Dishwashers for any Kitchen Design
Have the advantage, select a dishwasher that best suits your lifestyle by following these simple steps:
When you’re shopping for appliances, dishwashers are one of the easiest appliances to
shop for. There are about three different types of dishwashers, your normal built-in under the counter, you also have the compact built-in version, and a portable dishwasher that connects to the faucet.
Now the goal here is to get your dishes clean. I’m sure we all understand that, but there are reasons some dishwashers cost $200 and some cost $1,300; and it surely is not just because of looks...
Now I’m not going to get into cycles, that is really irrelevant when it comes to the big picture, and after you finish reading this section, you’ll understand why!
Now, imagine, or if you can, take a look at the inside of your current dishwasher, make a note of how many blades it has to distribute water throughout the cavity… go on, I’ll wait…. Are you back yet? Ok, how many did you see? If your dishwasher is more than 8 years old, or came with your new house, it would be safe to assume that you counted one by it’s lonesome at the bottom. MAYBE two, another one located at the top. Now if you have two, you’re not in that bad of shape. But the thing to shoot for is three. One on the bottom, one on the top, and one in the middle, located under the top tray.
These three blades are important because these are the things that distribute soap and water across your dishes. Imagine that one blade struggling to squirt water to the top of the cavity to knock all of that
food and dirt off of your dishes. It may do an OK job with a light load; but what about those full loads? Well it has to get through the dishes on the bottom rack first to grace those on top.
This is why most of us have to pre-rinse, or post-rinse our dishes. With three blades however, this will be eliminated… unless of course you just have super filthy dishes, then I can’t give you a guarantee, but in most cases you shouldn’t have a problem.
The good news about these three blade dishwashers are that they will cost you in themid to upper $400’s starting, which is the cost of an average dishwasher, so that's not bad at all. The last thing I’m going to recommend getting is a dishwasher with a sanitize option as well as the three blades. This sanitize feature is something great to have especially if you have children.
The sanitize option allows dishwashers to heat up the water to 160 degrees using their internal heaters to kill off all bacteria that may have been lurking on your dishes. Ahhh, you’ve just made your home germ-free… well, at least the dishes anyway!
Features
Higher-end dishwashers have a lot more options; they tend to have a seamless look, with hidden control boards. They also are generally capable of holding 16 place settings; that’s at least 64 dishes that they can wash efficiently. Now if you don’t have a large family, this should not be of any interest to you… save your money and get a lower-end model.
Now lets get really deep and dirty or clean I should say! Higher-end models also tend to have the option to just wash the upper rack, using less water. They also have sensors in them that will allow the machine to only run until the dishes are clean! It is able to do this with sensors located at the bottom of the dishwasher tub that measure the cloudiness of the water settled on the bottom. Once that water is clear the machine will stop the cycle. What does that mean? more energy efficient! It will only use just enough water and energy to get the dishes clean and that's it! Millennium technology, gotta love it!
These models are also capable of cleaning large crock pots, and some can even store about a months worth of detergent so you just load, select a cycle and go!
Some models even go far enough to wash according to water-hardness. Now technically, if you want to give your dishes a true cleaning, you virtually need to be a chemist. (Same goes for clothes washers, but that info is in the Washers & Dryers section). The harder your water is, the more detergent is required. You also need to know at exactly what water temperature to add your detergent. I know, I know, that's a bit too technical, but with one of these dishwashers who cares? It does everything for you!
A stainless steel interior is also standard among high-end dishwashers. This feature can also be found in some lower-end models as well. This inner tub of steel is more durable than your standard plastic interior, and also harbors less than .01% of bacteria unlike its plastic predecessors .
Finally, a big factor many consumers ask about a dishwasher is, "How loud is it?" Well glad you asked! In the higher-end dishwasher’s case it would be safe to ask, "How quiet is it?" as opposed to how loud. Higher-end models are generally a little quieter than a quiet office. They’re about 46db; the human ear only notices a change in sound in decibels of 3. So for example if the ringing of a home phone was 90 decibels and the ringing of a cell phone were 92 decibels, to the human ear they would have the same volume. Here’s a decibel chart to compare dishwasher noises Decibel chart. These models are also the most energy efficient, which I’ll get into in the next section.
Energy Efficiency
Dishwashers indeed can be ENERGY STAR compliant. According to ENERGYSTAR.GOV “Replacing a dishwasher manufactured before 1994 with an ENERGY STAR qualified dishwasher can save you more than $25 a year in utility costs.
ENERGY STAR qualified dishwashers use 25% less energy than the federal minimum standard for energy consumption. These dishwashers use much less water than conventional models. The higher-end models use on average 3.5-5 gallons of water per wash, while non ENERGY STAR models can use up to 12 gallons per wash! That's two loads in a high-end dishwasher.
ENERGY STAR dishwashers also use less hot water than non ENERGY STAR models (even the new models!) and over the lifespan of the machine, will save you about $100.
Where to Shop
Here's a list of sites to purchase your dishwasher no matter what caliber of dishwasher you're looking for from low-end to super high-end, you'll find it on this list:
 Sears offers great help on choosing the right dishwasher. They have a virtual kitchen which will give you some idea of what the appliance looks like in your kitchen. They will also professionally install your dishwasher and during certain promotions they offer free delivery. Sears will even haul away your old appliance for a fee of $25. Sear's Dishwashers 
 Best Buy also has an array of dishwashers to choose from. All ranging from low to high end products. Best Buy will also deliver, professionally install, and haul away your old dishwasher. With Best Buy however, if your purchase is $499 or more the delivery and haul away is free! If it's under that price than the two together is still only $49. So it would be wise again to, SHOP AROUND! Best Buy Dishwashers
If you need help with installation, this link will find local contractors for you.
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