raee in Ohio, Kathi, & Webado I ended up removing all removable parts from DW and cleaning them well. Focused on cleaning out tub with a teeny tiny amount of dish liquid, wiped down, vinegar rinse and then a hot wash with lots of vinegar. But still felt like I could get it cleaner so I used a citric acid cleaner on the hi-temp wash cycle. That made the biggest change. Just ran dishes through a normal cycle and no cloudy film on glassware.

Cleaning success!!! So glad it wasn't a kinked hose issue.

Replacement door gasket arrives Tuesday & I'm back in business.

Thanks

It's interesting that readers who are very vocal about everyone having a right to their own ideas and preferences, seem to be critical about -- everyone else's own ideas and preferences.

There was a point to my observations regarding stainless steel and smudges, and that is, if anyone had told me (before I purchased them) that there would be marks and streaks on them even when no one touched them, I would have made different choices. No one should assume that this is a MAJOR regret in my life; neither do I spend hours a day correcting this problem. The fact is, I HAVE become less bothered by smudges, cause I really haven't had a choice. Be assured, they are not a driving force in my life. I invest very little time in polishing my appliances, and I will invest no time in trying to change my preferences. What a waste that would be! I have a life; a very nice one. Appliances are actually very low on my list of priorities.

But this is a forum of ideas which has been established so readers can swap info that might help others make decisions. I did as much research as possible before investing in new appliances, but no research can tell you what it is like to live with a purchase for an extended period of time. And I have come to the conclusion that, after having done just that, I would not have made the same purchases. So my recommendation was to either skip stainless entirely, or choose the finishes that are smudge free. My daughter-in-law chose the latter and they always look great.

I'm pleased to think that my observations might help others make informed choices. I don't assume that my comments will be useful to everyone, especially readers who are not bothered by smudges......I assume such readers will simply continue to the next comment. But at the same time, after 40 plus years of working with appliances, I certainly have a right to my opinions and can't imagine why anyone would suggest I adjust them.

My wish for all Houzz readers is that they make good, informed choices and are satisfied with their home-related purchases. Peace, all.

" It's interesting that readers who are very vocal about everyone having a right to their own ideas and preferences, seem to be critical about -- everyone else's own ideas and preferences. "

LOL! Everyone has their opinions and think that others agree with them. Even in this post, rather than saying 'know this before buying appliances and consider if it will bother you', you jumped right to 'don't buy this feature because it will bother you'.

See? Both sides are the victim of prejudice and assumptions.

I made the assumption that my observations would only interest those who felt the same way. And I was hoping that my comments might be helpful to someone. It never occurred to me that I should have worded my post with such an abundance of caution. Clearly, both myself and everyone else here are expressing personal feelings. I apologize for mine. I will be so much more careful in the future.

As far as "prejudice" is concerned......I appreciate you bringing that up. I don't see myself as a victim, but the comments you made: ".....many Americans want everything to be the way it was, and they want it now! They are resistant to change, believing that the ways Americans do and make things will always be the best in the world".......kind of makes me feel as if I (and my country) have been a little bit insulted. At the very least, they weren't flattering comments.

Of course, having negative feelings towards refrigerator smudges is way, way worse than criticizing PEOPLE. But still, you might want to consider being a bit more thoughtful in the future.

Kids, kids! Play nice, will ya?

We love our GE front-loader HE W&D set. It's about 4 1/2 years old and only one fairly minor problem in that it sometimes drips a small amount of water & detergent from the drawer where you fill it down the front of the washer. I suspect it happens when someone overfills the detergent cup. The model we have doesn't have a rinse-only mode which we thought we'd miss but we haven't missed it.

No problem at all with pausing to load additional clothing, and no problem with it cleaning our clothes. In fact, for most loads other than whites, I run it on the quick/warm cycle and it's done in 39 minutes.

WW......sorry, TRYING to play nice. It seems rather hopeless, though. Sad.

