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txmarti

Does anyone NOT have a dishwasher?

TxMarti
14 years ago

Would I be crazy to build a kitchen without one? That's another thing I was thinking to put on the sunroom with the washer for those few occasions when I have big dinners or more dishes than I want to wash. But since our current dw is leaking AGAIN, I'm a little disgusted with dishwashers. Seems like I am always running the dishwasher with just a few dishes in it because those are the dishes I use all the time. So I've been doing dishes by hand lately & it's no big deal.

Comments (52)

  • mfrog
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    No dishwasher here either, although in our last house I made sure there was a hookup & place to put one, but that kitchen had lots of room.
    In this house I just don't have enough room to put one in & for the two of us I just can't be bothered, it takes 5 minutes to do the dishes.
    In the past when dishwashers were in the houses we bought, I never used them.

  • Marilyn Sue McClintock
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I didn't have a dishwasher for most of my 56 years of marriage. Last year I had one put in. I love it. I am tired of washing dishes. I bake and cook quite a bit. I don't rinse my dishes either before I put them in my dishwasher. Did I say I love my dishwasher? :)

    Sue

  • wantoretire_did
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I have a portable/convertible. Our house is for sale, so if it dies, I'll replace it with a washstand/hutch or some such thing in its space. I may regret it, but so be it. We don't entertain much, so it is just a convenience, not a necessity.

    (Famous last words)..................

  • larke
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Never had one, had two taken out and used the space for recycling bins. Only two of us, and not big on entertaining, so DIY is easy.

  • trancegemini_wa
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    marilyn Im with you on this. I couldnt live without my dishwasher and we ripped out a cupboard just to squeeze one in. I wash a pot and pan and a couple of utensils but dishes, cups, glasses, bowls, cutlery and anything else I can find all go in the dishwasher. I hate doing dishes so much that if I didnt have one the dishes would be piled up to the ceiling. I'll wash a pot and pan but that's it, Im done after that :)

  • mfrog
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I must be the odd one out, :) I love standing looking out the window at my garden while I do my dishes. I cook three meals a day & most nights meals are quite elaborate so lots of dishes. But.... you have to do what's right for you, for me, I would rather have my cabinet beside the stove, which is the only place a small dishwasher could go.

  • sherwoodva
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Marti, dishwashers use less water than washing dishes by hand. But that is assuming the dishwasher is full. Would it be possible to buy more of the dishes that are your faves and get rid of the others? I read that dishwashers can only be expected to last ten years. We brought ours in '92 and want to replace it before it starts leaking.

    If you have a tiny kitchen, I can understand not including a dishwasher. But, depending on your location, not having one could keep you from being able to sell your house when the time comes. Just presenting the other considerations.

  • prairie-girl
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I have a DW, but find I'm using it less as my kids get older. I didn't know that there were such things as DW drawers when we bought our last one, or I might have seriously considered one of those. They seem like they would be much more practical than a big full-sized DW.

  • TxMarti
    Original Author
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    colorcrazy, I'm not getting rid of the DW in the house we are living in now. It has a nice-sized kitchen. But our next house will probably be smaller and I'd rather have cabinet space than DW in the kitchen.

  • idie2live
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I don't hate washing dishes - I despise it! lol So does my son - so we need a DW.
    Missy, I love the idea of the drawer also. But I've read that there are losts of problems with them not completely emptying water, leaking, etc. The price is still high too. My DW is old but still working so.................

  • enigmaquandry
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    We don't have one, that being said we are putting one in, and our kitchen is very small. I can definitely see it both ways, however in our house dishes can start piling up and making a mess and my husband and I have an extreme aversion to dirty dishes :) However my friend is ripping a perfectly good one out of her kitchen as for her it's just wasted space.

  • idie2live
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Enigma, I saw your living room on another thread. It is lovely, I love the fireplace.
    Loretta

  • lavender_lass
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I've had it both ways. The plus with no dishwasher is that I probably used my silver and china more...since I had to wash everything by hand anyway.

    The plus of having the dishwasher...my husband does the dishes a lot more often.

