Shop Products
Houzz Logo Print
aimskitchen_gw

Dishwashers - Bosch, KA

aimskitchen
11 years ago

All the info here is so great, but then, HOW on earth do you make a decision LOL? Bosch dishwashers are said to be great, except for the fact that so many people report a stinky odor. I'm super sensitive to stinky odors and that doesn't sound good to me. They're said to clean really well, but don't hold as much as other brands - with a family of 8, running a whirlpool twice a day already, I wonder how often we'd have to run a Bosch! Some people say Kitchenaid dishwashers are great - except for that vent problem and oh, yeah, that little fire thing. And yet, people continue to buy and love their KA dishwashers, so they can't all be bad, right? Wrong? Have they resolved those issues?

Somehow people manage to choose and buy dishwashers without making themselves crazy, but I don't seem to be one of them! Is there a quiet, safe, non stinky brand I'm missing?

Comments (32)

  • badgergal
    11 years ago

    I had a Bosch in my previous home, and in my current home. When I redid my kitchen this past year, I put a new panel ready Bosch in and gave my old Bosch to a friend. There is no way I would have bought a second and third Bosch if they were stinky. I have not had any issue with the dishwashers smelling. Actually never had any kind of issues, in other words no service calls on any of my 3 Bosch dishwasher. The dishes always come out sparkling clean and the machine is so quiet.
    An the other hand, my LG front load washing machine does have a problem with stickiness that drives me crazy. I have to constantly wipe the seals down with mold and mildew remover spray and I always leave the door open after using it. It's a real pain in the butt.

  • Pamela Crane
    11 years ago

    I looked at Bosch and their smaller "european" sized rack design, and then bought an inexpensive KA which has a larger interior and fit my dishes better. You should look at the rack designs and consider the sort of dishes and pots you want to wash.

    I have had no smell problems even though I installed the dishwasher without an air gap (drain exits far enough above the deck). I wonder if the smelly dishwashers are not draining properly?

  • badgergal
    11 years ago

    My previous post should say my LG washer has a problem with stinky-ness not stickiness

  • boxerpups
    11 years ago

    If I had to do it again...
    I would get a BOSCH all over again in a heartbeat.
    This is the most favorite brand of dishwasher I have
    ever owned.

    NEVER. I have never had a stinky order.
    Wait, Yes it gets stinky if you leave dirty unwashed
    dishes in the dishwasher for days. In our home with
    kids and a busy cook this does not happen. It is used
    daily.

    I will only ever own a Bosch dishwasher.
    I love German Cars and I love German Appliances!

  • deedles
    11 years ago

    Ten year old Bosch DW. Works great, but a few of the plastic track wheels have busted off now. Had a recall fix a few years ago and recently the soap door mechanism broke but was fixed for 50.00.

    No stink noted other than as Boxer noted. Planning on buying another for our new kitchen.

  • lisa_wi
    11 years ago

    I thought Bosch had gone downhill recently? My Kenmore in my last house (bought 5 years ago) was Bosch made and it was great. I got another Kenmore last Thanksgiving but I don't think it was a Bosch.

  • mountaineergirl
    11 years ago

    I have (had - water damage=remodel) and Kenmore that I loved. Every time family/friends were here and helped clean up after dinners they commented on how clean/sparkly my dishes came out. 14 years old now and would still be going strong but no way am I re-installing an old dishwasher with new cabinets. Anyhow, after researching I chose a KA this time. 2 reasons - 1) I was told there is no heated drying cycle and if you leave the clean dishes in overnight they will be wet in the morning. 2) there is a filter you are suppose to clean periodically instead of a miniature "garbage disposal) to chew up food. The KA has both features that I was looking for. Also, when having a service man come (to check out my Samsung washer), he said KA all the way.

    After I get back in my house and start using my new appliances, I'll let people know how they're doing. I hope I haven't been led astray!

  • mountaineergirl
    11 years ago

    I didn't make the previous post clear I guess. I meant to say that the Bosch did not have the features I wanted. (heated dry, garbage disposal) at least that was what I was told in appliance stores. The KA had both, altho maybe not as quiet as Bosch. Noise doesn't bother me. Wet dishes in the morning would.