Did a major kitchen renovation a year ago. Appliance shopping was major. I priced and researched many. I did not care if all the appliances were the same company however, in shopping around at that time there was a promotion. If we purchased 2 appliances from the same manufacturer we got a dishwasher free. So I bought 4 appliances and got TWO DISHWASHERS. BEST decision EVER. Love the 2 DW. Never (well hardly ever!) dirty dishes in my new large sink.
Highly recommended this.

PS We went with panel ready appliances, for all the above reasons listed. Second best decision ever. The double ovens are SS and yes I am constantly wiping finger prints.

" Love the 2 DW. "

If I had the ability (space and plumbing) that's definitely the way I would go.

I took 40 inches from an existing (rarely used) formal dining room. The remaining space was converted to an office. That 40 inches of depth created extra space without increasing square foootage for a larger kitchen. We moved the dining set into the large (rarely used) formal living room which is now a functional and more used formal living/dining space. Hey anything for 2 DWS!

Six years ago we moved to a house being flipped and had the opportunity to choose all flooring and appliances. Chose to go with one brand of appliances for kitchen and laundry. And got the biggest refrigerator ever! My husband loved to cook and make soups (think big pots kept for days in fridge!). Stainless matches everywhere but quality does not. Range good but un-handy arrangement of burners - small ones at back, one large/small and a large only at front. Small/large over-used. Smalls hard to reach. We're both short people. Dishwasher OK but I had never had to clean filters before. Fridge unreliable. Have had it out of commission for more than a week twice in six years. Otherwise OK, but can't take not having it for two weeks!

Dryer works fine, but I do not like washer that does not have center spindle; more clothes get tangled than former washers. If I had it to do over and probably won't at my age, I'd go with best reliable quality rather than matching color or stainless; panels sound good unless they dictated the brand without regard to qualityl

I like having all the stainless match when I've just cleaned it, which is not that hard, but there are almost always finger prints on something. More likely grease on all, since it's a small kitchen. It wouldn't matter what the finish, frequent cleaning is necessary to get rid of grease!

We live in a small town that blessedly has one good supermarket, so it doesn't matter how often we shop; we try for weekly but seldom make it.

It's been fun reading all your comments, everyone!

Purchasing all appliances from the same manufacturer will save time, but I’ll prefer the second way. Before purchasing I’ll search online to compare their function, brand reputation, price then make final decision.

Here is refrigerators and dishwashers guide: https://docsbay.net/guide-to-kitchen-appliances help me final purchasing,hope it could help you something.

Dishwasher drawers (DishDrawer) date to 1997. I've had a unit for almost 16 years, Fisher & Paykel brand, the only one still on the market. KitchenAid had them for a few years, first sourced from F&P, then a different design that Whirlpool got upon purchase of Maytag (also produced briefly under the Kenmore Elite, Maytag, and JennAir brands).

Actually, Westinghouse and GE had undercounter roll-out topload dishwashers many years ago.

The first automatic washer on the US market was a frontloader, brand of Bendix in 1937. Prior to that all were wringer machines or other types that required user intervention ... they did not wash, rinse, spin automatically through a full cycle/operation.

It's rare that any frontloader at least back to the Maytag Neptune (1997) can't be paused and opened to add items ... except in the case of a cycle that fills higher than the lower edge of the loading port or if the water temperature is high enough to be dangerous (such as a heated Sanitary cycle). Delicate cycles on some models nowadays fill higher to cushion the tumbling.

Maytag marketed the Neptune upon introduction as if frontloaders were something wayy newfangled on the US market ... which they were/are not. Bendix, which became Bendix/Philco. Westinghouse, called theirs "Laundromat" (Pearl Bailey was featured in Westinghouse ads). Frigidaire (White Consolidated Industries / WCI) had frontloaders (also produced under Gibson, Kenmore, and maybe a couple other brands) on the market before the Neptune made its big splash.