    If I had a bigger and deeper sink, I think I'd have the best of both worlds. Our sink in this house is so shallow it's hard to wash a large saucepan in it. I changed the faucet, which helps, but the sink is an odd size and hard to replace.

    When we remodel the old farmhouse, I'd like to have a dishwasher and a deep sink. Then you can wash anything by hand when you want to, but my husband can still help out when I don't feel like doing dishes :)

  • bluesbarby
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I got dishdrawers 7 years ago and love them. My kitchen area is too crowded for a fold out dishwasher so the drawers were a good fit. Plus I only have to fill up the top most of the time and while it's running I can always put dirty dishes in the bottom to run later. If you're really short on space you can always get a single and put a drawer or cabinet underneath.
    You have to install them properly and prep the interior of the base cabinet with a couple of coats of varathane. You also should never try opening the drawer after you've started it. It's got a bit of a learning curve for loading but it doesn't take long to figure it out. I just lay my cookie sheets across the top.

  • User
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I have to put this in here:
    Maxine says, "No husband has ever been shot while washing dishes." How cool is that old lady!!!

    Well, there are only the two of us here. But I wash a load of dishes about every night, or at least the next morning after breakfast. If I don't have a complete load, I go around the house looking for things to fill it up.

    I also use the DW to wash my birdy bowls and hard toys since I have three large parrots.

    And if you have construction going on in the home, which seems to be the norm around here, all that dust is not good to eat and breathe. So I also recently purchased an Austin Clean Air purifier. Between it and the DW, we are keeping the dust and dirty dishes at bay.

    There are small DW available for tiny kitchens. You have to think motor homes and apartment sized appliances.

    My old DW was an abomination, with one spinner and it spread the goop around to all the dishes instead of cleaning them. Now I have the Kenmore Elite w/ s/s tub and I've purchased a total of 4 like this for other houses. So I know I like it, and I know it works, and I know it seldom has anything go wrong with it. I always use the "Smart Wash" setting, a real nobrainer for me. :)

  • cosmikcat
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Another one here without a dishwasher. That's because we bought an older house whose kitchen hadn't been updated since the 1950s. We really like the 50s custom cabinets and a dishwasher won't really fit without destroying some of the cabinets. I even looked at the smaller 18" dishwashers but it doesn't look like one of those will fit without some reconstruction work on the cabinetry.

    I personally would LOVE to have a dishwasher again. I really detest washing dishes and feel like that's all I do these days but we have other more urgent projects for the house so its going to have to wait at least another year.

  • TxMarti
    Original Author
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Well, after 12 days of doing dishes by hand, I have come to realize that I HATE doing dishes and my next kitchen will have a dishwasher, even if I have to give up cabinet space.

  • trancegemini_wa
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    lol too funny marti. at least you realised now that you want one before you build your house.

  • TxMarti
    Original Author
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Definitely. I guess it's a good thing our DW started leaking so I had to find out. Now I need to start nagging dh to fix it. lol

  • caryscott
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I got a portable in my last apartment I hate doing dishes so much. I have a very noisy one in my condo now and I think it is the last thing you want to sacrifice in a small space. A small kitchen means counter top space is at a premium - having a dishwasher to put dishes in when your cooking or entertaining is such a help. I have a small galley (7.5 feet long - both sides - with doorways at the ends) and I admit 24" for a regular dishwasher is too much space so I will replace it when I reno the kitchen with an 18" so I can fit in some 30" deep drawers for storage. I considered a dish drawer but it doesn't have any advantages with my layout and they cost more.

    Added bonus the kitchen looks clean even when the dishes aren't done - I love that after years of no dishwasher and having to stuff them in the oven (which isn't available when your cooking and need more counter - how inconvenient is that) to maintain the illusion of a neat kitchen. Portables are not nearly as convenient - not only does the built-in dishwasher clean the dishes while you do something else (sometimes the laundry - so in fact all I'm really doing is watching TV) but with the built-in it is right there practically begging you to give it something to do - how great is that.

  • FlowerLady6
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    No dishwasher here either. Have never had one our whole 40+ years of marriage. I don't want one either. Like Chris, I enjoy the hot water on my hands. Washing dishes by hand also has it's own rewards. DH sometimes washes dishes and that's always a treat. I enjoy washing dishes while looking out into our secret garden, and am thankful to the Great Creator for all of our many blessings.