  • badgergal
    11 years ago

    The Bosch's I have owned in the past and the new one I have now had/ has heated drying. Don't know if some models come without heat but my 500 series model has heat and all the dishes come out nice and dry.

  • brickeyee
    11 years ago

    Last Bosch I had you could not tell if it was running standing right in front.

    KA has gone down hill.
    My parents used to go through an expansive and PITA to replace timer unit every 4 years, like clockwork.

  • Mom23Es
    11 years ago

    I've had my Bosch for 3 weeks. It is super quiet and cleans really well, but I kind of miss the kenmore elite we had in our old house. I keep hoping I will find the love for this thing.

    It's great because the panel option was inexpensive (just the cost of the panel), but because of the European sizing there is space on each side of the door. It's not ugly, but it bugs me. I'm sure no one else who comes to my house notices stuff like this.

    My dishes don't fit well. I hope I'm still in the learning to load it phase because I feel like I'm hand washing way more than I ever used to. It doesn't fit my pots, pans, large prep utensils, and cutting boards well. My regular bowls and all the plastic children's bowls don't fit well either. I've been shopping for new dishes anyway, but now I will be considering how the dishes will fit in my DW.

    The last thing that bugs me is I can't find a way to tell if dishes are clean or not. There is a red light the shines on the floor while it's washing and a beep at the end of the cycle, but there's no way to tell if a clean load is just sitting there. I'm used to some sort of green done/complete light.

    Sigh. It really does seem like a good machine, but so far it's not feeling very convenient or functional compared to other DWs I've used.

  • nini804
    11 years ago

    I have been very happy with my KA dishwasher...I've had it since we moved in our new build 15 months ago. I haven't noticed a any smells...and the drying REALLY works...you certainly won't have wet morning dishes! It's pretty darn quiet...but I imagine the Bosch is quieter don't they advertise how quiet it is?

  • laughablemoments
    11 years ago

    We have a Bosch, and while it does do a nice job with the dishes, and it's quiet, we run it 2-3 times a day for our family of 9. It doesn't hold very much! Also, for the make that we have, I find that there are only a select few dishwasher soaps that work well in it. I have to buy the Ecover tablets, which I've resorted to ordering online, can't find them locally, or the Finish type tablets, which are expensive, and give off a stinky-soapy smell that makes me feel ill to breathe it in. Any time I've tried other brands, I've not been satisfied with the results. Powdered soaps are absolutely out of the question. So it costs me more to run the Bosch b/c of the soap style it requires.

    One feature I do like is that the heating element is not exposed in the bottom, so no more fallen plastics melting--talk about stinky!

    Taking apart the mesh screen to scrub it down is kind of a pain, but doable. The lack of food grinder is one less thing to break down and need repairing. I've heard horror stories of things like rocks and other assorted no-nos ending up in the grinders of dishwashers in homes with young children.

    If I were you, I'd try to find the roomiest, best cleaning DW out there. My 2 cents. : ) (And let me know what it is since I'm really hoping to put in another DW in addition to the Bosch in the near future.)

  • mike_73
    11 years ago

    I have good friends that have a Bosch that I helped him install and it is good and quiet and I don't think they have stinky issues with it and it cleans well. I was looking at Bosch for myself but decided to get a lower cost model and got a Frigidaire gallery with the new orbit clean wash. so far it has been installed a week and is quiet almost as quiet as a Bosch is, still it cleans well and the racks seem to fit a lot. both have fold down tines and the top rack has two height settings that the cheaper Bosh that was hundreds more did not have.

    I do hear many people say their dishwasher stinks and I know much of that can be improper installation. If you get stink check your drain hose, it should be routed so that it is looped up higher than the sink drain it is connected to. If it is not then drain water from your sink can back flow to your dishwasher. I set mine up by sawing a hole low in the cabinet for the hot water hose and then one way up above the sink drain's height for the drain hose then I know it will be higher than the sink. if yours comes in low in the same hole that is ok too but you need to use a plastic or metal pipe strap and screw to hold it up high behind your sink.

