We found that when we bought a nice dishwasher, we actually began to use it all the time. It gets things cleaner than hand washing, and it’s super efficient with water consumption. We probably use equal to or greater than the amount of water on our hand wash only items as all the dishes in the dishwasher.
Prior to this we had lived in rentals which had notoriously bad dishwashers.
We just got one of the higher tier Maytag ones, in retrospect we should have just coughed up the extra money for the Bosch.
Decades of poor dishwashers had made us wary of viewing a good dishwasher as an investment.
Most/all modern dishwashers clean better, use less water, and are much quieter than old school noisy crap boxes from a few decades ago aka the ones cheap apartments still use, haha. No shade, I've lived in many cheap apartments with crappy appliances.
Bonus tips: read the manual. Many units require some *minor* maintenance like cleaning food strainer, refill rinse aid, etc.
Get the Bosch and stop hand washing. It's much more environmentally friendly to run the dishwasher even if you run it without a full load.
I absolutely love my Bosch dishwasher. It was in the house when we bought it so I didn't pick it, but if it broke and couldn't be fixed I'd get another one immediately. The small top rack is a lifesaver for things like spatulas, pinch bowls, container lids, etc. It cleans immaculately.
>and stop hand washing.
OP lost me at hand washing, haha. I'll spend extra time trying to get one last dish to fit in the dishwasher because I loathe hand washing so much.
In a professional setting (environmental field) I claim I use a dishwasher for the environmental benefits, but honestly it's coz I'm lazy and the eco benefits are merely a bonus.
OP, IDK about brands - but, you should def replace your dishwasher. Bonus points if you get one that's energy star rated and EPA water sense certified.
>Scientists at the University of Bonn in Germany who studied the issue found that the dishwasher uses only half the energy, one-sixth of the water, and less soap than hand-washing an identical set of dirty dishes. Even the most sparing and careful washers could not beat the modern dishwasher. The study also found that dishwashers excelled in cleanliness over hand washing.
https://www.treehugger.com/are-dishwashers-good-for-environment-1203932
Yes, yes, yes!! To the Bosch. We replaced the ancient dishwasher that came with our house with a Bosch. Zero regrets.
We usually run ours every other day. 3 racks. Flatware and other small utensils on the top rack. Glassware, bowls, medium sized stuff in the middle, which is adjustable. Large stuff, plates, mixing bowls on the bottom. It did come with a bottom silverware rack, but we took it out and just use the 3rd rack on top.
We didn't get a top of the line either. We got a mid-level, wanna say it was about $800. Never had an issue with it. I run cleaning cycles periodically and clean the filter.
Dishes come out sparkling clean, and our water is hard enough that even with a softener, I need to descale the faucets and tea kettle quarterly.
I love that it has a "sanitize" option to super heat stuff. Great if someone is ill and you wanna make sure the germs are killed.
We got a Bosch because our GE broke. We were glad we got the service plan. It breaks once every couple of years. One repairman said we must have gotten a lemon because he rarely has to service them. Another said, "Well, dishwashers break, that's what they do, no matter the brand." Frankly, idk
Dishwasher is significantly more efficient than hand washing. I recommend using the dishwasher once you get a new one. FWIW we have a Bosch and love it. So quiet!
Likely the control board. Seems to be a common issue with that model. There is 0 power at all. No response from any buttons ( Ive already gone through some steps to make sure my outlet is working, flipping the breaker).
Looked up how much it may cost to replace that component, about $200 for just that board, was not even able to find any reliable refurbished parts online either.
The control board on my 8 year old GE dishwasher went. I found one online for $100 and replaced it myself after watching a couple youtube videos. Very simple using basic tools, took me 1-2 hours start to finish.
Why do you hand wash? It’s wasteful of both water and time. Why not buy and use a nice dishwasher as a nice little treat for yourself that you can also feel good about?
I came here to ask the same thing. I’m convinced handwashing doesn’t get stuff nearly as clean either. Everything is getting sanitized in the dishwasher
It is absolutely not worth it for you to buy a premium Bosch dishwasher if you plan to maintain your current dishwashing habits. I mean ~$800 (depending on model) for essentially a dishrack is just never going to make sense for a cost/value standpoint. Just buy a decent shape used one off marketplace at that point.
