If you’re in the market for a new dishwasher, you may be shocked by the amount of choice and the complexity of the choosing process. If your old dishwasher is no longer in production, or if your dishwashing needs have changed, picking the right one for you may be a bit daunting.
Fortunately, home appliance professionals from Lars Appliances shared a simple guide which explains what different features do and whether you need them. Armed with this knowledge, you can continue your hunt for the best dishwasher with more confidence.
Dishwasher Type
Let’s start with the type of the dishwasher you need. Depending on the space you have, different types might be more or less suitable. Built-in dishwashers are the most common, with most American kitchens designed with a spot under the countertop for a dishwasher to be installed. Keep in mind that these dishwashers have unfinished side panels as they are meant to be installed inside the cabinet.
If you don’t have a spot in the kitchen designed to hold a dishwasher, but you do have enough space, you may want to go for a portable model. These resemble miniature fridges in their design. They can be freely moved and put wherever there is need. Keep in mind that these models need access to fresh water and your sink for depositing dirty water, so you will be limited in that respect.
Finally, if you don’t have too much room in your kitchen, you might consider a countertop type. These devices are smaller and also need to be close to the kitchen sink to empty the contents into the drain. Even though these can be handy for smaller dish loads, these devices tend to have fewer options than the full-size dishwashers.
Sizes of Dishwashers
The majority of dishwashers on the market today fit one of two categories – standard or compact. Both sizes are 34’’ tall and 24’’ deep. They only differ in their width, with standard being 24’’, whereas compact ones are 18’’. There are some variations in these categories, though.
For instance, tall tub machines have more internal space for dishes, even though they aren’t bigger on the outside. Think about the amount of dishes you need to wash in a day. If it amounts to something like 6 full plate settings or less, chances are that a compact countertop device should suffice. However, for anything more, you are going to need a bigger machine.
Additional Features
You expect the dishwasher to, well, wash dishes. However, apart from the basic functions, there are plenty of other features that a dishwasher can have. And, of course, the more of these you have, the more expensive and high-end your device is. Here are some of the most common (and useful ones).
Automatic temperature control will add hot and cold water respectively in order to maintain the perfect wash temperature without damaging your dishes or wasting electricity. It is quite a common feature, but not all machines have it. Zoned wash, on the other hand, is a feature which is reserved only for the top-end models. It determines whether the whole dishwasher is full and if not, it only directs water to the parts which actually have dishes in them – thus conserving power and water.
The type of filters your dishwasher comes with – self-cleaning or manual also depend on the price point of your dishwasher. We’ll let you figure out which ones are cheaper.
Finally, keep in mind that all of the dishwashers available in the US today will get your dishes clean – it’s mostly about preference and bells and whistles beyond that. Pick your machine safe in the knowledge that you can’t really go wrong.
Leave a Reply