Without a Noise, Much Energy or Water, Clean Dishes

When our old dishwasher stopped working, we decided it wasn’t worth a repair, since it was old and wasteful and didn’t amaze with its performance. I started looking at energy-efficient ones, thinking about what a fabulous experience we’ve had with our energy and water-efficient Staber washer. As usual, I searched with dogpile.com for articles, reviews, and stores and I spent some time on ConsumerReports.org.

Consumer Reports ratings on energy use are from their extensive testing, not just the yellow labels on new appliances, so they helped me to zero in on eco-friendly dishwashers. CR also said that sparkling performance starts at about $500 or less, but those are louder than more expensive ones. Most conventional dishwashers fit a 24-inch-wide space under a kitchen countertop and attach to a hot-water pipe, drain, and electrical line. That was true for ours. It was also 34" high, so a replacement had to be that or lower to fit under our countertop, but most have adjustable feet. So the standard 24”-width size meant a wide selection.

Bosch Dishwasher

So, like with the clothes washer, I considered not just energy and water efficiency, but also cleaning power, noise level, and ease of loading and unloading. My top contenders were Whirlpool and Bosch. I went to Lowes and looked at their floor models. When I was looking at a Bosch, a salesperson suggested I use a rinsing agent with that one to get the dishes dryer. I said we planned to open the door and let the dishes air dry. Why pay to do something that will happen anyway? He said that we were the perfect customers for the Bosch. I chose a mid-range Bosch that was on sale, and was described as extremely quiet (48 decibels).

We try to run the dishwasher after 6 pm, when people use less energy, to avoid contributing to situations that require energy companies to power up the dirtier power plants. We use the “normal” cycle, which doesn’t include drying. This dishwasher is so quiet, it's easy to think it's not running! So it shines a dot of light on the floor under it to SHOW that it's running. It has a “manual filter” that I clean every few months, and fold-down tines and an upper rack that we can lower for tall items. And I enjoy (yes, enjoy) using the silverware tray that keeps the forks, knives and spoons from touching so they get cleaner. When the dryer beeps that it’s finished, we turn it off, open the door, and pull out the racks. The steamy water evaporates thoroughly by morning. After a year and a half, we can still recommend this Bosch dishwasher.