Tell me about your Bosch dishwasher

[caribbeanmama]

Hello all:

Our Maytag dishwasher has quit on us and I am now looking to replace it asap. Looked at a couple of Bosch ones today and really liked them. Specifically, my local mom and pop appliance store has the Bosch Integra 300 series for $699.95. Did look at other brands too, but kept coming back to Bosch. If you have a Bosch, do you like it? Any problems with them?

I know that they don't have a heat drying option, but that's fine with me. Also, the lack of disposal does not bother me either. I do like the concealed buttons, but I also like to "see" what the machine is doing (is it rinsing, drying?) does that make sense? Still tell me about your Bosch, yea or nay?
TIA!!!

[daniele_ut]

I have a Bosch Evolution series 500 that we got about 9 months ago. It is leaps and bounds better than the 25 year old Maytag it replaced, but frankly, anything would have been! Seriously, though, I really like it a lot.

My dishes always get clean and everything but plastic comes out dry. THey don't have a traditional heat element, but they use condensation to dry. All the water that comes into the machine is preheated so it washes much hotter. In a traditional dishwasher, the water comes in at whatever temp and then is heated when it falls on the heating element.

Be aware that the 300 series is the bottom of the line for the Integra series. They have less sound dampening and I didn't like the rack arrangement as much on the one that I saw. I gave up the concealed controls for a quieter dishwasher that has more adjustable racks. Also, I wanted a stainless steel interior.

[spelunk]

I have a Bosch dishwasher and I :heartbeat: it. It gets almost everything off of the dishes (I notice when I use the 'good for the environment' dishwasher soap instead of Cascade that more food sticks to the dishes.

I don't remember what brand was in the house when we moved in but the Bosch is fabulous in comparison.

It is a very quiet dishwasher but I use the delay to have it run around midnight every night so there is less chance that someone will open it mid-run.

[WatchingThemGrow]

I have a dishwasher made by Bosch, but badged as a GE Profile. It is from 2003 and has a SS interior. It is quiet, and I like it, but the thing has had some costly repairs - a new motor and a costly set of leaks. Somehow I just got unlucky to get the one model that had freak weird problems, but oh well. We think it cleans well and is quiet all the other days when it is working and not costing me anything. Only on repair day is it no fun.

[ThreeofUs]

We have a Bosch and love it. We use veryvery little soap, and it gets the dishes wonderfully clean. It's also the only d/w we could find that actually got the water hot enough to sterilize.

Only downside is a little drying with some good dishtowels is necessary after a wash. But I had to do that anyway, with our old washer, so I don't really mind.

[DrSally]

SIL has one and it is super quiet, you don't even know it's running. Our new maytag is quite noisy. I didn' tknow it didn't have a heat drying option. Well, our heat drying cycle doesn't really get the dishes dry anyway. I have to wipe them.

[HannaAddict]

I would look at Miele too. We thought we were getting Bosch but after reading tons of reviews and hearing many friends who didn't like their Bosch versions, opted for the Miele and we LOVE it. Quiet, effective, just great. Makes our old top of the line GE seem cheap.

[crl]

I've had two Bosch dishwashers (two different houses) and was very, very happy with both. Both were the bottom of the line available at the time.

Catherine

[Roleysmom]

We got our Bosch used from Craigslist two years ago for an absolute song ($50) and we love it! It's the bottom of the line model but it is so so quiet and cleans the dishes very well. Sometimes things come out a little wet (top shelf items), but that's no big deal. It's so much better than the Kitchenaid we had. No comparison whatsoever.

[gobadgers]

At our previous house, our dishwasher died and we installed a basic Bosch dishwasher. We based our decision on the Consumer Reports dishwater wwriteup, I think (it's been a while). It worked well and we liked it. It was very quiet. I didn't like the rack layout very much but got used to it eventually (our highchair traytop didn't fit). Be sure to look at it IRL if you think it might be a problem.

Our new house also has a Bosch, it is a little nicer than our old one (it counts down the cycle time on the outside), but the bones of it are the same.

[craftysierra]

I bought the basic lowes model with stainless interior. Love it! Do not love the rack layout with my dishes, but I use the quick 35 minute or so cycle and that makes up for the not great rack layout for me.

Sierra

[jayali]

We have one in our house at the Shore and I guess I am alone in my dislike for my Bosch. I have to say that I am not sure if it is my water or my dishwasher - but nothing comes clean. I am a pre-wash before you load kinda girl, always have been, but now I really really really have to wash. I don't like the rack layout either - the top rack has silly wide rows and the smaller ones are too narrow. It is quiet, but as I say to DH - it might as well be off because it doesn't clean anyway. I find that if I don't open it a bit after the cycle is done then the dishes smell in the morning - because it doesn't dry them completely. I hate that I have to dry things before I put them away. The wash cycle is ridiculously long - ours is over two hours.

We have a GE in our apartment that I LOVE. Seriously even when DH loads stuff comes out super clean and he overloads and doesn't rinse as well as I do. It is quick - on holiday I can run it between courses so I can restack right after dinner.

As I said I look like the only one who does not like their Bosch, so maybe I just have bad water or the wrong series.

