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Basic No Frill Quiet Stainless Steel Dishwasher

happs
11 years ago

I am remodeling my kitchen and will be replacing my reliable white 18 year old Whirlpool dishwasher with a stainless steel one. From my preliminary research, the majority of what I read are complaints with dishwashers of today not getting dishes clean, wash cycles taking too long, sensors not working properly and water saving features a pain. Do basic, no frills, quiet, decent cycle length dishwashers exist and if so what are some good brands and models?

I went to a big box home improvement store and the most appliances they had in the clearance section were dishwashers and front load washing machines. Most were customer returns because they are marked "used." Guess that's proof a lot of people are dissatisfied with new, improved appliances these days.

Comments (9)

  • corgimum
    11 years ago

    We have a Whirlpool Gold . It is on the basic side I think. Have been using it for a month and have been happy so far. It is quiet and the dishes come out clean.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Whirlpool Dishwasher

  • mydreamhome
    11 years ago

    Have you looked at the Samsung 500 series?

  • Nunyabiz1
    11 years ago

    we have had a Kenmore Elite for about 10 years now which has a stainless interior, was originally black front when we bought it but I switched out to a stainless panel a few years ago.
    It is a Whirlpool actually.
    Very quiet and never had a problem in 10 years.

  • jellytoast
    11 years ago

    My new Kitchenaid stainless dishwasher has a fast was cycle that takes about an hour. The other "energy saving" cycles take much longer. Can't really comment on how clean it gets the dishes, because I pretty much wash them before they go in. My sister has a new Kitchenaid, too, though, and she just rinses the dishes first and it cleans well. It's not completely silent, but it is very, very quiet when it's running and I barely notice that it's on. Regarding "new and improved" appliances, I was appalled when I went shopping for a new washer recently and saw what was out there. After much searching, I ended up with a Speed Queen top loader. I LOVE that thing ... just a basic, old-style washer ... it's a tank and it actually works GREAT.

  • JXBrown (Sunset 24, N San Diego County)
    11 years ago

    I had a Kenmore Elite in the old house and an Electrolux in the new house both of which are quiet and work quite well with ordinary, phosphate free detergent. I just knock the chunky stuff off the plates before loading them. I suspect that the new washer does have a long cycle, but I hit the button and walk away so I don't really know. I usually run it after dinner about every third night and empty it in the morning so cycle length doesn't matter to me, but if that saves me paying for more electricity, I'm all for it. We do have a water softener for the hot water in both cases.

    I had a problem with glass etching when I switched detergents, but that was my fault for using too much. The instructions for my new DW say "2 teaspoons" and I had been using about 2 tablespoons.

  • happs
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Thanks for your suggestions.

    I've noticed that white dishwashers are considerably less than stainless steel and come in a more "no frills" manner with less to go wrong, albeit at a higher decibel level. The dishwasher is going to be in a kitchen island. Would it look odd to have a white dishwasher and then all other appliances in the kitchen stainless steel?

  • deeageaux
    11 years ago

    If you want a basic no frills DW look at lower end Bosch.

    No food disposer to break or make noise. Or use up a lot electricity.

    You just need to clean filter from time to time depending on how well you scrape your dishes. Modern enzyme based dishwasher detergent takes care of most of the food bits.

    JD Powers #1 ranking. Top rated DW by CR also Bosch.

  • happs
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Around what year did dishwashers start to get so poor and have long cycles and less forceful water circulation? Im thinking of going the used stainless steel route, although don't know how I would convince a seller to let me test before buying.

  • annkh_nd
    10 years ago

    I also have had a Whirlpool Gold DW, in SS, for about a year. It is virtually silent (except for the sound of water draining), and cleans extremely well. We have been very happy with it.

    It has a "top rack only" cycle that we haven't used yet, but expect to when our kids move out of the house.