I recently acquired and refurbished a Fisher & Paykel AquaSmart (10 years old) HE/impeller toploader. The original Kenmore Oasis, Whirlpool Cabrio, and Maytag Bravos were siblings to it, based on the same mechanical design ... but current models of those machines are different mechanisms. AquaSmart has the Normal cycle operate only in HE / low-water mode. Other cycles can be run either in HE or deep-fill mode, and some special cycles (such as Sheets) are only deep-fill. It does quite a good job in either mode.

Here's a video of 14 shirts on Normal/HE mode. The shower spray at the start is a pretreatment phase of the cycle. The shirts all roll over several times even in HE/low-water mode, and everything was thoroughly cleaned.

And a large load of whites in deep-fill mode. It runs at a lower water level for a few mins to sense the load size, then fills more (starting at 9 mins 50 secs).

Love the idea of a dishwasher drawer. I almost never use my DW, so drawers sound great for use with company or using 1 for a small load.

I have stainless steel and don't mind wiping it, or living with the smudges...depending on my mood.

I bought a commercial stove instead of a "home" brand because it had what I wanted. 2 ovens, 6 burners and a griddle. If only My kitchen was 6 inches deeper, I would have bought the one with the salamander. (I'm still trying to figure out how to fit one in my kitchen.) I cook often, and occasionally cater, so the stove has to be a workhorse. I also have a really large family, so 2 turkeys at Thanksgiving is the norm. I'm thrilled I don't have to spend 2 full days cooking Thanksgiving dinner anymore.

I'm of the opinion that you buy what you need and want. If there is a product that is defective or not of good quality, I certainly want to know that.

I don't want to know I'm wrong because my kitchen works perfectly for me, but not you, or I don't grocery shop every day.

I don't know what cities the prior posters live in, but NYC encompasses Queens and Staten Island where you drive to a grocery store. Other cities also require a drive. So, I'm withholding judgement on people's shopping habits. I shop as I need. Sometimes buying in bulk is cheaper, sometimes not if you don't use it. And I sometimes order online.

I think we a do the best we can with what we have.

Back to product review... Had a GE Fridge. The icemaker died. It was just over 2 years old, so past warranty. It was cheaper to buy a new (Amana) fridge than to pay to replace the entire door. How do they price the replacement parts? Why on earth would the whole door need to be replaced, and why would the part cost $100.00 less than a brand new unit? Add labor and...well, seriously, it is unconscionable. I'm sticking to commercial products. They last longer and are durable.

@johnny quest I have a he top loader that I bought in 2011. I have had no problems and am satisfied with it. We have a front loader Maytag and i find that those cycles take forever. The screen will show 1 minute remaining and it takes 10 minutes to complete. I have had to replace the rubber gasket on the door as it got mildew and funky. I have to leave the door open when it isn’t in use. I will not get another front load.

Thanks nolanirvana. That's the kind of info that is useful to me. I still need to address size options for my space but hopefully I have time to gather that before my 14 yo maytag top loaders quit. Heck I'm also trying to determine which tankless water heater will work for me as well. Definitely want to go that way.

Deena, That oven/range sounds pretty awesome. Im part of a large family so I've cooked large meals and it is very time consuming and takes time to pull it off. Hats off to my mom and to anyone else that does this.

But I hear you, most folks do what works for them, in the space they have, and what they can afford. I'm in a pretty small village so getting to the store for shopping is very easy. But the issue is I just don't always have the time to shop more than once a week. If I must it's for produce and that's only because buying too much is wasteful for two people. If push comes to shove it's great there's a Trader Joe's downtown allowing me to do a relatively quick pickup before heading home on pub trans. But shopping multiple times per week is not my thing. Maybe in future when my schedule is not so busy.

Regarding buying American goods only that ship sailed long ago. Many iconic American brands are no longer made in the US and trying to find those that are isn't always easy. But I won't rule out my preference for buying made in America brands if the quality and price support it. But just the made in America label is not enough to persuade me.

