Let's talk dishwashers! (1 Viewer)

[Citizen87645]

We've been using a Bosch Aventa for the last few months. It's been a bit of a process learning how to use it, but have finally settled on a consistent methodology that yields a good wash without defeating the energy and water saving purposes. A part of me still feels like the whole process is a major overthink considering the task (how are the dishes stacked, what kind of detergent to use, etc.), but that could be the vestiges of my immigrant community talking.

One of the main things I do is skip putting the detergent tab into the covered compartment and put it directly into the tray that the chamber releases the tab into after the pre-wash cycle. I was getting inconsistent results when putting it into the chamber, and the pre-wash doesn't dissolve the tablet that much, so I figured I'd just bypass it. It made a world of difference.

If I'm home, I also crack the door open after the cycle is done to let the steam vent out and the dishes dry much faster. This also spares me having to use a separate rinse aid, which I tend to see as a bit of a ploy for more product sales (and who needs the additional chemicals?).

 

[Stan]

We've been using a Bosch Aventa for the last few months. It's been a bit of a process learning how to use it, but have finally settled on a consistent methodology that yields a good wash without defeating the energy and water saving purposes. A part of me still feels like the whole process is a major overthink considering the task (how are the dishes stacked, what kind of detergent to use, etc.), but that could be the vestiges of my immigrant community talking.

One of the main things I do is skip putting the detergent tab into the covered compartment and put it directly into the tray that the chamber releases the tab into after the pre-wash cycle. I was getting inconsistent results when putting it into the chamber, and the pre-wash doesn't dissolve the tablet that much, so I figured I'd just bypass it. It made a world of difference.

If I'm home, I also crack the door open after the cycle is done to let the steam vent out and the dishes dry much faster. This also spares me having to use a separate rinse aid, which I tend to see as a bit of a ploy for more product sales (and who needs the additional chemicals?).

I also crack the door when things are done, just an old habit. Never have used the tablet things, have friends who have had to many problems with them, good old powder for me.

Also agree with the rinse aid. Never noticed a difference with or without it, think it's kind of a scam.

One of the weirdest things I found out, after complaining to the manufacturer, is don't pre-rinse your dishes. Get rid of the big, 3-D stuff, but for the best results, leave them fairly messy. The newer machines measure how much gunk is coming off, adjust accordingly and they almost all have food grinders. If you put them in already almost clean, the dishwasher won't run as long and they come out terrible.

Have a neighbor who only runs her dishwasher to sterilize jars when she cans stuff in the fall. Everything else she does by hand. Hundreds of gallons of hot water going down the drain every month, constantly complaining about her gas bill, yet refuses to believe me when I tell her how little water her dishwasher would use. I finally gave up.

Also, don't go cheap with a dishwasher. I didn't pay attention, just told the salesman I wanted a decent, mid-level cost machine. Wrong.... Found out later it doesn't have adjustable shelves so certain tall plates or glasses won't fit. It's an appliance that you may use for 20 years so get the right one.

 

[Citizen87645]

Yes, the Bosch manual says not to rinse, just scrape off the large stuff. However, we tend to run a load every three to four days, so the smell can be pretty bad towards the end. Fortunately, there's also a separate rinse cycle just for that purpose, so doing a pre-rinse of a half load is still better than a few at a time.

I also read that the "auto" cycle may provide the best performance (at the cost of some energy / water savings) as the energy numbers are based on the "normal" cycle but may not ultimately provide the best wash.

 

[Stan]

Being a lazy bachelor, everything goes in the dishwasher. Add some soap powder and run "Ultra Scrub", which heats the water. It's so incredibly quiet compared to the old "jet engine" I had, I'll often set the timer so it comes on at maybe 3 a.m. Don't have to worry about running the water until it's hot, it will take care of itself.

My older one only took about 45 minutes, this one can be 2 1/2 hours, but worth it.

 

[Alf S]

We like our Bosch, not a fan of cleaning the filter, but oh well. LOL. We have the little red light that shines on the floor to tell us the dishwasher is working. Only thing I wish they did was make it where that the light changes to green when the dishwasher is done. Many times we forget we had run it the night before and open it to put in dirty stuff and realize, no, it's full of clean dishes to unload.

 

[The Drifter]

Bumping another older thread due to the subject matter being interesting/relevant to me.

When I moved to my most recent place back in 2000, there was a GREAT Sears Kenmore (I think) dishwasher already installed - which was only 2 years old at that point. It was fantastic, with excellent water pressure & really cleaned everything very well.

