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kiwigem_gw

Which TWO dishwashers would you choose?

Kiwigem
9 years ago

Hi everyone! We are going to have two dishwashers in our new kitchen- with 5 children, I'm really excited about this. It's a dinner party every night. :-) I just recently had the forehead-slapping realization that I don't necessary have to get two of the same dishwasher. Duh.

So now I'm wrestling a bit with DW philosophy. One really good one and one entry level as backup? Two of the same so going between the two isn't a challenge for visiting family members helping with cleanup?

So what would you do and why? A Kitchenaid and a Bosch? Two Mieles? One for dishes and one for pans?

I'd especially love to hear from folks who have two DW's about their experiences.
Thanks!

Comments (19)

  • live_wire_oak
    9 years ago

    I've designed plenty of kitchens with two dishwashers. First of all, they should be adjacent to the cleanup sink. Not as "duh" as you think, as we still get lots of plans on here with one located in the prep zone, which only complicates cleanup and unloading.

    They should both be the same quality level, and the same DW, if they are going to actually be used. If they aren't, then there's no point in getting two. A secondary lesser quality one in a bar area, sure. Not in the kitchen.

    What you get as you move up the $$ ladder with DW's is more insulation so that they operate quieter, and more features. I find most of those features useless. There are those that are VERY useful. Try to find ones that have a half rack wash and adjustable height racks, and an optional heated dry. If ever there's just you two, or you're doing a quick wash of plates between big parties, you'll appreciate those features. That pretty much narrows it down to Kitchenaid. If you skip the heated dry, the world opens up a bit more to the Korean and Euro brands. Even a top tier Maytag can be a good choice, as it's basically a lower tiered Kitchenaid for less money.

    Watch your placement within the design, and the needed side panel supports for the countertops. Often, if you have a filler and panel, that's another opportunity to cram in some insulation so that a very quiet DW can be even quieter. The pink foam sheets that you can find at a box hardware store come in 1", and can help to fill up the space to absorb sound.

  • breezygirl
    9 years ago

    I wouldn't want one excellent DW and one so-so one. I'd want both to be excellent. And why not the same? I can't think of a good reason to have them be of different brands. It will make loading easier if you're not trying to remind the kids to put their glasses in the glasses DW, if you know what I mean. Plus, if you're starting a load when making dinner like I do with some prep dishes and others collected in the sink during the day, then the dishes/pots/glasses will all be mixed up anyway.

    If you're planning two from the beginning, I'd want both to match. And I'm not a matchy person. I really, really wish I could have worked two into my new kitchen. I run mine at least twice a day, sometimes more. I cook a lot and from scratch with only two kids.

    I couldn't wait for my old cr@ppy Kenmore to die so I could get a new Miele. I'm very happy with it, except the non-heated dry does mean that I end up drying many plastics and anything with a rim IF I unload within 6-7 hours of running it, which I usually do so I can re-load. I highly recommend two Mieles if you can swing it. Even lower end models will be very quiet and clean very well. I have a mid-range Future Dimension Plus with crystal/china cycle bought as a floor model on clearance sale. I really didn't need a lot of cycles. Good luck!

  • avntgardnr
    9 years ago

    I bought a Miele about 6 months ago after much (GW!) research...it's the one where the door pops open so the stuff dries a little faster? I do my dishes at night, so everything is dry in the morning, even the few plastics that I use.

    I love it and never thought I could love a dishwasher, lol.

    I would highly recommend, unless you want your stuff dried more quickly - then get a non-European brand with a heated dry. I bought my Miele at a scratch n' dent for half price (one tiny scratch and some hardware was missing...).
    And I would definitely want two the same, especially if they were in the same room - only time I would consider two different ones would be if I was doing panel front?