[alexsmommy]

Honestly, don't love it. I feel like the PP and that I have to really pre-wash well. In our old cheapy (owner threw in the cheapest "new" one she could to sell and it was having issues after two years) we didn't have to pre-wash as well. I do like how hot it gets the water, but so many things have to be just right for a good cycle - only a few types of detergents seem to work well (certain gel packs get stuck and don't work). I always feel like I am putting a few dishes back in after rescrubing them by hand. I also don't love the layout. I think if I truly put as many dishes in as it claims it can handle, nothing on the bottom rack would get clean.
It's not horrible, but I thought a "Bosch" would be less work.
My parents had one that was seven years old and they just had to replace it. They went with a different brand.

[pastrygirl]

I love ours! We don't have a problem with wet dishes. I leave the dishwasher closed while there's still steam in there, then crack it open for a few hours before emptying. That gives everything except plastic a chance to dry.

One feature that is worth it to me is the easy height adjuster for the top rack. We use it constantly. I'd hate to have to do it manually, the way the lower-end models do.

[jenmcadams]

We have one in our house at the Shore and I guess I am alone in my dislike for my Bosch.

I'm with you...although ours does clean just fine, I still prefer the Kenmore Elite we put in our old kitchen. I don't like the rack/arrangement of dishes, it takes a ton of time to clean and it just does an OK job....I wouldn't put anything in without pre-washing/rinsing

[Joolsplus2]

I don't know what model I have, but we got it in 2006 and the buttons are on the outside... So far we've needed no repairs and it gets dishes very clean. Mainly I like it because it's quiet... we have a great room with the TV next to the kitchen, so that's invaluable. The racks don't seem quite as durable as I'd expect (some of the little doohickies to hold the adjustable ones to the main ones have broken off, but I deal), but that's my only complaint.

[caribbeanmama]

About the Bosch, but thanks all for your replies! I am heading to Lowes today to check out what they have as well. Just looking at Lowes' website, it seems that they have a wider Bosch selection than Sears.

But now, I am confused - it seems like the thing with Bosch is that you either love it or hate it, based on reviews here and on the rest of the web.

Can you answer these questions for me?

1. What is Jet Dry and do I really need to use it with the Bosches. I guess I have been so used to buying eco-friendly detergents that I have no idea what Jet Dry is. And on that note, will my Method Smarty Dish tablets work with the Bosch?

2. I really like the idea of the door staying on a fixed position, is this feature found on other brands?

3. Is the rack arrangement really that awful?

4. How easy is the Bosch to use? I've heard that programming the maching is tedius. I really, really want a machine I can quickly program/turn on easily without too many bells and whistles - all I really want is an efficient auto cycle, sani option and a childlock feature so that DD won't make any changes to the cycle. TIA!

[alexsmommy]

About the Bosch, but thanks all for your replies! I am heading to Lowes today to check out what they have as well. Just looking at Lowes' website, it seems that they have a wider Bosch selection than Sears.

But now, I am confused - it seems like the thing with Bosch is that you either love it or hate it, based on reviews here and on the rest of the web.

Can you answer these questions for me?

1. What is Jet Dry and do I really need to use it with the Bosches. I guess I have been so used to buying eco-friendly detergents that I have no idea what Jet Dry is. And on that note, will my Method Smarty Dish tablets work with the Bosch?

2. I really like the idea of the door staying on a fixed position, is this feature found on other brands?

3. Is the rack arrangement really that awful?

4. How easy is the Bosch to use? I've heard that programming the maching is tedius. I really, really want a machine I can quickly program/turn on easily without too many bells and whistles - all I really want is an efficient auto cycle, sani option and a childlock feature so that DD won't make any changes to the cycle. TIA!

I'd suggest going over to http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/appl/ and do a search. If you've never been over there, make sure you use the seach function at the bottom of the page, the one on the top will search the entire site, not just that forum. They will answer any and every question you could possibly have about any brand.

Yes, you need jet dry or the dishes don't get dry.

The rack arrangement isn't horrible, I've just had better and for such a high end product I expected the rack arrangement to be be just as good or better than others. To me, they try to make it so that you can cram too much in and it compromises the entire layout.

[zag95]

I recently had a Kitchen Aid installed- and was speaking to the installer about dishwashers- he said Bosch were really quiet, but tended (in his expereince ) to have more need for repairs. Sounds like that has been the case for a few of the owners.

When we were looking at Sears, I was not impressed with the racks.... they didn't seem as useful to me- and the installer also said that the interior was slightly smaller, than the Kitchen Aid. I have been very happy with my Kitchen aid- very quiet, etc.

[spelunk]

I use vinegar instead of Jet Dry in the dishwasher. Plastic items tend to stay wet. I don't know if your Method Smarty Dish tablets will work in the Bosch.

I think different Bosch models have different rack layouts. What works for one family may not work for another. I load this dishwasher differently than I loaded my last one.

I push the on button and close the door to turn my Bosch dishwasher on. Actually, because I generally use the time delay, I push the button for as many hours as I want to delay the start and push the on button. If I want to run a different cycle, I push whatever button pertains to that cycle. I don't have any 'programming' to do. (Sounds like this is another 'depends on the model' issue.)

