A couple of months ago I posted an Ask the Readers question about dishwashers. I needed to replace mine and asked you for thoughts on the best dishwasher to buy. Your comments and thoughts were so helpful. Thank you to everyone that left them.
If you are in need of a dishwasher I highly recommend you read through that post and comments. There are a lot of great ideas on what to buy and what not to buy. You can find the post by clicking here.
Several of you have emailed or left comments asking for an update on what I bought. I am sorry that it has taken me so long to write an update. Today I finally have one for you.
The dishwasher I was replacing was a Kitchen Aid. It was actually my second Kitchen Aid. I loved the first one I had. It lasted forever and cleaned great, so when it needed replaced we bought another Kitchen Aid. That was a mistake.
The second Kitchen Aid I had was a lemon. I am not sure if it was a bad model, just a bad dishwasher, or that Kitchen Aid dishwashers are just not what they used to be, but we had all kinds of problems with it. It was time for a new one, which is why I posted an Ask the Readers question. I needed help figuring out what to get because I did not want another Kitchen Aid.
Before I posted my Ask the Readers question I was already thinking about looking at Bosch dishwashers. Everyone I knew that had one loved it. Your comments confirmed that. Bosch was a brand that kept coming up over and over again.
My inlaws were one of the people that loved their Bosch. They had a Bosch years ago and my mother in law says it was the best dishwasher they ever owned. So Bosch was high on my list, but I was open to other brands and models.
When my husband and I went looking at dishwashers the sales people kept pointing us towards Bosch. We explained the problems that we had with our last Kitchen Aid, but also why we liked the Kitchen Aid and Bosch was the brand they kept showing us.
We also looked quite a bit at the GE Profile, LG, and Miele.
We ended up with a Bosch. The main reason we got a Bosch ended up being the price. We got a really good deal. They had several of the older, or what they considered older, models marked down in order to make room for new models. I did not care about having the latest model because there really was not that much difference, except in the price.
A good deal on a Bosch made the decision easy because I could get a Bosch for the same basic price of the other brands we were looking at.
I have only had it for a few months, so I can’t say for sure how I will like it long term, but so far I really like it. Time will tell if it holds up though and if I will continue to love it.
One of my main requirements on a dishwasher was that it had to be quiet. Our kitchen, eating area, and living room are all one big open room so there is already a lot of noise. I also have some hearing problems and don’t like a lot of background noise. A quiet dishwasher is a must.
The Bosch dishwasher is really quiet. Really quiet. I thought our Kitchen Aid dishwasher was quiet, but this one is even more quiet.
So far I love the way it cleans. You don’t have to wash the dishes to wash the dishes. I think we have all had this problem. What is the point of having a dishwasher if you have to wash them before putting them in the dishwasher. I have been really happy with how the Bosch cleans, at least so far.
My one complaint would be loading the dishes into the dishwasher. Several people warned me about this, so I knew it going in, but Bosch’s racks are a little different. They take some getting used to.
I think part of the problem is my dishes. My dishes are mainly Fiestaware, which are bigger and thicker than many dishes. They take up more room. Bosch is a European brand and I think their dishes may be a little smaller more slim lined, than some of the dishes we have here in the US. I could be wrong on that, but that is my guess.
I think if my dishes were a little smaller, they would fit in the dishwasher better and it would hold a lot more of them. In fact, I think it would hold more dishes than any other dishwasher I have owned. It is set up well, just not for big bulky plates, cups, and bowls. I am still working on how my dishes fit best in it.
And I am not sure how I feel about the silverware rack. I kind of have a love hate relationship with it. My kids don’t like it at all.
The silverware rack is a third shelf on the top that pulls out. It did come with a basket on the bottom rack for larger silverware and serving sized pieces, but the main silverware goes on the top rack. I think more and more brands are going to this third rack not just the Bosch. We saw it on several dishwashers we looked at.
I love how it cleans the silverware. It cleans them well. Mainly because the silverware don’t stick together. There is plenty of room in between them for everything to get well cleaned.
The thing I don’t like about the silverware rack, and the thing my kids don’t like about it, is that it takes a lot longer to load them. It is just one more step and you have to keep pulling the rack in and out as you are loading dishes. I have actually gotten used to it and it is not that big of a deal for me, but my kids still think it is a pain.
Unloading though is much easier once we figured out what worked best. I make sure we put all the spoons together, all the forks together, etc. So when we unload it you can quickly pick up all the same pieces and put them away. This has made it much easier than just randomly placing the silverware and then sorting them as you put them away.
Bulky dishes is another problem here though. I have large handled silverware. We love them because they are sturdy and have held up well, but they don’t fit the best in the silverware rack. Smaller thinner handled ones would work better. Mine work, just not the best.
The way the dishes and silverware fit though is not a reason not to buy the dishwasher. Overall I still love the Bosch, but it does take some time getting used to as you figure out the best place to put things.
Time will tell if I continue to love the Bosch. I am hoping that it holds up well long term.