I haven't seen a "Made in the USA" or "Made in Canada" sticker on any appliance or any other merchandise for that matter in many years. It's always "Made in China" or some other South Asian country. At most they may have been assembled in the USA or Canada from parts imported from China. It's simple, if anything were to be actually built in USA or Canada it would cost maybe 5 times more than it costs when it's "Made in China". I'm not fussy, I go mostly by the price unless I see some obvious flaws or read some terrible reviews.

At least for "Made in USA" cars I can say the quality control is so abysmal that I wouldn't consider one at all, sorry to my patriotic American friends and acquaintances. For cars I much favor Japanese cars, though they are generally made in Mexico for the Canadian market. Korean aren't too bad either these days. Cannot afford good European cars anyway.

" It's always "Made in China" or some other South Asian country. "

We need to remember that a product made in China (or some other Asian country) does not always mean bad quality.........there are quality, made to specification components and products that regularly are made and exported from those countries all the time. Of course, there's a lot of crap quality stuff too, but the same thing can be said for products made in any other country, including the US or Canada.

Now, you may want to buy or avoid something made in a particular country for other reasons (local economics or politics, for example), but that won't necessarily reflect on the quality.

I'm not fussy, I won't discriminate based on country of origin for starters, but if I know the quality is poor I'll avoid it. Also of course if it's more expensive than some other brand without excellent reviews to back that up, that's a no-go and I don't care where it's made. With my luck, the most acclaimed products will turn out to be a lemon for me anyway LOL

I chose best, rather than matching. That being said, I want all the same finish. Personally, I hate white, every single muddy little handprint stands out like neon. So, I went with stainless (and yes I know people feel the same way about stainless as I do about white). I love my kitchen, removed 5 yrs ago and got almost exactly everything I wanted. LOL had to chose between Viking or Wolfe range or Subzero refrig. Picked refrig and have been very happy. I waited 25 yrs for the remodel, so we completely went high end. When my siblings and I redid my parent's home before we sold, we went with a pkg deal that was functional. Great deal and looked fine.

Primarily quality and price for me. If I can buy American I will, but can't say that I spend too much time on it. But when I do find American made, I still have to wonder where the materials used to build the product were sourced.

My last US made purchase was a small Amana freezer. I think Amana is still made in Iowa, Ohio, & Oklahoma I think. But I went with that brand because it was affordable, the reviews were good, and it fit the space I have. I didn't have a lot of choices in my area. So I chose the best available to me.

My last American car was an AMC but the last ones have been Japanese. Wow I'm dating myself...

Count me in the "stainless steel drives me insane" group; I absolutely can't stand trying to keep it clean. If I could fully integrate that range and cover it with panels, I would. My refrigerator and dishwasher are panel fronts. I've always done that when possible and especially in this, the first truly "open floor plan" home I've had. I wanted the kitchen to look like furniture.

In this latest kitchen remodel, and I've done many remodels or new builds over the years, I used mostly Bosch - range, dishwasher, fully integrated refrigerator. I had already had several Bosch dishwashers and knew what to expect. Instead of using up space for a double oven, I have a Thermador microwave/convect unit. I'm not a huge Thermador fan but it was the model that met the need. It has - oh horrors! lol - a stainless interior but has been easy to keep clean using the microwave-the-water-dishsoap-vinegar-in-a-bowl method.

I moved the refrigerator to a different wall in this remodel and discovered the only way to get water to it was up, over and then down from unheated space above the ceiling. Ummm, no, I am not voluntarily running a water line in open spaces that freeze. So I got a KitchenAid unit with a refrigerator drawer and freezer drawer that makes ice. The icemaker has always been a problem and stopped making ice in less than 2 years; the refrigerator drawer, unless completely full, freezes all liquids. We don't use it that much and I have so far not called for repairs. I'll worry about it if we ever put the house on the market ;-)

The Bosch refrigerator makes loud humming/whining noises at times - I think it has 3 different motors? - but I'm used to that in refrigerators and have given up on finding a totally quiet one.