    FlowerLady

  • karinl
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    We originally put in a dishwasher when we built this kitchen 17 years ago, and that might (or might not) have been a good thing while the kids were growing up. But when the dishwasher kicked the bucket about 3 years ago, I talked DH into trying life without one. It works far better, but it is probably not a coincidence that the demands on the kitchen were ramping down at the same time with kids growing up and changing eating habits (we NEVER ate out in those early years so there was never a day off).

    Why this works better for us:

    - I am never more than one pan of dishes away from having the important dishes clean and ready to use (don't have to unload/load/wait the cycle).

    - Others are far more likely to pitch in and do a pan of dishes than they ever were to climb aboard the dishwasher cycle, ie to figure out where I was in it and help unload or load. Besides, I was the only person who could pack it right.

    - time spent doing the dishes is social time due to the layout of the kitchen - the sink faces the table across a peninsula. It's a healthier family dynamic. Whoever walks by or is sitting at the table is fair game for conversation, not so much the case while loading/unloading, and of course while the DW runs we can all be off doing our stuff. The kids seem to end up talking to almost any stationary adult, we are simply not stationary often enough. Can also do dishes while someone is visiting without being antisocial.

    - smaller batch size, thus more in control of the kitchen counter. If I was behind with unloading the DW, the whole next load would accumulate on the counter, and sometimes more than that. I confess to being a lousy housewife who puts housework last, and the counter was always overloaded and it was always a huge job facing me to clear it - full unload/load. Now, if there are dishes waiting to be washed, I can nibble at them, one pan at a time. It doesn't seem so daunting, and I even get the counter clear quite regularly. For this reason, the only dishwasher I was willing to consider when ours died was the dish drawers, but the quality reports were too variable for DH.

    We are currently building a set of drawers into the dishwasher opening, but anticipate that a future owner may wish to reinstall one. In fact, if the manufacturers ever perfect that dish drawer concept, I might sign on to the again myself, but a full-size dishwasher, no thanks. In the meantime, doing dishes is working for me.

    KarinL

    PS - I have a stool in the kitchen as I can't stand for long periods.

  • Jackie McCarty
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I don't have one, but I usually wash everything as I go while I'm cooking so nothing really builds up. My issue is counter space! My house is 600 sq ft with a room that used to be a porch (6' x 19') that I use as a laundry/whatever room. My kitchen has no counters except the drainboards on either side of my old porcelain sink. I LOVE the sink, but it can get really aggravating. My kitchen table is pretty big (3'x5' tile top) but it is usually cluttered up. :)

    Had a DW at my old (bigger, 1200sq ft) house and I thought it was hassle since I felt bad running it while it only had a few things in it. So by the time I filled it up to wash, I would need to use one of those dishes again...

    :)
    Jackie

  • desertsteph
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    jackie - I haven't had one in yrs - like 20 yrs or more. will have one in the new place tho. I hadn't wanted one til recently. After getting sick I often get tired just standing at the sink doing a few dishes up. I never know when a really 'sick' time will hit me and it can last for many days (or wks) so things pile up - I also don't have that many dishes! For a number of yrs now I've just used paper plates and plastic forks. Having a sink that doesn't leak will help also!

    with a dw I'll probably run it at least twice a wk - whether it needs it or not - lol! just to keep things cleaned up. will use MLs trick of adding in other things around the house that are dusty and need a bath (except the dogs)...

  • User
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Jackie/Strobe, with only two of us and no stove at all in the house, yet anyway, not much cooking goes on. I have a good dishwasher with a stainless tub. While I do not mess up many dishes, I always fill out a full load by washing my pet bowls, dusty objects around the house, the kitchen scrubber, and the can opener. I do about 3 or 4 loads a week I suppose.

    They make an 18 inch wide dishwasher, for small spaces. But they also make the separate DRAWERS for dishwashing, don't know much about those, except they are pretty high end and not sold for economy minded low budget shoppers. For my money, I'd give that technology a few more years to mature before I'd consider one of those drawers.