Unfortunately, this crapped out circa 2012, and I got a new, far inferior model not long after. I had several issues with this:

1) For some reason (possibly the way it was installed) it ruined my garbage disposal. I.e., each time it washed dishes the water in the garbage disposal would back up, eventually leading to the motor on the disposal burning out.

2) The water pressure was weak, and it never cleaned my dishes as well as my older dishwasher; glasses would have a 'film' on them, etc. In addition, it permanently stained (w/a white filmy substance) several of my plastic utensils.

As it turned out, this new dishwasher broke after only about 1 1/2 years (not long after the warranty expired - typical). And, since I had such a bad experience with this, I never replaced it.

So, I wash all of my dishes by hand these days. And, I honestly prefer this - the dishes actually come out cleaner than they did with my last dishwasher.

That all being said, I have considered getting a better dishwasher at some point, but haven't done so. I've heard a lot of good things about Bosch (as mentioned in earlier posts), but the expense & the maintenance turn me off to some extent.

Bottom line: It's better to not have a dishwasher at all, than to have a crummy one.

 

[TJPC]

Watch using a timer! The connection of water to our dishwasher failed somehow and mid cycle the water came gushing into the machine at full pressure hot water poured out around the door onto the floor. Luckily we were home and able to stop it.

Result? Water almost ankle deep in the kitchen, and ruined ceiling in the basement. I shudder to think of what would have happened if we had used the timer!

 

[The Drifter]

Watch using a timer! The connection of water to our dishwasher failed somehow and mid cycle the water came gushing into the machine at full pressure hot water poured out around the door onto the floor. Luckily we were home and able to stop it.

Result? Water almost ankle deep in the kitchen, and ruined ceiling in the basement. I shudder to think of what would have happened if we had used the timer!

Good to know. Sorry to hear that this happened; I've had numerous water leaks in the house already that have caused a lot of damage over the years. All I need is to add a dishwasher leak to this. And, my understanding is that a dishwasher can potentially leak even when it's not running. This is actually another reason I don't have one.

 

[GB_TimD]

Hmmm, this is interesting. Do you have any tablets for the dishwasher?

 

[Johnny Angell]

We have a Bosch and it is quiet. It does a poor job on the utensils. It just doesn’t clean them well. I wonder if we’re doing something wrong?

 

[Citizen87645]

Do you put the utensils dirty side sticking up? That helps most of the time. You just have to be careful with knives and forks when unloading.

Interestingly, as the OP, we moved from our place with the Bosch a few years ago and the new place had a Whirlpool, which I found to better in many ways than the Bosch (seemed quieter, cleaned more consistently). But the Whirlpool just started acting up, and I'm going to just try hand washing dishes for awhile.

 

[TJPC]

In Hamilton, we are in the most populated area of Canada near Toronto. The nearest company to repair our LG dishwasher when under warranty was 1 hour away in St. Catherine’s. Any other company invalidated the guarantee. You also had to agree to pay their travel costs if they found your problem was not covered by warrantee. (or say your problem was something stupid like blown fuse)

Since the warrantee period is over, other companies are allowed to repair them, but it is very hard for them to get parts.

 

[Johnny Angell]

Do you put the utensils dirty side sticking up? That helps most of the time. You just have to be careful with knives and forks when unloading.

Interestingly, as the OP, we moved from our place with the Bosch a few years ago and the new place had a Whirlpool, which I found to better in many ways than the Bosch (seemed quieter, cleaned more consistently). But the Whirlpool just started acting up, and I'm going to just try hand washing dishes for awhile.

Yes, we put the business end up.

 

[ForsyDia]

Hmmm, this is interesting. Do you have any tablets for the dishwasher? My husband just gave me a dishwasher the month ago, but it turned out to be picky about detergents. If I fill it with dishwashing detergent, it will make a lot of foam. There was also the fact that I bought tablets for the dishwasher on shares. Then my dishwasher broke down. My husband and I took it for repairs, and we were told that it was beyond repair. Now my husband and I bought a new dishwasher here ianboer.com.au it looks like this. So you could advise me on good pills that won't hurt my dishwasher.

 

[KeithDA]

Many times we forget we had run it the night before and open it to put in dirty stuff and realize, no, it's full of clean dishes to unload.

My invention would be 'dishwashing cupboards' - then you don't even have to empty the dishwasher....