# Talk to me about dishwashers. **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 13, 2015, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talk-to-me-about-dishwashers/717534 "2015-04-13T01:38:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![sandra\_nz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eada6e/32.png) [@sandra\_nz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sandra_nz)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2015, 9:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talk-to-me-about-dishwashers/717534/21 "2015-04-13T09:51:09Z")
Sounds like you’re good to go then! This is the model we bought and we’re very happy with it so far: > **[Very | Womens, Mens and Kids Fashion, Furniture, Electricals & More!](https://www.very.co.uk/?_requestid=36734)** > > Discover fashion, home, tech & more online with a choice of ways to pay and next day delivery with click & collect. Download our app for exclusive offers ---
**Author:** ![Tabby\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Tabby\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tabby_Cat)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2015, 10:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talk-to-me-about-dishwashers/717534/22 "2015-04-13T10:16:22Z")
Ah cool. This is the one that we’re gotten [http://www.bosch-home.com.sg/store/product/SMS50E82EU/SMS50E82EU](http://www.bosch-home.com.sg/store/product/SMS50E82EU/SMS50E82EU) They all seem rather similar actually. I was actually wondering if the brand or model actually made any difference at all. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2015, 10:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talk-to-me-about-dishwashers/717534/23 "2015-04-13T10:38:47Z")
> [@Tabby\_Cat](#): > > They all seem rather similar actually. I was actually wondering if the brand or model actually made any difference at all. Yes it does. My parents’ last Miele dishwasher was still going strong after over 15 years, probably over 20. The Candy dishwasher that came with my flat failed after 3-4 years. ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2015, 10:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talk-to-me-about-dishwashers/717534/24 "2015-04-13T10:57:47Z")
We have a Bosch. It’s very quiet. I have now run out of good things to say about it. Before we had a relatively basic GE. It was noisier but faster, roomier and cleaned better. ---
**Author:** ![GrumpyBunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bc8723/32.png) [@GrumpyBunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrumpyBunny)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2015, 11:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talk-to-me-about-dishwashers/717534/25 "2015-04-13T11:55:52Z")
> [@Rick](#): > > Wait. What? Your putting it where? > In my experience DW come one of three ways > > 1. Built in with a single door hinged at the bottom > 2. Portable basically same as #1 with wheels and a cabinet. > 3. Built in with drawers > I can’t see how any of these could be installed above a washing machine. 😛 Oh, how the options have changed! [Example](http://www.lnt.com/product/kitchen-appliances/796131-2379027/danby-ddw611wled-countertop-electronic-dishwasher.html?utm_source=googleproductads&utm_medium=cpc). ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2015, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talk-to-me-about-dishwashers/717534/26 "2015-04-15T16:56:22Z")
Plastic stuff: only on the top rack. The hot water comes in hottest on the bottom and can melt some plastics. Soap / detergent: as long as you use something designed for a dishwasher, it shouldn’t matter. Tablets / packets are easier, is all. Do **not** use the same stuff you use for handwashing. At best it will cause an unholy mess. Might even damage the machine. Nonstick: It may shorten the life of the pot/pan, as there’s some abrasion going on (not sure if the detergent has abrasives, or it’s from food particles). I handwash nonstick stuff just to be on the safe side - fortunately, being nonstick, that’s easy. Also makes more room in the dishwasher for plates / bowls. Cutlery: I wouldn’t hesitate to put anything stainless steel in there, good quality or dime-store cheap. I don’t wash my sterling silver in there because I fear ruining it (though my mom always did so). Supposedly, you REALLY don’t want to put the sterling in if you have any stainless utensils in the same load. Wooden handled utensils: I have ruined several nice cooking utensils (stainless, but with polished wood handles) because the dishwasher strips off the finish and the handles eventually dry out and splinter. I have a couple of unfinished handle things (a whisk, one cheap knife) that go in there - they’ve held up OK, and I don’t care if they get ruined. “shelf over clothes washer”??? Are you getting a countertop model or something? Those are quite rare in the US, in fact I didn’t know they existed until a year or so ago. A full-sized dishwasher would NOT do well over another appliance - how would you reach it?? ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2015, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talk-to-me-about-dishwashers/717534/27 "2015-04-15T17:13:51Z")
