I'm still trying to get accustomed to webisms such as DH, DD, DS, etc. and thought I was getting the hang of it. I was shocked when this popped up on my screen:

Bought new DW today!

Enjoy your new DW, Lars. :-)

Jim

LOL Jim, I thought the same thing! I thought it would be illegal to buy a new Dear Wife. Then again Christy is a double DW, being My DW and our DW as well...hmmm.. She's no Bosch, but she does a good job..at both. Maybe in future I could refer to her as my DWDW.

I'm glad you got the one you wanted Lars. Great that you were able to not only get it on sale but help your future credit rating at the same time as spreading out the payments. Excellent score. It is nice looking, although.. I prefer my DWDW. Smiles.

I'm on my second Bosch. This one is four years old.....I don't know what series but when I bought it, I got the one that has a little light on the bottom that shines a red dot on the floor when it's on. I got this model because when I redid my kitchen I had a wooden cabinet front made for the dishwasher and I didn't want to be opening it and have water come splashing out because I didn't know that it was on. That's how quiet it is! I love mine. The prongs go down for larger bowls, there's a double rack for small bowls or glasses that can go up or down. It's very versatile and holds a lot of dishes. I'm very happy with it. Enjoy and an early Happy Birthday to you.

Congratulations! Just to clarify, I am unhappy with my WASHER & DRYER housings. The machines work well and are ultra quiet. I have a Miele dishwasher and I love it. I only use a tablespoon of Cascade Complete powder for each load. This new generation of machines are far more efficient and ultraquiet.
Enjoy and HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

LOL!
Jimster & Coconut, I did a double take, too!

I really do kinda wish people would
take the extra few seconds to type out words.
The initials can be a bit confusing at times.

Lars, hope you & Kevin enjoy your new dishwasher!
It sounds (and looks) like a great choice.

Rusty

I didn't think of Dear Wife until I read the thread. I was wondering if Lars got a Bosch, lol.

I have a Bosch that's a few years old and we love it. The Kid just bought one also and said she read that using it on the quick mode was just as efficient on not-crusty dishes. Since we rinse them well, that works fine and it cuts the wash time by quite a bit.

House Husband uses white vinegar instead of rinse agent. Glasses are sparkly. Well...as sparkly as a mismatched bunch of antique jelly jars and thrift store glasses can get, hehe.

It never occurred to me that DW stood for Dear Wife, since I was so focused on the dishwasher meaning. I am equally shocked that anyone read the wrong meaning in it!

I've already been adding a rinse agent to my DW, and so that will be nothing new to me. Our old DW has a filter that is difficult to remove to clean, involving removing screws with a screwdriver, and so we have been washing the dishes to pretty much clean before we load them. Kevin is tired of this and likes the idea of being able to load actual dirty dishes to the DW. We checked the filter of the Bosch in the store, and it is easily accessible and easy to remove, and that was what sold us on it.

Ellen, I was considering getting a Miele dishwasher, but it seemed that the Bosch would do an acceptable job for much less money. In a perfect world, I would have bought a Miele.

Lars

Congratulations on your new DW! New appliances are so much fun!

Don't forget about choosing the right detergent. It makes all the difference in the world. The manufacturers have been tinkering with the formulas ever since there were new environmental requirements reducing phosphates in detergents to almost zero. So, I want to recommend Method Smarty Tabs. They don't have bleach--I have used the Quantum tabs, and I would open my DW and smell that bleach smell, and didn't like it. I recommend breaking the tabs in half for each load; they break in half easily. I think manufacturers' recommended dosage is usually too much (the better to sell more).

You can find Method Smarty Tabs at Target, Whole Foods, and other stores. Some people on the Appliances Forum recommend buying in bulk on Amazon to save a good amount of money.

