Monday, May 5, 2014

D IS FOR DISHWASHER

Gentle Readers . . . and Maxwell,

I'm sorry I didn't start the A - Z Challenge on time. I know I missed A, B, and C, but I'll try to make it up to you with some extra good posts.

What? Franklin says the A - Z Challenge was during April. I missed the whole thing.

Oh, well, when last we spoke my dishwasher was broken, so we might as well go ahead with D IS FOR DISHWASHER.

I followed all the instructions and I couldn't fix my dishwasher. I called my buddy Carol and said, Hey, do you wanna go look at dishwashers with me? She said, Sure.

Carol is easy, and I do not mean that in a naughty way.

I had my heart set on a Maytag dishwasher because when I lived in Western Maryland I had a Maytag dishwasher. We were there for 12 years and that dishwasher was still going strong when we left.

I don't know how old the Frigidaire in my Florida house was, but I don't think it was even approaching middle age because the previous owners remodeled the kitchen and put in all new appliances. Please allow me to say right now that I am not impressed by Frigidaires. The dishwasher hadn't been getting the dishes totally clean for quite some time. Grungy gunk would be in the bottoms of the cups and bowls were cruddy. Then the Frigidaire quit draining. I went through the whole try-to-fix it thing to no avail. The pump had gone kerplunk. I felt that was beyond my Ms. Fix-It Skills.

So Carol and I meandered into Lowe's (we meander a lot; we're not in a rush) and perused the dishwashers. I found someone who worked there and said, I want a Maytag dishwasher.

He said, We only have one.

Shocking. Absolutely shocking.

I looked at the Maytag and didn't particularly like it.

I wandered around and found the Bosch dishwashers. I'd heard of those. Consumer Reports say they're stupendous. The price is stupendous, too, as in $800 - $1,000. But then I came across a Bosch that was on sale. It was less expensive than a lot of dishwashers that didn't look so great.

I asked Carol, Do you think I should get it?

It's a good price, Carol said. It's a good dishwasher, Carol said. Seems like a good idea to me, Carol said. (Carol and I don't dilly-dally a lot over decisions.)

I bought the Bosch. A plumber came to install it a few days later. Didn't take long.



When I looked inside the dishwasher in Lowe's, I asked, Why does it look so small inside? The guy said, It's the standard size dishwasher.

Yeah, on the outside that's true, but not on the inside. It's smaller because of all the insulation that makes a Bosch incredibly quiet. I learned that online.





However, I discovered that size isn't always important. The Bosch is configured in such a way that it holds more dishes than any other dishwasher I've ever had––even my beloved Maytag in Maryland.

Some of the pieces that separate sections can fold down so one can make an area larger to hold a particular dish. I like that.




Because the Bosch isn't an American dishwasher, I had to get used to some other stuff about it that's different. First, American dishwashers have little garbage disposals in the bottom. The Bosch has a filter, pictured below. A couple of times a week, one should check the filter for food particles or whatever might get caught in the bottom of a dishwasher. 



The filter is very easy to remove, and so far, I haven't found a single thing in it. It's probably because I let the dogs lick the plates before I put them in the dishwasher. The boys do such a good job that I often consider putting the plates back in the cabinet without wasting all that water and energy, but dog slobber leaves a bit of a sticky residue so I go ahead and use the dishwasher.

A second aspect of the Bosch that's different is that it doesn't have a drying cycle. I read lots of reviews of the Bosch online, and quite a few people complained that their dishes were waterlogged when they opened the Bosch. 

But I, being a savvy consumer, had already read the solutions to the complaints about too much water. I learned

  1. Press the sanitize button. It doesn't work as well as a drying cycle, but getting the dishwasher good and hot inside helps dry the dishes.
  2. Use a rinse aid. Bosch prefers Finish.
  3. Pour in a little white vinegar before starting the dishwasher.
  4. When the dishwasher is all done doing its thing, open the door and allow gentle breezes to waft in for a while. It's especially nice to run the dishwasher during the evening and leave the door open overnight. By morning, the dishes are just as dry as if they had been in an American dishwasher.
I like my Bosch. I run it about twice a week since I don't use a lot of dishes. It's just me and sometimes Willy Dunne Wooters, and we're not fussy about using a different plate for every little thing. Best of all, my dishes are really, really clean.