Many brands offer discounts if you buy a certain number of appliances so that is something for people to check. Bosch doesn't do that but the appliance store "threw in" the $2200 KitchenAid drawer unit, which is turning out to be worth maybe $22.

I was happy to read about Speed Queen; had not heard of that brand. My Whirlpool Duet w&d on stands are still going strong but I don't do much laundry for just the two of us. The washing machine has leaked once or twice and was supposedly fixed but of course not, for $280, so I've just learned how to handle that. It's front load and I've had the same issues with smell and mold but am not sure what to get next because of the bending over for top loads. I'm old with a bad back.

Despite all of the claims to the contrary, the best refrigerator I ever had was a SubZero. No service calls or issues at all - not one - for 11 years and I hated to leave it behind when we sold the house. Best dishwasher I ever had was Asko Asea, also left behind in that same house. I was going to use a single door SZ in this remodel but finding room to open that 30" or 36" door is impossible unless you have a ginormous kitchen.

Order of operations in choosing appliances:

- Size and color. You've absolutely chosen these things before you hit the stores, and you're going to automatically eliminate anything that won't fit your overall plan.

- Features. Whether you're going bargain basement or bells-and-whistles, consider the features next.

- Name brand.

- Price. I list price last because you're probably going to own this appliance for a decade (or more). It's not a place to skimp.

I love my stainless appliances. I recommend the ones that do not show fingerprints. We went around the store, rubbing our fingers on each finish, and chose the ones that did not show the fingerprints and met the rest of our requirements. I do have a stainless dishwasher which shows fingerprints. I use a mitt used to clean SS and it works very well. I bought them for my children, all of whom have SS. Hope this is helpful. Happy shopping!

Our appliances have been giving us years and years of service, bought in the early 2000's. We're on our 2nd dishwasher and 2nd clothes dryer in 20 years. Otherwise, the washer, stove and fridge are aging through hard use but going strong.

I always need to find an appliance that fits in the space. We've had older homes where most new refrigerators don't fit. So I have to find a smaller one that meets my needs. And usually they are more expensive than the big 36" wide ones. When we sold our last home, the buyers specifically asked to keep the refrigerator in the purchase. It worked for us since we were paying for our own move anyway.

Number 1: what do they have in white? Number 2: how well will it function for cost?

We went with all appliances of the same brand. I did not like SS that would show fingerprints. We went with Frigidaire and the finish of the SS shows none. Love that.

After reading all these wonderful ,enlightening comments, one wonders if the manufacturing designers of appliances are reading and making notes !

I just want to know where they got those beautiful turquoise appliances. I want COLOR!

Why put up a poll that is closed in a new email?

I live in an open plan house. SILENT appliances have become very important to me. I don’t mind noise in life. But I’m glad to be rid of a humming fridge snd a noisy dishwasher. Now it’s the sounds of family life that dominate. Not machines.

Needed all new appliances for the new place and after much review reading decided to go with Whirlpool SS fridge and stove (SS for resale value). Not disappointed as they function great but the ceramic stove tops are ridiculous to maintain/clean. Cerama Bryte works great to clean off messes. Also SS is a pain for marks but as per online advice found the light oil treatment (i.e., baby oil) works to remove marks. Really like the freezer bottom drawer fridge (no bending to access the fridge is a dream that they should have stuck with from the 60's), but the down side is have to be careful not to drop things when opening the fridge as you hit/dent the drawer and the SS is thin these days. Ended up with the Electrolux 18" dishwasher (no Whirlpool in stock at the time) and so happy with it as is a fantastic well built unit, really quiet, and cleans excellent. Normally pricey for a small version (hit a great sale) but well worth the look/durability.

