If you’re tired of getting your hands dirty every time you do the dishes, it may be time to step up your game with a dishwasher. We’ve put together the best dishwashers of 2021, from basic models for small families to high-end machines for busy households.
1 Best dishwasher for small families
If you’re a small family and you want the convenience of having your dishes clean and ready to go as fast as possible, the best dishwasher for small families is the Bosch SHXN8U55UC. The Bosch SHXN8U55UC has 10 place setting capacity and it’s able to wash them all in just about an hour. This might not seem like a lot, but if you’re living with five people in the same room, that’s over twelve full load/unload cycles. So, if you have a kid, this is set up exactly like your kitchen washer did.
The purpose of a dishwasher is to constantly wash and rinse dishes, which means it’s important to select one with a powerful motor in order to get through those cycles quickly. The Bosch SHXN8U55UC has the power to get through those cycles quickly thanks to its Bosch Multi-speed Dual Action Chemical Recirculating with 7,200 Washing Power and Turbo Logic Smart Control Technology.
If you’ve got a larger family that requires a bigger dishwasher, a high-end model from the market leader in the business could be the perfect choice for you. The GE Appliances Generation 745 range includes the Bosch SHXN8UN55UC dishwasher which is made for the larger space of a two-story house. This dishwasher has a 10-place setting capacity and it uses 18,000 watts of power rated at a maximum temperature range of 130 degrees. It’s also smart with a Smart Cycle function which allows you to control the cycle speed to match your schedule.
Another high-end dishwasher from GE is the GE 92799LWD with a 10-place setting capacity. This high-end model uses the Pully Smart Flow Control Technology for fast clean up and as an extra bonus functions as both a dishwasher and a freezer. Knowing that an extra freezer is always handy, the GE 92799LWD has an LED control with a comprehensive temperature and frequency settings for both of the appliances.
Overall, the best dishwasher for large families is the Jan Matech S3400, which is the largest entry in the Jan Matech range and was designed for large and small kitchens alike.
2. Best dishwasher under $500
If you’re looking to buy a new dishwasher, hopefully this article will help you make a decision. My goal is to provide you with the best information possible so you can make the best decision for you and your situation.
I use a dishwasher every single week and I never have to think about when or what time I should wash the dishes. It’s one of those things I always have on speed dial because I repeat the cycle religiously. Once, it took me 3–4 minutes and when I notice the kitchen is starting to look a little dirty, I make myself a cup of tea and get back to work.
A dishwasher is often the first thing people associate my kitchen with and it makes my life easier because I know what I have to do when I’m ready to eat. Everyone knows that you’ll be doing the dishes before going to bed, which means breakfast is only a few minutes away. It’s a luxury and a constant reminder that a lot of things in life are going to take longer than we’d like. If I’m excited to cook and have a whole morning to work, I let the dishes finish first.
3. Best stainless steel dishwasher
When you buy a dishwasher, you have to think about two things:
How much space do you have?
How much do you want to spend?
Those two things are really important because they will help you narrow down your options.
A traditional dishwasher can take up to two cubic feet of space, meaning it takes about 30 by 30 by 30 feet. For those in tiny homes, this can be a problem. Tiny kitchens aren’t the only ones that can get cramped. If you fill your kitchen with extra plastic utensils, you’ll need to wash them in the dishwasher too. Same goes for masking and disposable cups like ice makers.
Let’s say you have a 20-by-20-foot kitchen and need to fill it with pots, pans, custard, and a couple of trivets. A traditional dishwasher with three 5-gallon drums will take up 13 square feet. That comes out to about 235 square inches. You’re looking at a maximum size of 350 square inches for one of the more common dishwashers. However, that’s a highly restrictive capacity. You’ll want to look for a dishwasher that uses six 5-gallon drums to get more capacity, like a mid-sized model for a kitchen of anywhere from 50 to 150square feet.
A full-size washer, like this one from Toto, usually has five 10-foot arms, more space than a traditional dishwasher.
Bigger is not always better. The bigger the capacity, the less work the dishwasher has to do as it cycles through the various load levels. The bigger the capacity, the better aeration the dishwasher has, which helps remove the gritty, sometimes heavy cat smell that plagues the small models. Don’t be afraid of spending a bit more money than you would on a traditional dishwasher — bigger capacity means more functionality for less money, essentially.
4. Top energy efficient dishwashers
Our favorite countertop dishwasher for the small to medium family is the Toto 3. The Toto was among the top-selling dishwashers in the U.S. in 2019, according to the Food Industry Association.
The dishwasher washes up to three tons of goods per hour, according to the manufacturer. It cleans to a “top-of-the-line, energy-efficient… tough, tough surface” that may not be the most appealing, but it cleans up just fine. The Toto 3 is an old-school-meets-modern computerized dishwasher, and it’s built on an aluminum-alloy frame that recognizes when you’re washing dishes and disassembles itself automatically, according Toto. It has several cleaning modes, including Ruff and Reverse for when you’re actually washing the dishes, and Scheduled Maintenance mode to automatically turn off the motor when it’s time to clean the dishwasher and reuse the dishwasher by hand. We appreciate the auto-off function, as we hate waking up to food dripping down the sides of the dishwasher.
There are many great features in the Toto 3, including textured textured rubber flooring, fold-away handle, and independent front and rear load bars. It can operate either in manual mode or with the help of an app. Many dishwashers don’t feature any clean options if the dishwasher is stopped for more than a few seconds.
As with any dishwasher, a few safety precautions should be taken. Keep your hand just inside the front opening, and be sure to keep it away from the front handles.