    You mention that you have a 6 x 19 foot porch, which is a fantastic room. Is that included as part of your 600 sq ft home? Or is it an open porch? Our 6.5 x 14 back porch was screened in and had a typical back porch floor, but we changed all that. I did not feel safe having the porch enclosed with the gas water heater there, so we moved it to a little lean to and then went to electric because the power co gave us the w/heater. I guess if we go back to gas, the gas co will give us the gas one. But heating water is such a costly proposition, I'm thinking I want to go tankless when we finally remodel.

    Anyway, we kept the upper portion of our back porch open looking by using Lexan panels instead of real glass windows. We put down plywood over the board floor (like subflooring), and then put stickyback tiles on it. My DH did some electrical to add circuits for the microwave and the fridge, and we ran a water line to the fridge to make ice. We added a stacking laundry center (Frigidaire), and just for the hell of it, I had DH run me an outdoor shower from the laundry water supply lines. I can stand on the deck and take a hot/cold shower (with as much privacy as I want). So your porch is a very valuable part of your house.There is a LOT of space there, probably under a permanent roof, and it would add almost 120 sq feet living space to your 600 sq ft house. Even one end of it could be a place for breakfast or maybe your computer, who knows whatall. I love finding room to live as we like. It reminds me of Sarah Susanka's book, THE NOT SO BIG LIFE: MAKING ROOM FOR WHAT REALLY MATTERS. Having a space where you can get away from each other is more challenging when you only have 600 feet to work with. And everybody needs a getaway.

  • writersblock (9b/10a)
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Re dishwashers and small loads--many (probably most) of the newer DWs have the option to do just the top rack, if you're interested in putting one in. While you are using electricity to wash, they do save water compared to hand washing. An average new DW uses about 1.8 gallons per load. I collect almost that much waiting for the sink water to get hot.

  • TxMarti
    Original Author
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I had forgotten I posted this. I ended up getting another DW, and haven't regretted it a bit, especially now that I'm canning and putting up vegetables, and making huge messes in the kitchen.

  • butterflyblu
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Our old house did not have a dishwasher. We were going to put one in and never did. 5 years of washing dishes. YUCK.
    Our new house has a dishwasher, I hate washing them so I love having one.

  • katrina_ellen
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I have one because it was in the house when I moved in about 14 months ago. I have never used it. Living alone, I don't have enough dishes to fill the washer and have some left to eat on. If I was to re-do my kitchen I would put one in, because of resale considerations, but with my house being so small I would either get a narrow small one, or a drawer type as long as they have improved them. I like to have the option myself, there are times when I would really welcome throwing them in there and being done.

  • pjaxson
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    we don't use a dishwasher in my house either! i find them to be a lazy in a way. hand washing is the way to go.

  • wantoretire_did
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    We finally sold our home last fall and moved into our doublewide mobile home that has a DW. I love it and hope I never have to go without one :-)

    I did buy extras of the dishes that we use often, so I can make a full load without running out of some.

  • User
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I am gradually getting rid of my round plates and for every day use now have square ones. Even square bowls. Why?

    If you notice many restaurants are using square dishes too. It is easier to load a dishwasher, and they do not roll around as much. I enjoy the look of the square white plates on my square wood table. Yeah, I guess I am sort of neurotic because I like things all squared up! :)

    I found a selection of the square white china at WalMart if you want to look at it. And some colored designs as well. Not promoting WalMart, but that is where mine came from.

  • Happyladi
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    My mother-in-law never had a dishwasher and always said she didn't want one. She moved when she was in her 70's and for the first time in her life she had a dishwasher. She loved it and always said if she had known how nice it was she would have gotten one years ago!

    My mother's mother had a dishwasher back in the 1930's. It was quite a conversation piece. Guests would all go into the kitchen to see it after dinner. My mom told me it rolled up to the sink and it was attached to the faucet. You had to manually set it to wash and rinse.

