Until recently considered a luxury product, the Dishwasher advances in its conquest of Spanish kitchens and it has ceased to be a little-used appliance to reach homes en masse.
The appliance of paradoxes, created in the 19th century and in top shape today, saves time and money in any home. In this buying guide we give you a series of tips for beginners that will help you choose a good and efficient dishwasher.
The origin of the dishwasher keeps an interesting story. Although the first patent belongs to Joel Houghton, everyone gives the honor of the invention of the modern dishwasher to Josephine Cochranea millionaire granddaughter of the inventor of the steamboat.
Crochane had servants to wash his dishes, but he designed the apparatus so they wouldn’t mar his china.
Since then, the dishwasher has entered the kitchens of half the world, first in restaurants and later in homes, because it is a practical solution to save time and money.
Table of Contents
Types of dishwashers
First of all, as in the case of the refrigerator and the washing machine, it is essential to define the exact measurements available to install the dishwasher in the kitchen.
Although they have evolved significantly over the last decade, there are three basic types of dishwashers:
- Integrated dishwashers: the appliance is fully integrated with the rest of the kitchen furniture.
- Partially integrated dishwashers: left with the original control panel in sight.
- Free-standing dishwashers: They can be installed in any part of the house, although always next to a water intake.
size and capacity
at the time of choose a new dishwasher it is essential correctly assess the needs of the home. Buy the best dishwasher It does not mean taking home the biggest of all nor the most efficient, but the one that best adapts to the circumstances of each one.
For starters, dishwashers can be divided in three groups: large, narrow and compact. The largest and most common in Spanish kitchens are 60 centimeters or more wide and allow a high capacity.
Narrow dishwashers allow the appliance to be installed in small kitchens by ranging between 45 and 60 centimeters wide and have gained ground in recent years. Finally, compact dishwashers are less than 18 inches wide, so they fit anywhere, clean dishes in no time and are an alternative for smaller flats.
As for the capacity of the dishwasher, you should know that, unlike refrigerators or washing machines, in this case are indicated by the number of cutlery instead of liters. A cutlery is equivalent to all the utensils that a person uses for a complete lunch with three courses and coffee:
- 6 or less covers: Compact dishwashers for singles and households where dishes are washed infrequently.
- From 7 to 11 covers: medium dishwashers, ideal for small families or little space in the kitchen.
- From 12 to 16 seats: Spacious dishwashers, for large families who regularly use the dishwasher.
Samsung DW60M6050FS/ECAEG FFB63700PW
How to install a dishwasher
Dishwashers can be easily handledinstead of what happens with refrigerators and washing machines -which incorporate a ballast-, so their installation at home is relatively simple.
To install the dishwasher you simply have to connect the sink outlets with those of the appliance through “connectors”, a small pipe that incorporates a stopcock that sometimes comes as standard.
The link is made to the cold water supply, since the dishwasher normally heats the water for long cycles. In recent years, biothermal dishwashers equipped with two different outlets for hot and cold water have come onto the market. They are usually more expensive, but they are much more efficientespecially if the heating of the water is not done with electrical energy.
Energy efficiency
The dishwasher is the fourth appliance that consumes the most energy in a house, behind the refrigerator, the washing machine and the television, according to a study carried out by the Institute for the Diversification and Saving of Energy (IDAE), so choosing a dishwasher According to its energy efficiency, it is not a trivial matter.
There are seven universal labels (A, B, C, D, E, F, G) that represent the consumption of the appliance: the most efficient belong to category A and those that consume the most are accompanied by G. Currently, only dishwashers with the A label are found in stores, but in this category there are four classes where efficiency varies (A, A+, A++, A+++).
Dishwasher noise level
The noise level is one of the most important elements when choosing a new dishwasher, since it can be essential to avoid problems with the neighbors, especially if, due to our work, we are forced to put it on at night.
Manufacturers are required to indicate the decibel level reached by the dishwasher during its washing program: most models are between 45 and 60 decibelsa higher level begins to be unrecommended.
Dishwasher washing programs
One of the best tips for buying a dishwasher new is to review the small print of the available washing programs to know exactly what they consist of and their real consumption, both of electricity and water per washing cycle.
Only then is it possible find out if the “eco” or “bio” program of the dishwasher is really efficient. Manufacturers often recommend these washing programs to save money, as they heat the water to a lower temperature, but run for a longer time, which blurs the real savings of washing.
That is why it is advisable, for example, to identify dishwashers that include a cold wash cycle for slightly dirty dishes and avoid drying functions that make the product more expensive and are impractical in almost all of Spain.
How to choose the washing cycle of the dishwasher? The most advisable thing is to adjust the cycle -also the pill or the gel- according to the needs. The OCU considers that the most economical dishwashers have a water flow of less than 12 liters per cyclewhich already represents a considerable saving compared to washing by hand, which translates into around 4 liters of water per minute.
Another option that the dishwasher should have and that is extremely convenient is the overflow protection (aquastop in some brands), since this way we can avoid flooding and problems with the dishwasher.
Another program used by some devices of this type is the management through our mobile devicealthough in this case they are usually what are in the highest ranges of certain brands and, therefore, are quite expensive.
Even so, the solution is really very practical since you can’t be able to report everything related to washing on your smartphone, receiving notifications when you run out of rinse aid, salt or when you have finished washing, among others. many other things.
Beko Dishwasher dvn05320wBosch Home SMS25AW05E
dishwasher interior
As in the case of refrigerators, an important element when choosing a dishwasher is the flexibility offered by its interior compartments.
The baskets are importantso you should make sure that they are not too open so that pieces do not slip in easily, that you have enough supports for dishes for which you are at home and it is even convenient that the rods are collapsiblein case we need more space at some point.
The modular shelves will help you clean the dishes more efficiently on special occasions such as birthdays or Christmas meals.
On a more technical level, it is recommended review the number of water projectors present in the dishwasher: the more you have, the cleaner the dishes will come out. Nowadays it is a delay to buy a dishwasher with a single water dispenser at the bottom.
In short, for the best tips for buying a new dishwasher are adjusting to the needs of the house, choosing a suitable capacity according to the number of cutlery and selecting an appliance with efficient consumption that results in savings in both water and electricity bills in the medium and long term.
George is Digismak’s reported cum editor with 13 years of experience in Journalism