Hi dixiedarlin1. Fingers crossed on my part. Just put the DW through its second cycle today (we don't generate that many dirty dishes - but I want to give the machine a few test drives). Today I tried shiny flatware (yesterday was matte). Not a spot on the flatware (although it was so clean I could see all the little scratches on it :( ). Also no spots on the plastic pieces from my food processor (and they were dry when I removed them). My old machine always left spots on the food processor parts. Two observations. Either the rinse aid dispenser is small - or this machine uses a lot of rinse aid. Seems like one fill will last for about 3 "normal" wash cycles. Also - although everything in the machine came out clean and dry - the machine itself had some damp spots. So I think it's a good idea to leave the door open for an hour or so to let the inside dry out completely (like I do with my washing machine). Don't know if there's anything in the machine that can develop mold or mildew. But - if there is anything - here in Florida it *will* develop mold or mildew if left dark and damp. And one question (since you're in the business). On the top rack - right front - there is a little flip down shelf. Can't figure out what the heck it is. Called Maytag and Maytag said it is a holder for stemware. If it is (I don't think it is) - I can't figure out any way to make it work. Do you happen to know what it is? If I can't figure out how it will be useful for us - I'll remove it. BTW - I don't know about most people. But I don't much care about energy or water efficiency when it comes to an appliance like this. Since a huge % of our electric bill goes to HVAC - and a huge % of our water bill goes to irrigation. I think TS Debby saved us more on our water bill in one month than this appliance will save us for its useful life ;). Finally - things seem pretty quiet here today. Which may mean that a lot of posters were hit hard by those storms yesterday and/or are without power. I hope those people get their power back soon - and that they can get any necessary damage repairs quickly. About the only person I know who I suspect was happy about that storm is the owner of our tree service company. He probably had some of his trucks on their way to the affected area(s) last night. Our local roofing companies would have been happy too. Except all were already happy - and booked weeks in advance as a result of roof leaks/problems caused by TS Debby. Take care, Robyn

I want to set straight the statement that Jakzof3's carpenter said about KA panel-ready dishwashers, for people who may be shopping for a panel-ready DW. It is NOT that KA dishwashers "are not as nice paneled". These sorts of blanket statements bother me (by the way, since it's paneled, doesn't how "nice" it is also depend on the panelling itself?). Anyway, the difference between KA dishwashers and Miele or Bosch is that the KA is about 1/2" deeper than the european dishwashers. It holds more than european dishwashers too--just bring some of your dishes and pans to a showroom, and you will see. But because the KA is slightly deeper, it will not be exactly flush with your base cabinetry if your base cabinetry is the standard 24" deep. This difference is not noticeable in a stainless steel door, but it would be noticeable if you are panelling the dishwasher to blend with your other cabinets. People on this forum have reported digging out the drywall behind the DW by 1/2" and getting the paneled door to be flush that way, or using a thinner panel, and making it flush that way. We bought the panel-ready Kitchenaid knowing in advance that it would be slightly deeper. The depth was no problem for us, because we were making our counters 3" deeper than standard, i.e. 27" not including counter overhang. We pulled the 24" deep base cabinets away from the wall by 3" to create the deeper counters (love them by the way--will never go back to 24" deep counters). So the slightly deeper panelled KA was no problem for us, and it sits flush with our cabinetry. The KA is as "nice" as other dishwashers we looked at. The Bosch and Miele are excellent, but for us, the Bosch seemed too small, and while we loved the Miele, we couldn't spend the $1200 more for it.

If the stains are due to oxidation of the iron component of the stainless steel, i.e., rust, a suitable cleaner is phosphoric acid. The phosphoric acid in Coca Cola may be sufficient in mild cases. Otherwise, DuPont 5717S can be obtained from automotive parts stores that cater to body shops. After failing with more common stainless steel cleaners, I found this stuff was necessary to remove some finger prints engraved into my hood extension by someone at the factory. CAUTION! Phosphoric acid will slowly penetrate one's skin to the point of pain, quickly penetrate a cut, and damage one's eyes. The vapor is harmful to the lungs. Follow all directions. Use rubber gloves and eye protection. Use deliberate ventilation. Avoid splashes. Keep the acid off of the floor, marble, and, to be safe, granite. Soapstone should be unaffected. Dilute a small amount at the specified ratio and wipe onto the steel with a cloth. Finish by quickly cleaning with plain water. Dry the surface well. It is best to do the entire surface to ensure a uniform reflectivity when finished. kas

Also if you can find a container big enough to immerse the pan in, pour ammonia in it, put in the pan, enclose all in a big plastic bag with a twist-tie. Put outside due to the fumes overnight. The fumes will loosen grease. I've done it but it is cumbersome to find something that is big enough to put the pan in. Wow, that last photo is amazing how well it worked. Once I was making jam in an enameled pot and it burned on the bottom. I was so devastated as this was a large Le Creuset stockpot. I did everything and thought it was going to have to be scrapped. Finally I read where you can put white vinegar in it to cover the burned part, put it on the stove and bring to a boil. Then I used a very hard plastic spoon to scrape the bottom while it was boiling. It came out beautifully.