  • practigal
    9 years ago

    I was really impressed with all of the features on the new Asko. I would not get one better and one lesser quality dishwasher...but with two dishwashers (if my goal was not kashrut)I would likely set them up differently-- one I would set to have the top rack as low as possible for particular stemware, or raised as high as possible to allow certain china or pot and pan needs in the bottom rack, maybe I would use the one closest to the cutlery drawer exclusively to clean the cutlery giving me more space in the other, etc.

  • Texas_Gem
    9 years ago

    I have 2 dishwashers (4 kids so I feel your pain). Mine are both located right next to the sink, one directly to the left and one directly to the right.

    Due to funding and (surprise!!!) unexpected reno costs I went with, literally, one of the cheapest dishwashers I could find.

    I got both, on sale, for around 600 total.

    I've had higher grade dishwashers in the past and, in the future I plan to upgrade the 2 I currently have but still, with budget constraints, I am happier having 2 lower grade DWs than I was having 1 higher grade pre-reno.

    I don't know if you are planning to panel them but for me, given my layout, I prefer them to match.

    Not only is it more aesthetically pleasing, it also makes it easier on anyone else doing dishes since both are the same.

    On the rare days (maybe 4 times in the past year) where I've run only one DW during the day, I make certain to switch which one I'm using so they get equal use. HTH

  • beaglesdoitbetter1
    9 years ago

    We have 3 dishwashers. Two of them are dish drawers and one of them is a full Bosch dish washer. I really like it this way. (We could have gotten 2, one Bosch regular and one set of double dish drawers but the double dish drawers could not be 100 percent fully integrated and I did not like that).

    I like the dish drawers b/c they give flexibility. We can run a small load in a dish drawer and have clean glasses (which tend to run out sooner than dishes) without running the full sized dish washer.

    We have one of our dish drawers in our island and the other two are in a run of counter next to a prep sink and underneath the cabinets where the dishes get put away.

    The one dish drawer is totally devoted to glasses, the big regular dish washer generally gets normal dishes and the other dish drawer gets stuff like pyrex, mixing bowls, etc.

    Works very well for us.

  • laughablemoments
    9 years ago

    We had 2 different models of Bosch at our last house (for a family with 7 kiddos). One was panel ready and one was a standard front. They cleaned Great.

    When we went to move, we pulled those out to bring with us. We reconfigured the kitchen to have only one DW for the sale, and tried replacing it with a Kitchenaid that was from the kitchen of the house we were moving into. It was shocking how much more space the Kitchenaid seemed to have than the Boschs did. The Bosch machines are configured differently and I really don't think they hold as much. They fill up so quickly!

    But alas, the Kitchenaid wasn't in working order. We ended up putting the white Bosch back in for the sale of the house, and brought only the panel ready Bosch with us to the new place.

    I'll be watching to see what people recommend on this thread.

  • maxmillion_gw
    9 years ago

    I would get two of the same just to avoid having to explain the differences to other users! If you want to cut costs, it might make sense to get one upgraded model within the same line that has extra features you wouldn't use very often, like one Miele Classic and one Miele Diamond. The Diamond would only be for large parties where you need the express cycle or the ability to wash crystal or china. Otherwise either dishwasher would fulfill most of your day to day needs and have a similar interface.

  • RChicago
    9 years ago

    We are going with two Mieles, one Diamond and one Dimension, one on either side of the cleanup sink. The Diamond is planned as our first option, as the main dish drawers sit directly across a 47" aisle, which should make unloading super simple. (My favorite design element of our work-in-progress kitchen)

    We're doing one paneled and one in stainless. We're going this way so that hopefully replacement will be easier down the road should one break. Who would want two mismatched stainless DW? ;) We purchased the stainless Diamond as an open box return, so that'll be the stainless one.

    I'm curious to see how often we use the second DW. We cook a lot and take lunch to work everyday, so even our three person family goes through a lot of dishes.

  • Kiwigem
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    I just saw this and wish I hadn't, because yummmm.....

