The dishwasher is practically an essential household appliance, and if your home is like most, the dishwasher gets used, abused, and heavily used. So when it comes time to buy a new one, it’s important to think about your lifestyle and habits. With innovative new features and designs all the time, there’s a good chance your new dishwasher will be a step up from your previous one. To help you sort out which dishwasher will be best for you, I’ve pulled together 5 top tips on what to look for when buying a new dishwasher.

#1 Noise

When thinking about noise – keeping the noise down on your dishwasher can be a big deal if you have an open concept kitchen. If the guests or TV are safely tucked away in another room, worrying about the noise of your new dishwasher might not be worth it. Get the scoop on those decibel ratings here.

#2 Environment

Is this a cottage dishwasher, are you on septic, or does caring for mother earth take first place in your appliance decisions? With some models offering ‘light’ modes, ‘enviro’ modes, and other environmental features, it’s easy to make a good choice for you and for the planet. These modes often use less heat or energy and reduce water usage. Don’t forget, if you’re on septic you should be using the appliances the ‘septic friendly’ way.

Summer Cottage Septic

#3 Flexibility

How flexible do you need your dishwasher to be? If you have a variety of dish sizes and hosting needs, consider a dishwasher with adjustable racks you can raise or lower for champagne flutes or the turkey roasting pan. If you know it will be plates and cups over and over, this added feature won’t be of any use to you so its best to avoid the extra costs.

#4 Outer Beauty

If overall design esthetic or décor styling is your goal, there are some sleek models offering a range of features, from dishwashers made to look like they are built-in to interchangeable covers in a variety of colours. But if function is more important than fashion to you, you’ll find that even today’s ‘functional’ models are attractive and fit a variety of décor styles.

#5 Nitty Gritty

Think through removal and installation of the previous unit. You’ll also want to ask about warranty terms and lengths for any defects or problems you may encounter.

You want to know more about dishwashers, here is what I have for you:

  • For 2017 dishwasher innovations, I’ve got a list here just for you.
  • Any problems with loading your current dishwasher (don’t we all!)? Well, it’s because there are a right way and a wrong way and I’ve got the scoop on that right here!
  • Did you know that dishwashers need a good cleaning every once and a while too? I’ve got your tips on how to clean a dishwasher here.

Isabelle, Your Appliance Expert