  • camphappy
    11 years ago

    We have had our KA for about 6 weeks. So far I love it. We were originally going to get a Bosch but like others have stated the rack system didn't look very efficient and wouldn't hold as much as the KA. I have been watching the vent on the left side of the door and so far no problem with excessive steam or moisture.

  • deeageaux
    11 years ago

    European Dishwashers are marginally smaller. 60cm x 60cm instead of 24" x 24" and about half inch taller. The very best American dishwashers with best(thinnest) sound insulation and mechanical design have marginally bigger interiors. We are talking 3 dishes at most. European racks have standard dishes in mind. Some American branded racks are better at handling super thick artisanal dishes. The idea that you will be running X many more loads per day is ludcricous.

    You don't need heated dry to avoid "wet dishes in the moring." There is a better way. European drying system avoids wasted energy of heated dry,the expense in repair, and undue stress on your dishes and in some cases burning of plastic. At most we are talking about a droplet or two on plastic or in deep crevices that will dry ~15 minutes or so after DW cycle is done.

    You don't need a hard food disposer either. Hot water plus enzymes in modern DW detergent will dissolve most food debris. A tiny percentage of food will get stuck on filter. Enzymes will prevent it from rotting. You just clean the filter from time to time, every 1-3 months dependeing on how much food debris is left on your dishes after your scrape them. Filters also save energy and expense of repair. And they are much much more quiet than DWers with hard food disposers.

    Look at repair rates reportd by JD Power. Miele tops last 3 years with Bosch number 2. Bosch ranked number 1 overall this year do to being a better value and "easier to operate" ranking. Effectiveness,quality,service all ranked Miele #1.

  • Linda
    11 years ago

    I just know I have had at least 2 G.E. DWs(came with house) and I would NEVER, EVER want another one. Didn't clean well, and expensive to repair!

  • justmakeit
    11 years ago

    Switched from KA to Bosch two years ago. I like the Bosch, but it's small. I actually had to buy new dishes because the heavy stoneware dishes did not fit between the dishwasher tines. My husband wants to replace it in our upcoming kitchen remodel, but since our household is down to just the two of us, I'm inclined to keep it for now. But the size and configuration is definitely an issue. And I do miss the heated dry, too.

  • sas95
    11 years ago

    We have a KA. We like it, it cleans well and holds a lot of dishes. We don't even use the heated dry, but don't end up with dripping dishes.

  • jakabedy
    11 years ago

    What Boxerpups said. Our Bosch gets stinky because there are only two of us here and dirty dishes might sit inside for a few days before it's full enough to run. Otherwise, no funny smell.

    We put our first Bosch in a kitchen in a house we had/redid in 2003, and loved it. In this house the quiet factor was very important given the very open layout. The Bosch has been great. In fact, I was looking at different brands, but DH insisted on the Bosch.

  • Mom23Es
    11 years ago

    My kids' plastic bowls, cups, and plates as well as our glad/ziplock plastic containers are not even close to dry in the morning. We never used heated dry with our previous kenmore so we are used to some towel drying, but the bosch is definitely less efficient at drying. I didn't remember to mention this before; it's not really a big deal to me. I'm just surprised that deeageaux has had such a different experience.

  • Bunny
    11 years ago

    What's up with plastic things not drying the way glass and metal do?

    I have an old Kenmore that just keeps plugging along. I always use the air-dry feature and my dishes are nice and dry by the time they've cooled down. I'm never in a hurry to empty clean dishes, so drying isn't a problem. Except a few drops clinging to the plastic items.

  • michellemarie
    11 years ago

    I have a family of 9 and the Bosch just doesn't hold as many dishes as other dishewashers I have had. I also have a Miele which is my main dw. I would encourage you to either splurge for the Miele, which holds a ton of dishes or try to get another dishwasher in your layout. I would not recommend a Bosch for a large family.

  • deedles
    11 years ago

    I notice with my Bosch that if I open the door to grab something right after it's done, the steam gets out and the dishes won't be dry. However, if I leave it alone til it's all done and cooled down inside, they are always very dry save for a few plastic items. I don't know what it is about plastic that won't dry in the DW.