If you were open to changing your habits, though, then yes Bosch makes great dishwashers and are totally worth it if you use it all the time. People usually wash by hand because it’s an old habit or they don’t trust dishwashers. But they should trust them and they can save you a ton of time and money. This guy does a good video on it
https://youtu.be/jHP942Livy0?si=sDzxgWSkPhovpeav
Thank you for your comment and appreciate you not just jumping down my throat about hand washing, but actually some advice. Definitely a trust thing but is also we don't generate enough dirty dishes daily to warrant using the dishwasher daily. Would running once or twice a week "worth it"?
I think so, yeah. Especially if you ever anticipate kids anywhere down the line because they are dish monsters.
Those Bosch units don’t have a heating element (same for pretty much all European brands) and so they use way less energy. No need to wait until it’s all the way full to start a load, just put a few things in there until it’s full OR you just need that stuff clean and then start it up. Even with sparse loads a dishwasher will be more efficient than hand washing.
And as someone who has made the switch myself, I strongly recommend you at least entertain the idea of going all in on dishwashers. Like literally almost everything can go in the dishwasher and you’ve probably never even considered it before. The list of exceptions is very small. It’s very freeing to just put the entirety of the dinner mess in there and walk away.
It still works as a drying rack.
If you want to replace it anyway, then a low-end Bosch isn't a bad idea. That's what I have cuz mine broke during the pandemic, and there was almost nothing available.
Bosch has been a great dishwasher. The longest we had it was 15 years and left it running great when we sold our condo. That said if you don’t use a dishwasher often, it can do it more harm than good. Why bother with one if you don’t really like using one? Replace it with a wine fridge and get some use out of it.
Our Bosch is 7 or 8 years old and is so much quieter than any other model we’ve had. I run it twice a day and use the 60 minute economy cycle nearly all the time. If you can afford a Bosch and are going to replace your old dishwasher anyway, it’s a solid choice. The “third rack” at the top hold cutlery, chopsticks and other small items securely.
We bought a base like Bosch, like the cheapest $500 one they sell back in Feb. We frequently run it before it's full, because one rack will be full or we will be out of something and they're all in the dishwasher. It's still less water than hand washing, and it's less to do, and we've never had a problem with getting clean (though plastic stuff doesn't dry all the way).
I am replacing my GE dishwasher Monday with a Maytag that my grandparents got me. They have the same one and they are absolutely in love with it. The control board went out on my GE as well.
I did a bunch of research before buying our last dishwasher, and it pretty well came out that Bosch 300 series was the way to go. The 500 and 800 series are only a little better, but cost a lot more. The 100 series is different and not as good.
Don't waste money on something with a lot of fancy cycles and stuff that is rarely/never used.
Do get the third rack, it is awesome. I think all the Bosch models come with it now anyway.
Not sure how well this is answering your question, but have considered not getting one? Just remove the old one and use that space for more storage. When my washer died ten years ago, that's what we did. We hand wash everything and haven't missed having one.
One of the reasons for not wanting to do that is my kitchen Counter space is pretty limited for me so having a dish rack on the counter won't really work. :(
Yes -- and it seems like you're only actually *running* the dishwasher occasionally, but not sure if you're still hand washing first. That's even more water, and dishwashing detergent is designed for dirty dishes.
OP, If you're really dead set on hand washing for some reason, why replace the dishwasher at all, especially with something nicer? Isn't it already an under-cabinet dish rack with a door?
If I plan to use the dishwasher, I do not hand wash first.
I'm not opposed to going to more using the machine. I did not grow up with one and it hadn't fit quite well with my living circumstances (I don't need to place dishes in the washer daily since it's only 2 bowls and 2 sets of utensils, it seems wasteful to do so). So because of that it usually is some stuck on food that was caked on with a dishwasher and I end up having to hand wash it again anyways. Sometimes plastic items like lids got warped too, no place to put even wood utensils (spatula or chopsticks) if they were even dishwasher safe (?), some of my other items are also not dishwasher safe (thermos/water bottle)
I'm not opposed to changing it up if there are solutions or recommendations to the above.
