Most of us only buy one or two dishwashers in our lives. How are you supposed to keep up with what features they need to have or what they should cost?
Manufacturers introduce new models every year with new technologies.
It’s hard to tell what you actually need and pick a decent dishwasher from the hundreds out there—especially when so many popular models are out of stock.
That’s where we come in.
In this article about how to choose a dishwasher, I’m going to cover five questions you should consider as you’re shopping for a new dishwasher.
Whether you’re looking for a replacement and need it ASAP or just browsing for a future remodel, thinking through these factors will help ensure you’re happy with your purchase.
Table of Contents
How to Choose a Dishwasher
What type of dishwasher do you want?
The most common option is a full size built-in dishwasher. These fit a 24” wide opening under your counter.
On the exterior you’ll need to consider if you want a visible front control panel for easy access or a fully integrated dishwasher for a sleeker look.
The most popular finish these days is stainless steel and we recommend finding something with a fingerprint resistant finish.
Another trendy option is to match your surrounding cabinets with a panel ready dishwasher.
If you are short on space, consider a portable dishwasher on wheels, a countertop dishwasher,
or an 18-inch built-in dishwasher. And if you like the flexibility of running multiple smaller loads, you might want to consider a double drawer like one from Fisher Paykel.
How much do the wash and dry results matter to you?
Of course you want to buy a dishwasher with enough wash cycles and options to cover any level of after-dinner mess.
We suggest everybody look for a sensor wash option that automatically adjusts to how dirty your dishes are. If you plan on washing fine china or crystal look for something that sports a delicate setting.
And if you wash a lot of sports or baby bottles we love the bottle jet feature from GE.
With drying performance—you get what you pay for. Ask whether the dishwasher you’re eyeing has a heating element for drying or instead reliable on condensation. We think the latter is better. It uses less energy, is safer for your dishes, and less prone to breaking.
When shopping for a dishwasher with condensation dry, features like an auto-opening door or integrated fans can mean the difference between having to hand-dry glasses before putting them away or not, so look out for those.
How quiet do you need your dishwasher to be?
Anything below 50 decibels is quiet but if you are looking for something nearly silent we’d recommend targeting 45 decibels and lower.
If your kitchen’s in an open-concept space then definitely keep this in mind. If it’s far from your TV watching and hangout spaces, you might not care as much.
What kind of design do you want?
For the interior, ask if there’s a third rack, movable tines, bottle guides, fasteners for wine glasses, or adjustable racks.
If you can, try adjusting the racks and tines in person to see how easy to move they really are—that kind of thing might turn out to be a pet peeve later on.
We know people who even take their dinner plates with them when shopping to make sure they’ll fit easily.
How important is reliability to you?
Of course no one wants to buy a lemon, but it doesn’t make sense to invest a ton if you’re not planning to stay in your current home very long.
By our analysis, the three most dependable dishwasher brands are Miele, Bosch, and Whirlpool.
Always ask if the brand has good localized service in your area.
And that, my friends, is basically it. The answers to these five questions should set you up for dishwasher shopping success.
Think them through and quiz your salesperson, and you’re sure to get a model that fits your needs and your budget.