be moved higher and lower.

We purchased a Viking 10 years ago and LOVE it! It's stainless inside and out, has several washing/drying cycle options and is very quiet. They're not cheap...$1400+, but worth every penny. It's the best dishwasher we've ever owned.

Glad you posted this. I HATE my dishwasher. It's a Frigidaire and a complete p.o.s. Honest to God the dishes come out dirtier than go in sometimes, with a fine coating of a gritty, gray, greasy film on everything. I don't know why we bother using it at this point. A new one is high on my wishlist so I'll be watching this thread for suggestions!

Bosch is the best.

BUT--you may simply be using too much soap.
And you should only use powder or powder packs.
No liquid.
No gel.

I'd try a good cleaning, with vinegar them see if that helps.
Should last longer than 10 years.

I would not reco LG, as many repair places don't service them.

I have no suggestions about replacing it but have you tried deep cleaning it? My daughter's friend bought a house and the dishwasher was old and didn't work well. They didn't have the money to replace it so she took it apart and cleaned it. Worked perfectly after that.
http://www.wikihow.com/Clean-and-Maintain-a-Dishwasher