Thank you for your opinion, do you have any recommendations of dishwashers to support your opinion. At this moment I would like to have the option to not do that :)
Not only is it a absolute waste of time to wash dishes by hand like it’s the 1800s but your also wasting gallons soon gallons of water for absolutely no reason, as posed to maybe 1.6-3 gallons for an entire dish wash.
Might as well bust out a washboard for your laundry too .
We were in the same situation, we had an ancient GE dishwasher when it broke we went with Bosch and to be honest I am not impressed. The dishes always seem to come out wet no matter the setting.
I had a Samsung that lasted 10 years because I learned that all I had to do was keep the dang thing clean and it would continue running the only reason I had to replace it was because my neighbor had a fire that burned his house and I ended up with all of his rats and they chewed through the dishwasher cord electrical cord and the drain hose hook up so that I couldn't replace it
The newer ones all come with a lot of things exposed and they weren't nearly as nice or as quiet even though they're rated to be quiet as my old Samsung that I bought in 2014. I ended up getting an LG for about $500 on sale not as good but works.
Use your dishwasher it'll save you time money and water over hand washing.
We found that when we bought a nice dishwasher, we actually began to use it all the time. It gets things cleaner than hand washing, and it’s super efficient with water consumption. We probably use equal to or greater than the amount of water on our hand wash only items as all the dishes in the dishwasher. Prior to this we had lived in rentals which had notoriously bad dishwashers. We just got one of the higher tier Maytag ones, in retrospect we should have just coughed up the extra money for the Bosch. Decades of poor dishwashers had made us wary of viewing a good dishwasher as an investment.
My previous rentals dishwashers were not great either so I've always deferred to hand washing. Thanks!
Most/all modern dishwashers clean better, use less water, and are much quieter than old school noisy crap boxes from a few decades ago aka the ones cheap apartments still use, haha. No shade, I've lived in many cheap apartments with crappy appliances. Bonus tips: read the manual. Many units require some *minor* maintenance like cleaning food strainer, refill rinse aid, etc.
Get the Bosch and stop hand washing. It's much more environmentally friendly to run the dishwasher even if you run it without a full load. I absolutely love my Bosch dishwasher. It was in the house when we bought it so I didn't pick it, but if it broke and couldn't be fixed I'd get another one immediately. The small top rack is a lifesaver for things like spatulas, pinch bowls, container lids, etc. It cleans immaculately.
>and stop hand washing. OP lost me at hand washing, haha. I'll spend extra time trying to get one last dish to fit in the dishwasher because I loathe hand washing so much. In a professional setting (environmental field) I claim I use a dishwasher for the environmental benefits, but honestly it's coz I'm lazy and the eco benefits are merely a bonus. OP, IDK about brands - but, you should def replace your dishwasher. Bonus points if you get one that's energy star rated and EPA water sense certified.
Does "environmentally friendly" simply mean that it uses less water?
>Scientists at the University of Bonn in Germany who studied the issue found that the dishwasher uses only half the energy, one-sixth of the water, and less soap than hand-washing an identical set of dirty dishes. Even the most sparing and careful washers could not beat the modern dishwasher. The study also found that dishwashers excelled in cleanliness over hand washing. https://www.treehugger.com/are-dishwashers-good-for-environment-1203932
Yes, yes, yes!! To the Bosch. We replaced the ancient dishwasher that came with our house with a Bosch. Zero regrets. We usually run ours every other day. 3 racks. Flatware and other small utensils on the top rack. Glassware, bowls, medium sized stuff in the middle, which is adjustable. Large stuff, plates, mixing bowls on the bottom. It did come with a bottom silverware rack, but we took it out and just use the 3rd rack on top. We didn't get a top of the line either. We got a mid-level, wanna say it was about $800. Never had an issue with it. I run cleaning cycles periodically and clean the filter. Dishes come out sparkling clean, and our water is hard enough that even with a softener, I need to descale the faucets and tea kettle quarterly. I love that it has a "sanitize" option to super heat stuff. Great if someone is ill and you wanna make sure the germs are killed.