Here is a link that might be useful: Method Smarty Tabs

We love our Bosch DW. Bought it about 4-5 years ago from Lowes. Black exterior, stainless interior.It replaced a 20+ year old Maytag that was still going strong. It cleaned well, but was loud and used a bunch of water during its' cleaning cycle. Our Bosch is sooo quite you can have a phone conversation in the kitchen while standing right next to the DW. We didn't get the top of the line one. I don't use the drying cycle, china cycle ect., and don't want to pay for bells and whistles I am not going to use. I don't rinse or pre-wash my dishes before I put them in. That is the DW's job. I clean out the screen in the bottom probably more then is needed but that is just me. We have had no problems with our Bosch and would buy another in a heart beat. Great DW! NancyLouise

This makes me feel a lot better with my choice. I think I might use the china cycle from time to time, especially to wash crystal, which I will not do in my current DW.

I'm going to check into all the suggestions for detergent and rinse fluids, but I expect that it will also come with recommendations. I agree that the DW should rinse the dishes for me, and we are really looking forward to that.

BTW, I think our old DW is 20 years old, as the kitchen was remodeled in 1992-3. That just didn't seem like 20 years ago. The stove and microwave that came with the house are what I would have chosen, but Kevin is already looking at new microwaves. He found one that would double as a toaster oven, but I told him that was not necessary because I frequently use the toaster oven and the microwave at the same time, and sometimes the big oven also, and so we would not be able to get the toaster oven off the counter. It takes up a lot of space, but I use it a lot.

Lars

Bosch, good choice, made in the USA.

"---He found one that would double as a toaster oven, ----"

I don't know what's the advantage other than saving space. Your electrical outlet has limited power, therefore the unit can only work as one or the other at any given time.

dcarch

I think you made a good choice. I was trying to decide last year between a very similar Bosch to the one you got and a Kitchenaid. I went with the KA because I got a very very good deal on it. Yours should be near dead silent since its rated at 44 Db. Ours is 46 and it difficult to tell it's running. Another thing you'll notice is that these new ones with all the sensors etc can take twice as long or more to do a wash because they use a lot less water, which in my opinion is just giving them a longer soak. Ours has a one-hour cycle and I find that works just as well as the sensor cycles so we use it 90% of the time

Whatever you do don't cheap out on the detergent and stick to the proven performers like Cascade All in One or either the Finish Powerballs or Finish Quantum packs. Since they have rinse-aid built in you can skip adding the rinse-aid. I buy them in big boxes of 72 or more when they're on sale and a box lasts for months.

And lastly there is no reason to pre-rinse, none. That's why you buy a dishwasher in the first place. Just scrape off excess big food chunks and you're good to go. My partner still argues with me over this but like I tell him.. so what if 1 dish or one fork every 3 or 4 loads comes out with bit of food still on it.. That's no reason to pre-rinse everything you put in there everytime you use the machine, now is it. . LOL

Our bosch is being delivered on Monday. DH is installing so that may be awhile. I think yours is a higher model then mine but I'm not concerned.

Wanted to point out that bosch recommends finish tabs not cascade. There has been some reports on some threads on GW about casade tabs not disolving properly and causing issues.

Enjoy your new DW!

I did a long search before buying our Bosch DW -- I wanted clean and QUIET. One thing that kept coming up was the relatively high repair/maintenance rating. When I inquired about that I was told that that was due to minor things, but nothing mechanical or serious.
Well I love our Bosch DW and it is sooo quiet, but sure enough little things are beginning to break (and rust at the breaking points) such as the positional things that hold glasses in place, the baskets, etc. The one thing that is bothersome is that the part that looks like stainless steel on the outside is really painted plastic and it scratches easily and the steam and cleaning has wiped some of the color away. I'm hoping Bosch can replace that one panel on the front. Overall, it's a great DW and I'm amazed at how clean it gets pots and pans, which before Bosch I never put into the DW.