Moved into a house with an 18" model, thought it’d be a pain! Could not have been more wrong. The thing is awesome, still holds tons of dishes and, though we really tested it in our first years here with rather heavy usage, it has just powered on beautifully. Has lasted better than any full size ived owned. I’ll never go back to full size. As I have a very small kitchen it’s the bomb! ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2015, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talk-to-me-about-dishwashers/717534/28 "2015-04-15T18:37:18Z")
> [@Tabby\_Cat](#): > > So I live in Singapore, and it’s not customary for people to have dishwashers here. Still, we have 2 children, and really, it would be nice to not have to wash dishes ever again. While it does not eliminate washing dishes it gets rid of most dishwashing and frees the sink. Dirty dishes go directly in the dishwasher, they don’t touch the sink. However some people do like to clean their dishes in the sink before they put them in the dishwasher. When you take them out you may have to hand clean something every once in a while. > [@](#): > > However, nobody I know of has a dishwasher, and I don’t know the first thing about them, except that they wash my dishes. Tips? > A few questions to start off - is it true that you can’t wash non-stick stuff in them?I just got a non-stick rice cooker, and I would be slightly sad if I had to hand wash only that thing. You can dishwasher those things, you will likely get some reduced life out of them, but it is pretty common that everything goes into the dishwasher. > [@](#): > > Do I have to use the proprietary tablet dishwashing soap, or can I use something else? Automatic dishwasher detergent, either tablets, powder or liquid. Sometimes it takes some trials to find which one works best. > [@](#): > > I’m probably getting a Bosch dishwasher, and they sales guy said to use their tablets. Can I just use the loose powder instead? Seems a lot cheaper. I don’t think it would mind, but again you will have to see how your dishes come out. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2015, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talk-to-me-about-dishwashers/717534/29 "2015-04-16T01:35:50Z")
> [@Mama\_Zappa](#): > > Nonstick: It may shorten the life of the pot/pan, as there’s some abrasion going on (not sure if the detergent has abrasives, or it’s from food particles). I handwash nonstick stuff just to be on the safe side - fortunately, being nonstick, that’s easy. Also makes more room in the dishwasher for plates / bowls. We have yet to lose any nonstick surfaces to the dishwasher. So far, the handles of such cookware have always cracked and subsequently fallen off before the surface had a chance to deteriorate. Any pot without a 100% metal handle gets handwashed, nonstick or no. ---
**Author:** ![Tabby\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Tabby\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tabby_Cat)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2015, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talk-to-me-about-dishwashers/717534/30 "2015-04-16T14:08:18Z")
The dishwasher is in! [http://imgur.com/ygcalZd](http://imgur.com/ygcalZd) The thing is super quiet - my wife and I were slightly concerned that the thing wasn’t working, but when I played my ear literally on the door of the thing I could hear some slight humming. So I guess it is working? Anyway, this is how I loaded it. Did I screw anything up? [http://imgur.com/PYBVzz5](http://imgur.com/PYBVzz5) ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2015, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talk-to-me-about-dishwashers/717534/31 "2015-04-16T17:10:35Z")
> [@Tabby\_Cat](#): > > The dishwasher is in! [Imgur: The magic of the Internet](http://imgur.com/ygcalZd) > > The thing is super quiet - my wife and I were slightly concerned that the thing wasn’t working, but when I played my ear literally on the door of the thing I could hear some slight humming. So I guess it is working? > > Anyway, this is how I loaded it. Did I screw anything up? > [Imgur: The magic of the Internet](http://imgur.com/PYBVzz5) You screwed up the order of the 2 pict links. But besides that it looks loaded OK. You want to make sure you are not covering any surface with another. The real test is how they come out, if the are clean you did it right, if not then you may want to try to keep it more open between items. Also if that is a pressure cooker, I would recommend not dishwashing the o-ring. It will eventually harden and crack and I do think the dishwasher accelerates that. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talk-to-me-about-dishwashers/717534.md?page=1)