Thank you, I appreciate your comment. The water is quite hard in my area as well, so I'm glad to hear that.
We got a Bosch because our GE broke. We were glad we got the service plan. It breaks once every couple of years. One repairman said we must have gotten a lemon because he rarely has to service them. Another said, "Well, dishwashers break, that's what they do, no matter the brand." Frankly, idk
Had my Bosch for 3 years, no problems I needed to pay to repair. I'm very happy with it.
It cleans the dishes so well, and it's super quiet. I've yet to meet anyone else with a Bosch that's had an issue.
Dishwasher is significantly more efficient than hand washing. I recommend using the dishwasher once you get a new one. FWIW we have a Bosch and love it. So quiet!
When you said it broke, what exactly is wrong with it? My drain pump failed, and I replaced it myself for $90.
Likely the control board. Seems to be a common issue with that model. There is 0 power at all. No response from any buttons ( Ive already gone through some steps to make sure my outlet is working, flipping the breaker). Looked up how much it may cost to replace that component, about $200 for just that board, was not even able to find any reliable refurbished parts online either.
The control board on my 8 year old GE dishwasher went. I found one online for $100 and replaced it myself after watching a couple youtube videos. Very simple using basic tools, took me 1-2 hours start to finish.
Why do you hand wash? It’s wasteful of both water and time. Why not buy and use a nice dishwasher as a nice little treat for yourself that you can also feel good about?
I came here to ask the same thing. I’m convinced handwashing doesn’t get stuff nearly as clean either. Everything is getting sanitized in the dishwasher
Almost 20 years on our Asko. Only replacement was a basket that rusted out
It is absolutely not worth it for you to buy a premium Bosch dishwasher if you plan to maintain your current dishwashing habits. I mean ~$800 (depending on model) for essentially a dishrack is just never going to make sense for a cost/value standpoint. Just buy a decent shape used one off marketplace at that point. If you were open to changing your habits, though, then yes Bosch makes great dishwashers and are totally worth it if you use it all the time. People usually wash by hand because it’s an old habit or they don’t trust dishwashers. But they should trust them and they can save you a ton of time and money. This guy does a good video on it https://youtu.be/jHP942Livy0?si=sDzxgWSkPhovpeav
Thank you for your comment and appreciate you not just jumping down my throat about hand washing, but actually some advice. Definitely a trust thing but is also we don't generate enough dirty dishes daily to warrant using the dishwasher daily. Would running once or twice a week "worth it"?
I think so, yeah. Especially if you ever anticipate kids anywhere down the line because they are dish monsters. Those Bosch units don’t have a heating element (same for pretty much all European brands) and so they use way less energy. No need to wait until it’s all the way full to start a load, just put a few things in there until it’s full OR you just need that stuff clean and then start it up. Even with sparse loads a dishwasher will be more efficient than hand washing. And as someone who has made the switch myself, I strongly recommend you at least entertain the idea of going all in on dishwashers. Like literally almost everything can go in the dishwasher and you’ve probably never even considered it before. The list of exceptions is very small. It’s very freeing to just put the entirety of the dinner mess in there and walk away.
https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200211005538/en/Cascade-Clean-Dishwashing-Habit
I love my Bosch dishwasher!
If you're going to replace it, Bosch is a solid choice. I also recommend Fisher & Paykel.
It still works as a drying rack. If you want to replace it anyway, then a low-end Bosch isn't a bad idea. That's what I have cuz mine broke during the pandemic, and there was almost nothing available.
FWIW we have a Bosch 800 and love it. When we got it I thought the silverware rack was a gimmick but it actually works really well.
We have a Bosch 800 - 4 years, quiet and smooth as day 1, cleans well, inside stays clean, definitely recommended.
Bosch has been a great dishwasher. The longest we had it was 15 years and left it running great when we sold our condo. That said if you don’t use a dishwasher often, it can do it more harm than good. Why bother with one if you don’t really like using one? Replace it with a wine fridge and get some use out of it.
