Basic, No Frills, Quiet Dishwasher

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 don't see many dishwasher deals on here other than Black Friday.

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.

We remodeled about eight years ago, and purchased a Whirlpool Gold "Quiet Partner 3" model that is well insulated for sound. We've been pleased with it, ever since.

We got the bottom line Bosch one they sell at Lowes, we have been very very happy with it. I think the length of the wash cycle has increased in the past 20 years. Our old dishwasher 20 or so years old was under a hour, our new one is just under 2 hours. The dishes come out much much much cleaner though on the new dishwasher.

OP, one other thing to consider is the quality and layout of the dish racks. Some of the racks are cheap and flimsy looking/feeling and some are not designed very well. The dishwasher we have (came with the house) has a terrible layout on the racks and it's a fight to get mugs, bowls and glasses into the upper rack without wasting a lot of space. So take a close look at the racks too before choosing a dishwasher.

Quote from Zoe Moon : OP, one other thing to consider is the quality and layout of the dish racks. Some of the racks are cheap and flimsy looking/feeling and some are not designed very well. The dishwasher we have (came with the house) has a terrible layout on the racks and it's a fight to get mugs, bowls and glasses into the upper rack without wasting a lot of space. So take a close look at the racks too before choosing a dishwasher.

Good advice! Thanks.

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?

Quote from SJGUY99 : Good advice! Thanks. 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?

It would look odd. But as long as you don't care then it doesn't matter what other people think. Of course if you plan on selling your house anytime soon, then you are going to want the dishwasher to match the rest of the appliances.

Quote from Zoe Moon : OP, one other thing to consider is the quality and layout of the dish racks. Some of the racks are cheap and flimsy looking/feeling and some are not designed very well. The dishwasher we have (came with the house) has a terrible layout on the racks and it's a fight to get mugs, bowls and glasses into the upper rack without wasting a lot of space. So take a close look at the racks too before choosing a dishwasher.

Men don't need to be reminded to check out racks.

I'd suggest one of these...



May need to stick an old sock in the mouth with some duct-tape to keep it quite though. Also, you can get it with a cooking add-on.

Quote from SJGUY99 : Good advice! Thanks. 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?

A second vote for it looking odd. And it would be a turn off to potential buyers but if you're not going to sell in the next 10 years, then go for it. Or you could buy a black dishwasher, it would fit in better with the stainless steel appliances than white would.

We're hoping to remodel our kitchen this year and one thing we're going with is a dishwasher with a metal interior. The plastic interiors get funky over time and can retain odors. The one we have gets mold along the area where the door is in contact with the plastic inside of the dishwasher, and it has to be cleaned every week.

Quote from someone28624 : Men don't need to be reminded to check out racks.

If dishwashers are supposed to be more energy efficient than 20 years ago, does the fact that a lot of them take 2 hours for a cycle actually cost the consumer more in energy use vs a less energy efficient unit from 20 years ago that only took 1 hour for a cycle?

It also seems like few dishwashers have an open (without plastic flip-up doors) silverware rack that is mounted in the door.

We found a Maytag, mid-grade, display model for $250. It's great! Cleans well, is quiet and the racks are easily adjusted and the utensil rack can be moved and/or reconfigured. Ask people at your local stores when they will get new floor models. Check online in the big box stores clearance sections too.

Quote from thearteest : We found a Maytag, mid-grade, display model for $250. It's great! Cleans well, is quiet and the racks are easily adjusted and the utensil rack can be moved and/or reconfigured. Ask people at your local stores when they will get new floor models. Check online in the big box stores clearance sections too.

Which model Maytag is it and how long does a cleaning cycle take?

I hate that our new Kitchenaid dishwasher lacks a disposal. They said that helps keep it quiet.

The old one we could load anything remotely solid without having to rinse or prewash, and it did a full load in 45 minutes! The new one has a manually removable filter that will clog and make the load need to be done again if we dont preclean the dishes.... it's in the bottom of the tank and a PITA to remove and clean. What good's a dishwasher that won't take dirty dishes? And it takes two hours!