    Here is a link that might be useful: Asko amazingness

  • Kiwigem
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Thank you all for your input! The idea of having two of the same makes a lot of sense, just from an intuitiveness of use perspective.

  • laughablemoments
    9 years ago

    That Asko clip is impressive, Kiwigem. With that, maybe we wouldn't need 2 dws.

  • Kiwigem
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Beagles, I've been chewing on your idea of one full-sized dishwasher with a set of drawers. That concept hadn't occurred to me, but I can see it making a lot of sense. Had you had good results with your DDs? I've heard mixed reviews, but they seem to be getting more positive feedback every year.

  • mtnrdredux_gw
    9 years ago

    We just put two Tall drawers in our beachhouse kitchen, one in the butler's pantry next to that sink and trash, and a second one in the main kitchen next to the double drainboard sink and it's own trash receptable. (To me, a d/w should always have devoted trash and sink.)

    I really like the setup. Generally, the butler's pantry serves both the kitchen and DR and so it is where dishes and glasses are stored, so the D/W is right there. The second d/w is used in the prep area for pots, pans, bowls, etc.

    I have had double drawers in our primary house for a few years. I would never want anything but drawers again; the others seem so ungainly. The few truly oversized things I have are not things I would usually have done in the D/W anyway.

    Forgot to add: All of them are fully integrated, paneled front. What i mean by ungainly is having to open the door of a traditional washer, blocking traffic, and leaning down. With the drawer, I can pull it out few inches to drop something in. BTW. another way some people use two, is de facto storage. No reason to empty d/w; use the dishes from it until it is empty, putting the dirty dishes in the other drawer, then switch.

    This post was edited by mtnrdredux on Mon, Dec 1, 14 at 15:38

  • tibbrix
    9 years ago

    I'd get one Miele or Bosch in the regular size, and a two-drawer set, i.e.: Fischer and Paykel. That way, you've got plenty of dishwashing capacity for entertaining, all the kids, etc., but also the ability to do small loads w/o wasting energy, i.e.: when the kids fly the coop, or whatever. A friend of mine has TWO sets of two-drawer Fischer and Paykel's, one on each side of her sink. I love the double-drawer dishwashers, but I don't think I'd want four of them. One large, full dishwasher and two drawers I think would be the ideal setup.

  • ellenandco
    9 years ago

    Another 5 kid family chiming in. You are wise to plan for two! Our home was finished this summer and we have two bosch dishwashers on either side of the clean up sink. They are the 300 something model (ie, the lower end ones but I wanted the control panel visible not hiding under the countertop), and let me tell you my ceiling fan is louder than they are and they clean like nobody's business.

    We fill both on the weekend days and probably 3 or 4 weeknights, depending on how much baking/cooking happened that day.

    When there is a crowd over for dinner (we've had up to 12 adults so far) I usually use one d/w for the cooking and serving stuff and one for tableware. Works out great. Taking the silverware basket out of one provides extra room for cookware.

    I was worried about how our dishes would fit the Bosch but it's not been an issue at all. All our dishes are the IKEA 365.

    Your friends will ask how you know which one to use. Smile and say "the one with the dirty dishes in it!"

  • shouldibuild
    9 years ago

    For those of you with two dishwashers, where do you put the trash pull out?

  • laughablemoments
    9 years ago

    That's a really good question, shouldibuild. You might want to start a new thread with your specific question to get more visibility and answers.

    Our trash pullout is going in our island opposite the cleanup zone with 2 dws. It will be on a corner so that it can be accessed on 2 sides: the cleanup side and the prep side.

  • lascatx
    9 years ago

    I have two identical Bosch DWs either side of the cleanup sink. Trash and recycling containers are below the sink -- Easy compromise for having two DWs. The prep sink has a trash pullout next to it. I like it a lot, and I think it really makes a lot of sense where we are prepping and cooking, but even having that one doesn't make me miss having then under the main sink. I did look into installing smaller pullouts there, but I got smaller containers and less space for cleaning supplies.

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