After so many disappointing washer/dryer reviews and not wanting to chuck thousands out the window, we made the very smart choice to buy an older 2006 front loading Fridgidaire (made by Electrolux) mid size washer/dryer set from a little old lady for a few hundred dollars and refurbished it (new belt, drum brakes, cleaning). The machines have lots of features, clean really well, and work perfectly and would love to take them with us. Have since been reading that more people are doing this.

The crap they sell now is ridiculous as they could make appliances to last but with the China crap mentality that plagues North America why bother? The fellow who picked up our old stove for recycle (their shipped to India) told us from its steel they can make 3 new appliances!! Also so many of the appliance brands have been amalgamated so you have very little options because they all come from the same place and can get away with it........capitalism gone amuck.

I get concerned about all the trendy new gadgets on long term appliances. Just seems like one more thing to break. I need appliances that last.

mitsybaby2 never thought of refurbishing a relatively recent set. I've purchased used appliances for a rental I had years ago. How did you source the W/D? Did you use any criteria for making your selection other than the obvious (size and color)? That seems to be a great option and one to think about. Especially with the number of online sources of appliance repair parts available it's making more sense to consider this approach.

" The crap they sell now is ridiculous as they could make appliances to last "

Of course they could, but they presume (correctly) that people wouldn't pay triple the price of what they now cost. And I don't blame them, frankly. I don't want a washing machine that's going to last 30 or 40 years at 3 or 4 times the cost of one that's going to last 10 years.

My goodness Toronto, you seem to need attention over a light hearted decorating decision discussion.

" a light hearted decorating decision discussion. "

Talking about "the crap they sell now", as mistybaby2 did, is not a light hearted decorating decision comment. You may think this thread started that way (it didn't - it started with a marketing question), but that's certainly not how it continued.

I bought a mini refrigerator recently; but it depended on what the inside was like in regards to holding stuff like the shelving etc not the brand.

For my clients it really depends on what they want out of the appliance and their budget. I have 3 I love in each price group that I usually recommend to all my clients.

Ginger- as a PRO, what are Your recommendations

1. Fits in the space
2. Price, within our budget
3. Functionality*
4. Reliability*
5. Reputation*
6. Color, consistent with other appliances
7. Design*

• Research Consumer Reports & take along while shopping

Mary Packard: Try car spray on your stainless steel! My daughter did my synthetic kitchen cabinets with it in March & I have only given them a damp cloth wipe over ever since! I am now using it on everything, real wood, metal, shower tiles etc. & it's wonderful!

I prefer Viking. I’ve had my stove for 24 years and it’s running like new. I like all the appliances to be the same in the kitchen.
We just had to do a rebuild for our summer home doto the fires in Northern California and I went with all Viking there also. Loving the new French door ovens.

servicing and parts availability are so important.

years ago I would prefer brand but because I've had problems with my Maytag over and over. now I look at features and price. They dont make appliances like they use to. My Maytag is13 years old and I have a whirlpool that's 22 years old and it is still running.

Reliable appliances that fit my family's needs is important. I like everything I buy on a regular basis to fit neatly and be organized. We just bought a new home in Florida and had everything from the home to the appliances, A.C.,water heater etc. is energy efficient.

I have had no problems with my dishwasher. 70 years old and runs on home made fuel consisting mainly of egg and chips ! Has a few cracks and dents but very reliable. Plan on keeping. for another 20 years.

Mariasf,

I have been looking at appliances and trying to figure out first and foremost what range to buy. I want dual fuel and I was ready to get a Wolf because the promotion they have now makes them cheaper than many others. However, my research on the chipping of the blue lining inside the Wolf dual fuel ovens has made me think again. I love the looks of the Viking 5 series 30 inch, particularly the top with the extra space on the grate in the center. It is a beautiful range and apparently you like the Viking brand and have had great experience. I have been told to steer clear of Viking by so many people both on Houzz and elsewhere. Please give me some advice on your experience. Why do people have so many reservations regarding Viking?