We've had our Bosch for ~4 years with no repairs. YMMV! :)

[crl]

About the Bosch, but thanks all for your replies! I am heading to Lowes today to check out what they have as well. Just looking at Lowes' website, it seems that they have a wider Bosch selection than Sears.

But now, I am confused - it seems like the thing with Bosch is that you either love it or hate it, based on reviews here and on the rest of the web.

Can you answer these questions for me?

1. What is Jet Dry and do I really need to use it with the Bosches. I guess I have been so used to buying eco-friendly detergents that I have no idea what Jet Dry is. And on that note, will my Method Smarty Dish tablets work with the Bosch?

2. I really like the idea of the door staying on a fixed position, is this feature found on other brands?

3. Is the rack arrangement really that awful?

4. How easy is the Bosch to use? I've heard that programming the maching is tedius. I really, really want a machine I can quickly program/turn on easily without too many bells and whistles - all I really want is an efficient auto cycle, sani option and a childlock feature so that DD won't make any changes to the cycle. TIA!

I loved our Boschs.

1. When our Bosch ran out of Jet Dry, our dishes got water spots. So, yes, I think you do need it. I don't know about Method, but I used Ecos tablets and they worked just fine. I hear this varies more by water type than by dishwasher, but I don't really know.

2. I don't know.

3. I didn't have any problems with the rack arrangement. Maybe it depends on your dishes? You could take dishes with you to the store to make sure they fit.

4. I just set ours up once and everafter pushed start. But I had the absolute cheapest models so maybe this varies by model.

Good luck with your decision!
Catherine

[hardysmom]

Our Bosch Integra is so quiet that sometimes we can't tell if it is running.

I am a chronic pre-washer, but everything comes out well.

plastic doesn't dry but that is good. You shouldn't heat plastic you are using for food anyway.

No problems with the rack.

Stephanie

[ChunkyNicksChunkyMom]

Whhhatt! Whhhatttt??? What rock have I been living under, seriously??? If I put Jet Dry in the dishwasher I won't have to dry all the plastic dishes my hand??

[caribbeanmama]

Thanks for directing me to Garden Web! I had forgotten about that website, so useful!

[caribbeanmama]

Again ladies, thanks for all your replies. So this afternoon I spent some time at Lowes and now I am narrowing my choices. I spent lots of time looking at the Bosch. They have several in stock, but the one I am considering the basic Evolution 300 series. The only thing that I noticed with this model is that the door does not stay opened at an angle - have any of you notice this?

Interestingly enough, I liked the Electrolux better than the Bosch, but it is $200 more. The KitchenAids were nice as well.

[ThreeofUs]

1. What is Jet Dry and do I really need to use it with the Bosches. I guess I have been so used to buying eco-friendly detergents that I have no idea what Jet Dry is. And on that note, will my Method Smarty Dish tablets work with the Bosch?

The JetDry website gives basic info about ingredients (http://www.jetdry.com/faqs.shtml): JET-DRY® products are a special combination of nonionic surfactants (lowers the surface tension of the water), a chelating agent (gets rid of minerals), and maybe dye and fragrance.

This helps your dishwasher rinse away mineral residue that would otherwise sit on dishes and produce dry dishware - both because the water sheets off, versus staying on the dishes.



2. I really like the idea of the door staying on a fixed position, is this feature found on other brands?

Sorry, do you mean having the cycle you hit last/programmed in last come up? If so, Bosch does this and so do most higher-end brands.



3. Is the rack arrangement really that awful?

Not in mho. Works fine for us, but takes some getting used to. Really, though, I've found moving from any dishwasher (that you're used to) to any other dishwasher (that you're not) - human or not, lol! - is an adjustment period. And there will always be some things that you just don't like about the new dishwasher....



4. How easy is the Bosch to use? I've heard that programming the maching is tedius. I really, really want a machine I can quickly program/turn on easily without too many bells and whistles - all I really want is an efficient auto cycle, sani option and a childlock feature so that DD won't make any changes to the cycle. TIA!

Extremely easy. We also got a fairly base model b/c we didn't want or need all the bells and whistles. Check out the options; I bet you'll find one you like.

Oh, and I don't know if you've been to Lowe's yet, but they are VERY willing to wheel and deal. Tell them you're also shopping at Sears, and you can probably get:
-free delivery and set-up
-10% or more off the price
-12 months no interest

We did.

GL!

[sansdieu]

1. What is Jet Dry and do I really need to use it with the Bosches. I guess I have been so used to buying eco-friendly detergents that I have no idea what Jet Dry is. And on that note, will my Method Smarty Dish tablets work with the Bosch?


Ecover makes an eco-friendly version of "Jet Dry," quite inexpensive too. Although the real deal doesn't seem to be too bad on the environment either.

I like Method Smarty Dish tablets too, but whether or not they work depends, I think, more on how hard/ soft your water is than on the model of your dishwasher. I have hard water, and I've had bad luck with most eco-friendly detergents (Biokleen and Costco's have been the most disappointing of the bunch).