Congratulations! I love Bosch dishwashers!
We are on our second Bosch dishwasher, the first lasted 12 years which might not seem like much but I typically do between 1-3 loads a day, 1 being average.
I don't know the model #'s off hand but both cost well over a thousand, including major discounts, sales, coupons etc. I rarely buy anything otherwise!
They are phenomenal dishwashers. I put everything in there except stuff I want to hand wash, and I don't rinse. That said, I "broke" the dishwasher only once- and we have a downstairs kitchen with a Kenmore dishwasher and I broke that one too at the same time- when I used Cascade complete liquid. I was reading Consumers Reports or something similar and it rated it magnificent. Sooo...whatever.

I swear by Finish tabs and even though they have a rinse aid ball, again, whatever. For me, it's a nothing and I still MUST use rinse aid.
About the rinsing: some foods will clog the sprayer spouts and for me, it seems to be all corn, onion bits, leek bits, and anything small that won't dissolve. Pasta, for instance will dissolve but a kernel of corn will stay forever...and clog the sprayer so the dishes don't come clean.

This post was edited by Bumblebeez on Wed, Feb 13, 13 at 11:45

Thanks for all the detergent recommendations - I'm going to write down all the relevant information and tips so that I can make sure that I use the correct products. I'll also make a point not to put corn in the DW! We're still going to scrape all the food off into the garbage can that is possible, but just with a spatula, and I have plenty of those. I won't be scraping baked on cheese any more, however, and I won't be soaking anything in the sink.

Up to now, we have been running the DW about twice a week, but we always seem to have dishes soaking in the sink during the week when we have less time. I'm thinking that we will run the new one more often, partly because the interior capacity is somewhat smaller, and partly because we will be putting dishes directly into the DW instead of soaking them in the sink.

I'm a little bummed to hear that the front panel is fake SS, but it will still be better than what we have now. The stove that we bought in Venice was SS toned, and it did scratch easily, but we did sell it shortly after we moved, and the stove we have now is real SS, but has areas that get rust. Those areas don't show, and so I can deal with it.

Lars

Good choice. I love my Bosch WD not to be confused with DW. (I hope I'm jinxing my washer and dryer by admitting this in public). I have an Asko DW and it has been great, again I hope I'm not jinxing it. Have fun!

Dishwasher is installed now - Kevin took the week off and was there for the installation. Now we have to get some Method Smarty Tabs or Finish Balls, and figure out what else I need. I have an almost full bottle of Cascade Complete gel, but I don't know whether I should use that or not or whether I will need a rinse aid, which I also already have, I think.

Kevin found a quarter and a pencil under the old DW when it was removed, and I think he said it was pretty dirty under there - he took a picture of the empty hole. He also said that the delivery guys left all the packing in the house, and I told him that they were supposed to take that with them. It has now filled our recycling bin, and will be there for two weeks, since we will be away when they pick up next. The store took away our old DW for free, but if they hadn't, we could have had someone else pick it up for free, since it still works and has some value left in it, I think.

If the kitchen looks nice, I'll photograph it when I get home.

Lars

DO NOT USE THE CASCADE GEL. Really-- its gummy and not a good start for your machine. The Miele folks really discourage gel use. The rationale is that it doesn't dissolve completely.
I know nothing about Method dishwasher soap. I'd opt for the Finish balls or the Cascade Complete powder.

Yes to Compumom! Throw the gel out, it dishwasher evil!!

Thanks for the warning! I'll put the Cascade gel in the garage or give it away. I'll also read the Bosch manual to see what they recommend. From what I can tell so far, it is bad to use too much detergent, and they tend to like the dry powder detergents. I'll check the appliance forum also to see if they have further recommendations. I've never used tabs or balls, and so I don't know how they work. I think Bosch also discourages using rinse aids, and I do not want to introduce chemicals that could cause problems.

Lars

Read the manual, Lars. Occasionally it helps.
I'm assuming the dw has a rinse aid compartment, which seems to indicate that the dw needs a rinse aid.
But in all seriousness, I would go with exactly what Bosch recommends. You bought the dw based on their reputation, reviews and performance so take their advice- at least initially.