These last two photos are for some of you (okay, I think it was one person) who wanted to see more of the red on the walls in my kitchen.





Now, I have a very BIG announcement. I'm not promising you that this will definitely come true, but it's possible that Favorite Young Man will write a guest post this week. Is that cool, or what? I'll let you know as soon as I hear from him.

Favorite Young Man: Speak!

He's not as obedient as Franklin, but I love him anyway.


Infinities of love,

Janie Junebug

29 comments:

  1. I have never had a Bosch, but I imagine one would be great. I don't use my dry cycle. I can turn it on or off before the wash starts. What I do is go in and take a dish towel and get water from the bottom of glasses and cups. That takes 30 seconds. I check the bottom rack to see if there is water standing on the indentions of bowls, another 30 seconds.

    Then, I push the bottom rack all the way in and leave the top rack out a bit so the door has a one inch crack. Then, I turn on the ceiling fan, summer or winter. The dishes are dry in no time and the kitchen is not humid.

    I like a quiet dishwasher, especially with another human in the house or if I need to do something in the kitchen.

    Looking forward to his post.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. If I didn't use the dry cycle on my old dishwasher, a bit of mold would grow on the bottoms of the plates. Yuck.

      Delete
  2. Hi Janie .. well you've done B and D due J for justice! I've noted a couple of things re dishwashers .. that might be helpful .. the vinegar trick .. and English v American - we work differently! Cheers and welcome back .. I had some C for C drive problems at about X when the unknown British coasts came in ..

    Cheers Hilary

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  3. I have a Bosch that I bought from Lowes after my Maytag caught on fire. Or maybe it was Whirlpool. I blogged about it a while back. It has a lot of the same features that yours has. I don't like the filter thing.

    I look forward to FYM's post.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I don't remember your dishwasher catching on fire. My mind comes and goes. The filter thing doesn't bother me since nothing is ever in it. If I find a palmetto bug in it, then my opinion will change.

      Delete
  4. Hello again, Janie Junebug! It's always nice to be reunited with someone out of my distant past. :) I hope you enjoyed your spring break here in summery Florida.

    I can relate to this post because I am easy, although in a naughty way. I love to meander, dilly-dally and eat off dishes coated with dried dog slobber. Yummy! I also agree that size isn't always important.

    Anyway, I'm glad you found a quiet dishwasher that works well. Back in the 50s that was my father's job description. Have a great week, Janie!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. My dad wouldn't let my mom have a dishwasher until long after everyone else in the world had one (we were also the last people in the world to get a color TV). My dad's reasoning was that my mom had five dishwashers. He was not one of them.

      Delete
  5. A post from the Young Man would be great.
    It would be hilarious if you did the A-to-Z in May and went from D then jumped to J then back to H then to Q.
    I feel like I've never learned more about washing machines and now I have to go look at mine to see if it has a filter in the bottom and something as basic as what's the brand. Also, knowing that your dogs lick the plates, I shan't be joining you for a dinner party at your house.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I don't recall inviting you to a dinner party. No one wants to sit at a table with a pickleope.

      Delete
  6. I have a Bosch also. It does do a good job cleaning the dishes but I find it small inside. Before the Bosch I had a really fancy Swedish ASKO dishwasher and I am pretty sure nothing could compares! I just didn't want to pay that price again when it needed replacing, maybe next time. I've missed you!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you for missing me. I didn't have to miss you because I read most of your A - Z posts. The small inside thing doesn't bother me because I'm amazed by how much the Bosch holds. I love figuring out how to get lots of stuff in my dishwasher. It's one of my favorite hobbies.

      Delete
  7. You wrote a really interesting post about a dishwasher. Not just anyone could have done that! I'm seriously impressed.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Maybe someone intelligent will hire me to write about dishwashers.