  • AboutToGetDusty
    11 years ago

    My 8-month-old KA cleans well, but already the control has to be replaced! Also, it takes FOREVER to run through a cycle, compared to my 11-year-old Maytag that was there before. And I'm nervous about the whole fire thing. Without the dry feature, the dishes still don't drip. Using it, the dry feature works very well, although the salesperson told me no DW will dry all the plastic :-( We had to get a DW with a water softener. Next time, I'd like a Miele - I really like my friend's Miele DW. My sister has a Bosch and I can't stand that it's so difficult to fit dishes.

  • luckymom
    11 years ago

    Neither. Go with Miele. You'll never regret it. I hate to admit it but I actually got the one with the led lights inside. Even "I" thought that was overkill. Know what? I love them. It's amazing being able to actually SEE inside the dishwasher. Now I'm debating about the Wi-FI module- DH is saying yes- it'll notify Miele if a fault occurs, schedule a repairman and call us to let us know about it. It will also fix it remotely if possible and update the software. Kind of strange to think my dishwasher could know more than I do.

  • aimskitchen
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Great thoughts, thanks everyone. I am leaning toward the KA because of space and the possibility of the stinky issue, but that fire thing steal freaks me out. Has that been resolved? Does anyone know about that? I'll also check out Miele. I had to give the KD specs for the DW we were planning to buy, before we ordered cabinets, and chose the KA, but am thinking this could be swapped out if need be, right?
    Thanks!

  • drbeanie2000
    11 years ago

    I've gotten to use both in the past year. We lived with a Bosch in the house we rented, for nine months. Our dishes did not fit in it well, so we seemed to "fill" the machine quickly and run it often. Opening it after a load - any time from right afterwards to one day afterwards - was an eye-closing, breath-holding, crinkled-face BLECK ordeal - UNTIL we used the rinse-aid they recommended. Then we just had to learn to wait until about one day after they were done, learn to open it right when we were about to leave to go somewhere, or to bed, and hand-dry all the plastics. Everything came out SPARKLING.

    We went to the appliance store with our dishes and chose the KA, which we've only been using for 8 weeks. It has heated dry but drying the plastics still isn't perfect. We don't really mind that part. Dishes are very clean but not 100% pure sparkling like the Bosch. We didn't hear about the fire issue until after we got this KA. We did read something about its being too easy to turn on a cycle accidentally by brushing against the front controls. This is definitely true. So far we don't mind pressing "cancel" each time that happens, but that will probably get old!

  • gr8daygw
    11 years ago

    I love my KA, it is an older one and has been a workhorse for us. I would buy it again. It is quiet, the water gets very hot and it has many settings. I only use a couple of different ones so in the future all those settings would not be that important to me. When I replaced my washer/dryer I also went with simple, why pay for things you never use? Anyway, as an experienced user of the Kitchen Aid DW, I can say that I have really appreciated the service I have gotten out of it and only hope the new models are just as good as the older ones. Our's is a Superba model.

  • singingmala
    11 years ago

    I fell in love with the Mieles this weekend. I got the lowdown on the company and the patents and the triple containment system. I hear that people who have Miele DWs tend to be Miele groupies (as I am w my Miele vacuum cleaner) and I am starting to see why. But boy are they spendy.

  • Bunny
    11 years ago

    drbeanie, that Bosch experience you had sounds AWFUL!!! I'd rather not have a DW than go through that. I'm with gr8day, not needing a whole bunch of features I never use. NormalWash+AirDry+Start = all I need.

  • mabeldingeldine_gw
    11 years ago

    Just replaced a KA that left chunky residue on everything for a Bosch. The dishes don't fit as well in the Bosch, but I run the half-load cycle and wash more frequently. I use Cascade powder and Jet Dry rinse aid and my dishes are sparkling clean. The upper rack is adjustable and I LOVE this feature. Sometimes the plastic is wet, but the dishes are clean and I don't feel like it is a big deal. The Bosch is Boss!