I would just use the gel once every several washings until it is gone. If you don't give your machine a steady diet of it, it's not likely to hurt anything.

I'm not sure why all machines seem to require rinse aid these days, but I'm not using it in my new KitchenAid because I don't want to eat the chemicals left on dishes and I don't want to release more chemicals into the environment. I don't get any streaks on my dishes, but I absolutely HAVE to use the heat dry, which I never did before in my old Maytag. So much for the higher energy efficiency.

I hope you love your Bosch!

olychick,

I use plain vinegar instead of rinse aid in the dispenser and do not have to use heat dry. No streaks or spots.

/tricia

The DW came with a supply of Rinse-Aid, and I might try vinegar after we run out of that. I'm going to stay away from Cascade, but so far Kevin claims that the manual does not recommend brands of detergent. I'll look to see what I can find - what I did find so far was a very boringly written portion on detergent that was not clear and not to the point, but that was what I read on line.

I like the idea of not using heat to dry the dishes, and I have no problem with letting them wash overnight.

Lars

If the DW came with Rinse-Aid in it then why would Bosch discourage using it?

Bosch does not discourage using Rinse-Aid - PKguy said that some detergents come with built-in rinse aids, and then you do not need to use an additional rinse aid. Also, the mfg recommendations are different depending on whether you have soft or hard water. I'm going to try some of PKguy's recommendations for detergents and see how they work out with the built-in rinse aids.

Lars

Thanks Tricia. What kind of vinegar do you use, distilled white? and how much? And you put it in at the beginning of the wash cycle? My dishes aren't ever streaked but if I don't use the heat dry they are covered with water, as is the inside of the machine. I am curious how vinegar could change that and evaporate the water?

Sorry for the hijack, Lars.

That's okay - I'm interested in the vinegar information also.

I read the manual for the DW, and all it says about detergent is that powdered is best because you can measure out the exact amount you need, and so I will look for Cascade Complete powder. It also said that even if some tablets have rinse aids included, you should still add rinse aid, and if you don't, the machine will show that rinse aid needs to be added. I don't think I will use the tablets because I would rather measure the powdered detergent myself, and I do not like the idea of having to cut tablets in two. Anyway, this is how I plan to start. There are no instructions for using gel, and so I will not use that at all.

Lars

Good plan. Throw away the gel-- economically you bought a multi hundred dollar machine. You're throwing out $5-7.00 worth of gel. No big deal and worth it to not gunk up the machine. Cascade complete is carried at Gelson's, Target etc.

And by "gel" you are talking about the liquidy type as opposed to the powder style...RIGHT? I have never heard that the liquid type was bad. I'm sure that somewhere along the line I had heard not to use the powder and started only using the liquid (gel) type? UGH! It just seems like that for every source that discourages the use of one thing there are just as many sources that encourage the use of it? Gets very confusing!

Also may be a good idea to check your houseâÂÂs hot/cold water supply temperature and read the OwnerâÂÂs Manuel and see everything is good to go.

dcarch

AG, I thought gel would dissolve better also because it is already a semi-liquid. I stopped using powdered laundry detergent because sometimes it did not dissolve, and so I switched to liquid detergents. Now I always put detergent in the washing machine before I had clothes, but this is because I usually add borax because I like the fragrance.

The Bosch manual tells exactly how many tablespoons of powdered detergent to use, based on hard/soft water and which cycle I will be using. If I find that I am always using 2-1/2 to 3 tablespoons, I might switch to the tabs.

Target appears to be one of the better places to buy detergent, and Kevin might go there today.

Lars

FYI in the Miele, the installer/Miele rep said to use only ONE Tablespoon of powder. I have also used the Miele tabs cut in half. They're more expensive and the Cascade seems to work as well, so I use that. A box lasts the two of us for at least 3-4 months.
Bosch may require more than 1 Tblsp, but I'd read the manual to find out, or call their tech line and ask. They're helpful.