  • EATREALFOOD
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I wash dishes by hand and use a DW. I especially like it when I have people over and I can load it up and go to sleep. I fall to sleep with the hum of the DW(some call it noise)and sleep blissfully better knowing that when we wake up the aftershock of the gathering is cleaned up. That is until I discover all these beer bottles in strange corners...My friend hates them but he never has people over for dinner and I expect that although he's very intelligent he's not good at spatial exercises(ie: figuring out how to load it)

  • misntroya
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I do not have a DW now, nor are we putting one in our kitchen remodel. I have had them in the past but rarely used them. One task I dislike immensely is loading and unloading the DW. Plus the Tupperware containers would always turn over and fill with dirty ick water. And since there is just the 2 of us, we would have to get DW drawers as I would run out of plates.

    Now, I have to say that DH does almost all the dishes. I wash things as I cook, so there is never a stack of dishes in the sink( Our new sink will be bigger, and dirty dishes would not show if there WERE a stack). But he enjoys washing the supper dishes, says it keeps his nails clean by soaking them. He also calls it our bonding time, since I dry as he washes. This has not always been the case; he began washing dishes after I sprained my ankle badly 2 years ago and was on crutches and could not do a thing. But if I did ALL the dishes as I did before the sprain, I would still want to wash by hand. I just love running a sink of hot soapy water.

    I have no worries about resale; this farm is our forever home.

  • prospect711
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    There are only two of us, but we love our new Bosch DW. It's so quiet that it's hard to determine if it is running (fortunately there is a light that indicates).

  • pekemom
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    This house has a dishwasher and it's 6 years old, our last
    house had one too. I like having a dishwasher especially
    when winter comes and colds and flu are more likely.
    I put in my sponge and cutting board also.

  • sandy808
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I was about to ask this very question on the kitchen forum. After getting fed up with how poorly dishwashers perform, both due to using less and less water, detergents that don't work any more, and most likely cheap parts (even on the expensive models), I've decided to put cabinetry in place of a dishwasher in my new house. I have tried expensive models, mid priced models, and just about every detergent and additive available.I have had three different dishwashers in two different homes during the past 12 years. Junk. All of them. Thousands of dollars worth of junk. On one Whirlpool that was glitchy, my husband found faulty factory wiring. This was after several service calls that didn't fix the thing. The last straw is this less than two year old high end KitchenAid model.

    I fail to see how re-running a dishwasher saves time, water, energy, and money. I can hand wash a batch of dishes in a short amount of time while looking out a window. And actually have glasses without lipstick still left on them. Unless someone is standing there with the water running the whole time, hand washing does not use a lot of water.

    Now,before I hear about what I must be doing wrong, we have very hot water. I load properly. I scrape but don't rinse. Plumbing has always been correct. Nothing is plugged. I've tried more soap, less soap, lemi shine, jet dry, no jet dry. Vinegar. The results are hit or miss, and something that works on one batch may not work the next. Yes, I read the manuals.

    The kitchen cabinet business that is making my cabinets said they can make sure that set of cabinets can be removed easily and replaced with a dishwasher if I change my mind. Unless I see things vastly improve with appliance quality, I doubt that will happen.

    It's all a mindset, I think. I had gotten so addicted to wanting the dishwasher to work that dirty dishes would sit stacked on my counter waiting for the endless cycle to finish so I could empty and run another load. Then, many times there would be things that just weren't clean. I've also noticed etching since they took the phosphates out. Deep small cuts in my canning jars and glasses.

    Now my counters are clear and my dishes are clean. Because I did them myself. As far as germs go, soap and hot water will clean non porous items just fine. If I have really, really bad germs in my house that survive hand washing,then I have a problem, most likely a mutated germ causing an epidemic, and it will take more than a dishwasher to kill them. That's where bleach, boiling water, and sunlight would be used. But...haven't heard of any mutated bubonic plague germs yet:)

    I'm also one of those crazy people that hangs my laundry out to dry on a clothesline most of the time too. Lowers the electric bill, sanitizes the wash, and I get fresh air.

    If dishwashers still worked like they should, I would feel differently. If there was one that worked really well, I would be willing to pay whatever for it. I just can't see purchasing another item, made with parts from China, that doesn't work well, that aggravates me no end.

    My appliance dealer told me that none of them work good any more. Including the $2,000 ones. He said he would give me tha name of a lady that could wash my dishes for me if I wanted. His point was made.

