Kitchen

[Tigriss]

Today's appliances are not made to last past 5 years, so know that going into it. My sister just replaced her faulty Samsung washer and dishwasher with Lowe's taking on the bill. She got a GE old school washer instead of another front loader or the one with the impaler. She got a Bosh dishwasher with the filter and stainless steel interior. It is quite and works well thus far. Good luck! The fancier the item the more costly it will be to replace/fix.

[Another new name Sue]

Go to the library and look at the Consumer Reports review of dishwashers. You may not be able to find the exact machines they review, but at least the articles can give you some ideas of what you want, what you don't care about, what brand seems to have good ratings, and prices. It's worth the time to do.

[Fressa]

THANK YOU !!

Everyone offered such good advice and specifics that had escaped my thinking. Needless to say that I am feeling a bit overwhelmed and have sticker shock. Normal for appliance or car purchase but still a shock. I so appreciate all of you taking the time to reply and offering your experiences or suggestions. It is greatly appreciated!

[luvsbulldogs]

We built our house 9 years ago and so all of our appliances were new. Within the first year all of the appliances including the washer and dryer broke down. The worst was the GE dishwasher. After 4 years and 12 service calls we heard that they were called back due to fire so we trashed it and bought a Kitchen Aid to which we have had no problems with. But others are correct in saying that they appliances of today are not what you had and do not expect them to last as long. Our repairman, whom we are on a first name basis with, told us that they are no longer made to last. We had a side by side refrigerator and it lasted 7 years. The life expectancy for them is 7 to 9 years. Pretty bad considering what the price of appliances are these days. To date we have replaced every appliance except the washer and dryer which we are expecting to not last much longer. Good luck with what you purchase.

[Poodlepet2]

We used Consumer Reports to purchase all new appliances for our kitchen-Bosch everything-dishwasher, range/oven, side by side fridge....well, on the fridge-and I don't know why Assurant just did not replace it-it was under warranty-but every circuit board had to be replaced. We had to have a loaner for almost 3 months. I'm on a first name basis with our repair man. The stove has been ok....the dishwasher? Every plastic piece has broken. I just spent 200 bucks on a new lower rack but there is some good news there: it holds more dishes.

Others mentioned that the Bosch does not have a heated dry cycle-and for me, that is a problem. I feel I have to empty it as soon as it's finished because that's a moist, dark environment and if food does not totally go down the macerator, it's a perfect environment for bacterial growth.

I wish I could give you advice on how to choose, but I found Consumer Reports was useless. We will have to replace our washer and dryer this upcoming year, and I don't know how we are going to decide....

Poodlepet

[Sameolmollysmama]

Deepa, we just went thru this several months ago! First off, buy stainless. We fell for the plastic spiel, and the dishes don't dry all the way!!! Second, my control buttons are on the top edge of my dishwasher now - SO STUPID. I can't see where in the cycle the dishwasher is in!! I can't even tell if it's finished!! We also went by Comsumer Reports. This is the Kenmore Elite. I hate this thing so much, we called Sears back our here. The service guy admitted that he doesn't even know which brand he'd buy now (he said they're all made by just a few companies), and he's worked for Sears since 1976. His only helpful tip was make sure your water temp is set to 140 degrees, and use powder, not the premeasured soap pods. Good luck!

[Scooby Doo]

I bought a KitchenAid on the advice of the Sears salesman. He said it was better than any Kenmore. It has more water sprayers and the important one on the back bottom. The racks are adjustable and large items fit very well on the bottom rack.

My DD bought a Bosch and hated it. The bottom rack doesn't hold tall items, and it doesn't dry the dishes.

When you look at the different models, check out the depth of the racks and make sure your dishes will fit. Some are deeper than others. Also, pay attention to the noise levels posted on each model.

[kitty60]

When I am purchasing a DW I go for how it will load. You must remember Whirlpool makes Kitchen Aid, Maytag, JennAir, Amana, Roper and who knows what else. My original KA from the late 60's lasted probably 10 years in our house and more in someone we gave it to when we remodeled in late 70's. After that I have had Bosch, Kenmore, and others, I never seem to get more than 5 years out of one. I now buy the cheapest model that I like the loading of. Repair people say they are not made to last.

[minwife]

I really like Whirlpool dishwashers ~ mainly because the utensil basket is on the door instead of taking up space within the dishwasher. We got our current Whirlpool from Lowe's - cost around $400. Very quiet & efficient.

[RocketMom]

Love my Bosch that I got last year. Not having a heated dry cycle is not an issue and I don't have to worry about plastic containers melting. There are a number of web forums out there that discuss various appliances. I try to read several and look for common complaints about a particular brand. I know that some swear by CR, but after purchasing 3 different large and small appliances based on CR ratings and all three being junk, I cancelled my subscription (no easy task) and don't bother reading their reviews. Good luck, but I will say what several have already said...appliances are no longer built to last, they are meant to be disposable.