The gel type liquids never completely dissolve. Tests that I have seen show them suspended in the water. I'm sure that there's some amount of dissolution, but not completely so.

Last I looked very few gel/liquid detergents contain enzymes, which are an important part of cleaning dishes particularly if you don't rinse. Check the ingredients - enzymes are good.

When checking the ingredient label for "enzymes", just what exactly am I looking for as an ingredient because they aren't actually called/listed as "enzymes" right?

In 2011? phosphates were banned from dish detergent and many people swear they are what get dishes clean. Commonly called tsp, they also what caused eventually etching of dishes/glassware. There's ton of info on this.

There are available products that add the tsp back to the wash load and some people love this but I use rinse aid and finish powerball (w/ included rinse aid tab that is worthless) and my dishes come out clean...and aren't etched.

AR Girl- Wrong, it'll actually say enzymes. This is a box of Cascade Complete.

Ellen, the recommended amount of powdered detergent is 1-1.75 Tbsp for a normal load with soft water; for hard water, they recommend 1.75-3 tbsp, but I do not have hard water, and the most I should use for soft water is 1.75 Tbsp. I'll start with a slightly rounded tablespoon for a full load and reduce it to one tablespoon for light loads.

Lars

So it does actually say "enzymes", are you in the USA? I'm going to go look at what I have because I don't believe it says enzymes on it. Then next time I'm at the store I'm going to check too. They have taken a lot of ingredients out of products here in the US.

FOAS is on LI. Some might question whether that's in the US. (big grin)

/t

Well I checked my bottle and it did not say on it "enzymes".

LOL Tricia!

Not ALL Cascade has enzymes, and it's not an ingredient advertised on the front of the box. You generally have to check ingredients list, regardless of brand.

I AM looking at the ingredient list on my bottle so unless it's listed with a specific ingredient name and not just a generalization of "enzymes" then my DW gel does not have an enzyme ingredient. As far as what ingredient would be considered an enzyme...I have no idea, I guess I'll have to google it.

This post was edited by arkansas_girl on Thu, Feb 21, 13 at 17:49

Lars, that sounds like a good plan!
AG-I think it has to say Cascade COMPLETE to have the enzymes. I'm just guessing, but over on the Appliance Forum, they really know their stuff. ;-P

If it doesn't say enzymes, then it doesn't have enzymes. Plenty of detergents don't. Does it contain bleach? If so, bleach kills enzymes so that could explain why they're not there.

OK, yes bleach is in the ingredient list. I'll have to see if I can find Cascade Complete. It's very annoying because you'll have an item you need to buy and go to every store in town and no one will have it...I'm curious if this is going to happen with CC?

Lars I hope you are loving your DW. We got a Bosch DW in September after many unhappy years with my old DW, and I love it. We use Cascade Complete powder, a tablespoon per load, and Rinse Aid on the least amount setting. Thus far we've only had on item, a casserole dish, come through needing hand scrubbing. It is a wonder. I might give the white vinegar a try, I am curious about that. Anyway, enjoy the new machine!

I just bought a new dw, I forgot brand but I had a Boush I hated it, dishes were never clean, hardly used ,then I got a recall notice they could catch fire .Either they fix it or they pay so much for a new one .But it had to be another boush.No ,so we bought another brand ,I love it
.By the way I overheard 2 women talking in store one day A friend turned on her dw went to work.The dw burnt their home to the ground.Never leave home with an appliance running you never know what might happen.

I think though I wouldn't stake my life on it that some of these dishwasher fires were caused by the rinse agent dispenser inside the door leaking. Which in turn caused short circuiting in the electronics.
Regardless, as some have mentioned above I would not pour vinegar into the rinse aid dispenser because if for some reason there was a problem you would probably void the warranty and your insurer and the manufacturer could possibly use it to deny a claim if the machine caught fire