    Sandy

  • donnamabob
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    We don't have one...we actually never had one. I guess I'm pretty used to doing dishes by hand, but I can't say that I wouldn't like to give one a "whirl" har-har-har. :P

  • sandy808
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I know what you mean. Cleaning up dishes has never been one of my favorite things to do, but many things in life are like that. At least my stuff is actually clean now! And I feel strangely satisfied when I'm done. It's not that I don't have a life and need waashing dishes to fill my time. I have many hobbies and like being outdoors best.

    I've been testing myself by letting my current dishwasher sit idle. I don't see where it was actually much better than doing dishes by hand. It takes me no longer to do them by hand, dry them, and put them away than loading the dishwasher and dealing with unloading the thing. For some reason I hated unloading it. Maybe it's because when we hand wash everything is at a nice height for working. A dishwasher involves constant bending down.

    I've also heard about how dishwashers harbor gross things. Our washing machines probably do too, but I don't eat off my laundry, and I'm not about to go down to the pond with a washboard either. I do draw the line at some things:)

  • shelayne
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    When we moved into our house in 1996, right before our first baby was due, I remember being in the kitchen and thinking that some of the dishes that got dusty in the move could just be run through the dishwasher.

    There I was standing at the sink with the first glass in my hand. I looked to the left of the sink. I looked to the right of the sink. I looked behind me. What the---

    It then dawned on me.

    "Honnnnnnnnneeeeeeeey!" I bellowed/shrieked. I had just assumed (yes, insert ASSume joke here) that the kitchen had a dishwasher, as it had been remodeled in 1986. I never noticed--in the three times that we looked at the house--the missing dishwasher. Young, giddy, with a new baby on the way, in my first house, I decided it was just fine--even a little sweet.

    It was when our youngest was a baby, and I was standing at the sink washing bottles and sippy cups for the umpteenth time that Hubs asked me why I wasn't smiling. I bared my teeth at him in some grotesque grimace of a smile and retorted, "Do YOU smile when you are doing dishes?" Really, he was lucky I didn't pop him one for such a stupid question to someone with raging hormones, sleep deprivation, and a wicked case of mastitis.

    A few months later, I not only got a new dishwasher, but a new range, refrigerator, sink, and countertops--oh and he threw in a garbage disposer for good measure! This was to hold us over until we could really do a major remodel. I guess that "smile" I flashed him was truly scary. ;^)

    I now know that I am one who neeeeeeeds a dishwasher. I think it is written in my DNA somewhere. :^D

  • sandy808
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Well, the honeymoon phase of handwashing dishes is becoming short lived I think. I got a little lazy last night and was tired of looking at the pile of dishes in the sink and put them in the dishwasher. They actually came out clean for a change but it may be because they had all been rinsed off.

    On Christmas I had taken our daughters my dishwasher soap and rinse aid and announced that I was sick of dishwashers. My mother in law put several of her dishwasher packets in a zip lock baga nd asked me to try them. She had bought them in bulk and thought they were the Walmart brand. I don't care for Walmart and don't shop there anymore, but by golly my dishes got clean. Will try another load today and see.

    I need to call my kitchen cabinet people today.....I had e-mailed and said to put a cabinet in place of the dishwasher. Now I'm not so sure. I would hate to end up using a bunch of paper products because I had no dishwasher, if I got sick and tired of dishes.

    Is there a brand that actually WORKS most of the time?!

    Sandy

  • sandy808
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Well, having run the next dishwasher load through for the second time trying to get them all the way residue free, I am at my wits end.

    I don't enjoy washing dishes, but a dishwasher that can't even get all the residue off is much, much, worse. I have to wash some of the glasses and utensils by hand because they just aren't clean enough.The point of this thing is to make life easier, not aggravating. This is not a cheap dishwasher and no one can find anything wrong with it. It has to be the crappy detergents. And Chinese made parts.

    So now we have washing machines that don't clean, dishwashers that don't clean, lightbulbs that don't cast decent light, and toilets that don't flush. Wonderful.

  • TxMarti
    Original Author
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Sandy, that's how my last dishwasher was. Have you cleaned the filter? You may have to do a search for your model to even be able to find it. Usually located on the bottom under the arm and you have to take the arm off to get to it. A real pain but it does make the dw work better.