Our Bosch is 7 or 8 years old and is so much quieter than any other model we’ve had. I run it twice a day and use the 60 minute economy cycle nearly all the time. If you can afford a Bosch and are going to replace your old dishwasher anyway, it’s a solid choice. The “third rack” at the top hold cutlery, chopsticks and other small items securely.
Bosch is good, Miele is even better. Our Miele dishwasher is 11 years old now and works fine.
We bought a base like Bosch, like the cheapest $500 one they sell back in Feb. We frequently run it before it's full, because one rack will be full or we will be out of something and they're all in the dishwasher. It's still less water than hand washing, and it's less to do, and we've never had a problem with getting clean (though plastic stuff doesn't dry all the way).
I am replacing my GE dishwasher Monday with a Maytag that my grandparents got me. They have the same one and they are absolutely in love with it. The control board went out on my GE as well.
I have a friend who does appliance repair and plumbing. He said the Bosch are overrated. He likes LG.
I did a bunch of research before buying our last dishwasher, and it pretty well came out that Bosch 300 series was the way to go. The 500 and 800 series are only a little better, but cost a lot more. The 100 series is different and not as good. Don't waste money on something with a lot of fancy cycles and stuff that is rarely/never used. Do get the third rack, it is awesome. I think all the Bosch models come with it now anyway.
Bosch good!
Quietest DW we ever owned.
Not sure how well this is answering your question, but have considered not getting one? Just remove the old one and use that space for more storage. When my washer died ten years ago, that's what we did. We hand wash everything and haven't missed having one.
One of the reasons for not wanting to do that is my kitchen Counter space is pretty limited for me so having a dish rack on the counter won't really work. :(
Don't do that. You use exponentially more water and thus hot water hand washing dishes.
Yes -- and it seems like you're only actually *running* the dishwasher occasionally, but not sure if you're still hand washing first. That's even more water, and dishwashing detergent is designed for dirty dishes. OP, If you're really dead set on hand washing for some reason, why replace the dishwasher at all, especially with something nicer? Isn't it already an under-cabinet dish rack with a door?
If I plan to use the dishwasher, I do not hand wash first. I'm not opposed to going to more using the machine. I did not grow up with one and it hadn't fit quite well with my living circumstances (I don't need to place dishes in the washer daily since it's only 2 bowls and 2 sets of utensils, it seems wasteful to do so). So because of that it usually is some stuck on food that was caked on with a dishwasher and I end up having to hand wash it again anyways. Sometimes plastic items like lids got warped too, no place to put even wood utensils (spatula or chopsticks) if they were even dishwasher safe (?), some of my other items are also not dishwasher safe (thermos/water bottle) I'm not opposed to changing it up if there are solutions or recommendations to the above.
Thank you for your opinion, do you have any recommendations of dishwashers to support your opinion. At this moment I would like to have the option to not do that :)
Not only is it a absolute waste of time to wash dishes by hand like it’s the 1800s but your also wasting gallons soon gallons of water for absolutely no reason, as posed to maybe 1.6-3 gallons for an entire dish wash. Might as well bust out a washboard for your laundry too .
We were in the same situation, we had an ancient GE dishwasher when it broke we went with Bosch and to be honest I am not impressed. The dishes always seem to come out wet no matter the setting.
Bosch is trash - mine has already cost me $400 in repairs.
KitchenAid makes solid dishwashers. I'd get that or a Bosch, whichever is cheaper in your area.
I had a Samsung that lasted 10 years because I learned that all I had to do was keep the dang thing clean and it would continue running the only reason I had to replace it was because my neighbor had a fire that burned his house and I ended up with all of his rats and they chewed through the dishwasher cord electrical cord and the drain hose hook up so that I couldn't replace it The newer ones all come with a lot of things exposed and they weren't nearly as nice or as quiet even though they're rated to be quiet as my old Samsung that I bought in 2014. I ended up getting an LG for about $500 on sale not as good but works. Use your dishwasher it'll save you time money and water over hand washing.