      Delete
  8. I'm glad you like your dishwasher, though you should have taught yo feller to do them for the pleasure of your company between the sheets. And speaking of pleasure between the sheets, if Carol is that easy have her call me.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Carol will not be calling you. I think of her as a mama, and I'm not prostituting out my mama for your pleasure. I would be scared to let Willy Dunne Wooters wash the dishes. I don't think he gets the concept of "clean".

      Delete
  9. Dear Janie, I'm so glad you are liking your new dishwasher. When I moved into this house back in June 2009, it had Kenmore appliances: dishwasher, washer, drier, stove, and refrigerator. I've been so happy with all of them. And I had Kenmore (Sears brand name) in Minnesota also. So if you'd asked me, that's what I would have recommended. But what you purchased sounds great--especially getting it on sale. Take care. Peace.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I have a Kenmore vacuum cleaner. I think Kenmores are good, solid appliances, but I didn't want to drive an extra 45 minutes to get to Sears when Lowe's is 5 minutes away.

      Delete
  10. It seems I treat my Maytag as you treat your Bosch. With six people in the house we run a fairly tight schedule, and leaving the door open overnight would not work. Emptying is my job in the evening, and I open the door around the time I need a snack. I pull out the racks so the very hot, wet dishes hit the air. I eat my snack. When I'm done, the dishes are dry and I put them away.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I do not have a tight schedule. I don't have any schedule at all most of the time. I admire you for sticking to a schedule. Six is a lot of people.

      Delete
  11. This is great advertisement for them! I don't have a dishwasher but I'm sold on Bosch thanks to you lol

    And, and, and I hope Favorite Young Man does the guest post!!! :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. If you get a Bosch someday, though, you have to follow the rules or you'll be disappointed because it's so different from American dishwashers.

      Delete
  12. I wish our dishwasher was quiet. It makes enough noise to wake the dead.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. If the house is very quiet, I can hear the dishwasher if I'm standing right next to it. Otherwise, fageddaboutit.

      Delete
  13. Our dishwasher bit the dust about ten or twelve years ago, and we just never bothered to get another one. We keep telling ourselves that when we remodel our old kitchen, we'll put one in, but by the time we get around to that, we'll probably have an empty nest, so I'm not holding my breath. Congratulations to you!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Oh, poor, darling Lynda! I can't believe you carry on dishwasherless. My beautiful hands are meant to play the piano and tapp out poems on my laptop. They should not be placed in hot water with dirty dishes. It's wrong, I tell you, it's wrong. You must get a dishwasher. Clearly, I value your hands more than you do. The hands of an editor are meant for great things.

    ReplyDelete
  15. I had a Bosch in the old house. Philly Done Hooters did a bunch of research and bought me a Whirlpool this time. It's actually quieter than the Bosch was. (Of course, that Bosch was 15 years old that that point, so I guess the other brands are starting to catch up to Bosch's awesomeness.)

    Congrats on your Bosch!

    -andi

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I've heard a number of salespeople say that Maytag and Whirlpool are exactly the same. Then why do they have different names? I used to have a Whirlpool washing machine. It did not work as well as the Maytag with which I replaced it.

      Delete
  16. Hi , Janie Junbug

    I am glad you chose Bosch and I think it was the right decision . It is one of the ten best dishwasher brand in the world 's most recommended and widely chosen ( based on reviews (getcheapdishwasher.com). But by including Maytag dishwasher as the preferred model is also a good idea, although you end up buying a Bosch. Maytag dishwasher is very limited . they only have five models dishwasher, two for the portable type, while the other is a built -in type, but Maytag is also always on the list to be selected because they have features that are not likely to be found in other brands . following features Maytag dishwasher : JetClean ® II wash System , 4 - Blade Stainless Steel Choppe , Twice the Life Motor.

    When you ask the seller why the size is so small ?

    Based on what I read on CNET , there are three sizes for a dishwasher : Tall Tub , Compact and Standard . You have a Bosch with a standard size , this means your dishwasher has more than 12 place settings. It was very good.

    ReplyDelete

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