    I'm with you - regulations to make the environment better sure make things work less.

  • shelayne
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Sandy,

    I am now a Finish Quantum convert. Those little tabs are magic to me. They are a little more expensive than the plain power tabs, but well worth it, I think. I switched to the cheaper stuff for a bit, but was starting to see that stupid residue on my glasses, and I could feel it, too. UGH. I went back to the Finish Quantum tabs, and my dishes were sparkling (and smooth) again. Sorry to sound like a commercial. ;^)

    Oh, and *they* will have to pry my incandescents out of my cold, dead hands. I absolutely LOATHE fluorescents-- and in the winter, in our garage, they are WORSE than useless. Whoever wants to wag their finger in my face about my lightbulbs can just bite me.

    Ooooh, I am feisty tonight. ;^)

  • mama goose_gw zn6OH
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Hi, marti, :)

    I just commented on a similar thread in the Kitchens forum, and remembered your thread here. I've linked it below, if anyone is interested.

    Here is a link that might be useful: No Dishwasher???

  • kath1966
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I do own a dishwasher. I run it empty three or four times a year with some mineral oil in the soap compartment so the hoses don't dry out. With just two people in our family it dosen't seem worth it to wait for a full load to run the dishwasher.

  • sandy808
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    This dishwasher is only 2 years old. My husband has checked everything out and nothing is clogged or otherwise not "working". I've run dishwasher cleaner through it, quarts of white vinegar and tried about every dishwasher detergent that's out there.

    Sometimes I will get a nice clean load. Then I will load it up again and run it (with all the backlogged dishes that sat around trying to get the dishwasher to clean the previous ones), and that next load will be grungy. We have plenty of hot water.

    I'm really sick and tired of it. I've started to hand wash again and am finding that if I develop a routine that it doesn't take long. My dishes are spotless when I wash them myself.

    When I think back over all the years of having dishwashers, it seems they work well for a while and then start leaving things less clean than I like. Service calls never revealed a problem. So then I would be disgusted and buy a new one. Clean dishes agian for a while. Then the same old story.

    I am convinced that dishwashers as a whole aren't all that great.Particularly the newer ones. I have a friend who thinks they are disgusting and won't buy one.

    I do a lot of cooking from scratch so we go through many dishes during the day. I don't particularly like washing dishes. However, I'm feeling that purchasing another dishwasher is a waste of money better spent somewhere else.

    I don't worry about gernms. Most are very fragile and don't live long outside of a host. If the dishes are totally free of any organic matter, the germs, flu or otherwise, aren't able to survive on the dishes provided they are a non porous material. I do worry about restaurants and their dishes, food, handlers though.

  • kalmiopsis48
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    At my boyfriend's house - no dishwasher. Since he lives in a mobile home, also no counter space. We wash the dishes real quickly. But then, I don't do any baking there and have never hosted a dinner party there. And I wouldn't be so disciplined at home, where there dishes to spare and lots of counter space and more distractions of every kind!
    At my house, I use my dishwasher regularly. I love it when I bake, as I pile in all the baking utensils and mixer parts. I really love it when I have a bunch of people over or have house guests.
    However, I have learned that the dishwasher doesn't do rice or cornmeal. When we have dishes with those things on them, I wash them by hand or rinse them before I put them in. I also use a scrubby on glass baking dishes before I put them in. I wash crystal by hand. And once in a while, I have to rewash something by hand.
    Powdered detergent and a rinse aid give the best results with our local water, which is naturally very soft.

  • sandy808
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Well, I'll tell you, I hope I can find a dishwasher that actually works! My appliance dealer says he hates selling them because the new ones are all junk. Even the high end brands.

    However, I don't think I have the temperament to hand wash all my dishes, all the time. They will pile up to the roof. I hate washing dishes. I don't mind washing my cast iron and my nice cutlery by hand, as those are a labor of love, but I hate doing the mainstream dishes by hand, particularly if it's late and I'm tired. I don't get help with them either. Ever.

    I guess I'll have to run the thing through two cycles to get them clean and rinsed properly, but so be it.

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