A dishwasher is an essential appliance in the daily use of our kitchen. We have become accustomed to the comfort of not washing the dishes by hand and do not understand a life without it. The purchase of any appliance requires a small preliminary study to adapt the characteristics to our needs. There are many factors that have to be taken into account before purchase. For example: size, noise level, energy efficiency …
We will explain all those aspects to take into account in detail so that buying your dishwasher is a simple task.
Dishwasher size
Depending on the size of our kitchen or the space we have in our furniture, we must opt for a dishwasher or another.
The most usual size, considered as standard, is the 60 cm dishwasher. This dishwasher is recommended for those families whose family nucleus is three people or more. That is, for a standard family. They usually have a capacity of 12 to 14 services.
If our house has little space or we live alone or as a couple, we must opt for a 45 cm dishwasher. This size allows us to make a daily use of our appliance without the need to accumulate dishes and other kitchen utensils for days to put in a washing program. The dishwashers of 45 cm, have a lower capacity than those of 60, so they will be suitable for 9 or 10 services.
On the other hand, we have the compact dishwasher. It is usually known as a counter top or tabletop dishwasher because it is not embedded in any furniture in the usual way. It is usually a cheap dishwasher. Its size is usually around 55 or 60 cm wide and 45 high. Ideal for people living alone or houses very sporadic use.
Baskets and dishwasher trays
Depending on the kitchen utensils that we use in a more habitual way or the use that we give to our tableware or glassware, we have to choose a tray or another.
If we use large pans in our daily use or utensils of sizes larger than normal, we should look for dishwasher with trays with flexible compartments or folding trays in the lower tray. This type of trays will allow us to take better advantage of the space and to wash a greater number of pieces per wash.
On the other hand, if we make regular use of glassware with more special characteristics, such as glasses or glasses of greater size, we must look for another type of upper tray.
For this case, the upper trays must have rods that allow the support. They also allow us to separate and make different compartments by utensils.
Dishwasher washing programs
The number of washes depends largely on the cost of our dishwasher. It is one of the fundamental aspects at the time of our purchase.
Normally it is usually recommended that we do a prior analysis of the use we make of our current dishwasher. Usually we always put a same washing program in our dishwasher or maximum two. So why buy a new one with programs that we will not use?
Even so, we inform you that we can find a dishwasher with many programs …
- Eco Programs: those that represent energy savings.
- Cold water programs: they also save energy and are suitable for those dishes with little dirt.
- Program for delicate pieces: very important if we used to put finer glassware in our daily washing.
- Automatic washing: adjust both water and temperature depending on the load we have.
Dishwasher sound
Having one type of kitchen or another greatly influences the choice of our dishwasher.
If we have a kitchen with an American bar or even an integrated kitchen in the living room, we have to opt for the silent ones. This type of dishwasher has a sound power of around 35-45 decibels.
On the contrary, for closed kitchens, we can opt for those that are around 50-60 decibels. The sound level is important but it does not harm us at rest by being in a separate room.
Energy efficiency
As with any appliance, its energy efficiency will have an impact on our monthly bill.
A +++ dishwashers are those that have the best energy efficiency. They are the most bought by consumers because the use of this appliance is usually daily. We can also find A + dishwasher or A ++ dishwasher. This does not mean that they are bad appliances, but they spend more energy and therefore our bill will be higher.
In conclusion, we must take into account these five factors at the time of our purchase. Not taking it into account can mean regretting the purchase we have made.