And this is not a sponsored post. Bosch has no clue who I am. I paid for my dishwasher and did not get a discount or anything for sharing this. I am just simply sharing an update on what I bought and why.
I have a Kitchen Aid and I absolutely love it. It is so quiet! I bought it because It was advertised as being made in the usa.
We bought a Bosch dishwasher last year. Ours is a little different as it has a recessed handle. It is very, very quiet. We only can tell that it is running most times by seeing the little red light indicator that reflects onto the floor. We personally don’t mind the top silverware rack. The dishwasher is right next to the silverware drawer so it is super easy to unload.
I agree about the red light. I love the red light because it is often the only way I can tell if it is still on or not.
This is very timely, my husband and I have been talking about getting a new dishwasher again. Like you, I have “fat” dishes (Longaberger) so there’s that but I love the fact that you said you can just put the dishes in, not wash the dishes to wash the dishes. If you leave anything on the dishes now, it’s likely still going to be there after the dishwasher is run. I’ll need to go read your original post to see what else is recommended.
I probably should have added to it that I also have three kids so we run the dishwasher once a day. They dishes don’t set for several days before I run it like it might if it were just my husband and I. If food stayed on them for several days before I ran it I am not sure it would clean off as well. I just thought I would add that disclaimer. 🙂 But I still love the fact that the dishes don’t have to be super clean before I even put them in the dishwasher. It cleans great. And yes I think you will find the comments on my first post helpful. There are a lot of good comments on what people like and dislike. I hope you find a dishwasher that you like!
I’ll add my two cents worth here. In 2014 we discovered our 8 yr old Kitchen Aid dishwasher was and had been leaking for some period of time, It ruined the floor and sub floor under dishwasher and continued about a foot into dinette sub floor and under the carpet, the entire base cabinet backing causing mold to form and grow. Fortunately the dishwasher didn’t fall thru sub floor to basement. God smiled on us for that one. Had to have restoration company remove dishwasher, replace all the sub floor, sealed off the entire area, installed commercial dryer and mold removers that ran 24/7 for 3 days, then replaced all flooring except the carpet, fortunately my wood kitchen floor had NO damage. Our homeowners insurance covered the entire cost including replacing the carpet. The dishwasher I had to buy. I shopped several stores including local appliance store. I looked at GE, Kitchen Aid, Bosch and LG. The lady at Lowe’s whispered in my ear, DO NOT BUY KITCHEN AID, we are getting many complaints about the quality and leaking. Bosch newest model with heat element was on sale for 3 more days but I wasn’t ready for it to be installed as more work had to be done on flooring. My husband started looking online at Best Buy, found very same dishwasher,and their everyday price was $10 cheaper than Lowe’s sale price and I could have it delivered to my house at no charge and could pick the day I wanted it delivered. Needless to say, that’s where I bought it. had it installed 3 days after delivery by our local plumber and that was October 2014. Have loved it from day one. It does take getting used as dish placement is different but I have Corelle dishes and they fit perfect. I use the silverware basket and have no problem with them sticking together. I use the 3rd upper most rack for long utensils and I put my rubber sink mats in there to clean them. It is so quiet and so efficient, uses less detergent also. I guess my only complaint is the cycles run too long. Therefore, I use the Express wash and extra shine when I need to do a full load, which is every 3 days as there are just 2 of us. I do use the rinse cycle daily. I use Granules type detergent, I like the Tabs but can’t use with express wash, Oxi Clean makes a dishwasher detergent, in granules and tabs. Works great, at least for my dishes. My dishwasher has the recessed handle and like that, love the little red light that reflects on the floor when running. SO DARNED QUIET, GOTTA LOVE THAT! Enjoy your dishwasher Lynn. It just takes getting used to.
Thanks for the update! I have Fiestaware too, so I’m glad you pointed that out. I was one that commented on your original post and had heard that it’s harder to fit some dishes into Bosch, so that’s a concern of mine too. I would imagine the 3rd rack for silverware would take some getting to used to, too.
Thanks for your review. I like my Bosch dishwasher (800 Plus series, purchased late 2013, model # SHV7PT53UC), especially the timer (time left) that shines on the floor when it runs. See photos of timer shining on the floor in Reviews (reviews # 9-23) in https://www.bosch-home.com/us/products/dishwashers/built-in-dishwashers/all-dishwashers/SHV7PT53UC.html?source=search#tab5 (for model # SHV7PT53UC). For your reviews and articles, I suggest you always 1. date the page (when you wrote it), as that helps the reader know what technology etc; and 2. include model name, series number, or model number, whichever is most useful, or include all. For example, for Bosch, the series number and the date are most useful. (Bosch did a major revision of models in 2013, so an 800 series in 2012 is quite different than one built in 2013 and later.) Bosch makes dozens of dishwashers, some just slightly different, so a model number probably would not be as useful because it is rare that someone is trying to compare against that exact model number. Although similar models have similar model numbers, so providing a model number could have some utility. Additionally, a model number will provide specific information and specifications, especially if that model is still available and has a web page on the Bosch website.