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8.29.2012

That Time We Bought a (Gasp!) White Dishwasher

Remember those “growing up” moments when you get to put on your big-girl hat?

First time without a diaper. (Okay, I don’t actually remember that.)

First time without swimmies in the pool.

First time driving without an adult in the car.

First time picking out your own major appliance.

DSC_1021Gingerbread, washing her dishes.

Awww.

Yes, I’m now officially all grown-up with my own house and my own husband and my own big girl job and my own new dishwasher that I picked out all by myself with the help of that husband. This is our first appliance purchase since we’ve been homeowners, because all the rest were left in the house. So this is what you might call a Big Deal. Somebody needs to treat me to ice cream. Ice cream that will not be eaten with this slimy, freshly washed fork.

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Our former dishwasher was old when we bought the house a year and a half ago, and the inspector couldn’t tell us the make/model because the sticker was all worn away. It had been running less and less effectively over the past several months, a problem we like to call My Newly Washed Plates Are Covered In Something That Might Be Old Lasagna But I Can’t Be Entirely Certain Because We Haven’t Recently Eaten Lasagna. This was especially not okay because we were obviously pouring water and energy into getting that maybe-lasagna off in the first place, and might as well have just started feeding our dollars to the cats. Like this one, who thought the dishwasher box was her personal hotel.

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So we did a little research on dishwashers and found that the best time of year to buy most large appliances (with the exception of refrigerators) is September/October because that is when new models come out, and stores need to clear out old models. (New refrigerators hit stores in May according to several websites.) However, we weren’t keen on waiting too much longer because of the crusty dish factor, so we decided to buy one in August. As it was, our dishwasher of choice (this Whirlpool Gold Built-In) was already on sale for 10% off ($549 original price), plus we used a 10% off Lowe’s coupon on top of that, and received an additional 5% in cash back by linking through Shop Discover. This brought the grand total of our new toy (before tax) to $422. Not the cheapest dishwasher ever, but not the most expensive, either.

white dishwasher

We were willing to pay a bit to get exactly what we wanted versus settle for something okay that we’d later want to get rid of (not the best plan with expensive appliances) so here were our non-negotiables, in order of importance:

1. A white, glossy, non-textured finish. What? White? But you know white is not trendy? Yes. And I don’t care. We found that white models were typically at least $50 less than the stainless steel version of the same dishwasher, but that really wasn’t why we opted white.Truth be told, I just don’t love stainless steel, no offense to anyone in the stainless steel fan club—it NEVER looks clean enough (with streaks, smudges, etc.) and this drives me batty. I don’t want to have to clean my appliances every few days. The end.

white dishwasher stainless steel handle

2. Great reviews from other buyers. At first, we were getting frustrated with not finding any reviews on the dishwashers we were looking at. But then a lightbulb went off, and I realized why there were none or very few: because everyone is buying and reviewing the stainless options. Because I am the only one in the world buying white. (Duh.) Sure enough, while there was just one 4/5 star review for our white version, there were 30 for the stainless with an average of 4.5/5 stars. Sold. There was actually one model we really liked until we read the reviews, which said multiple times that if you put bowls in the upper rack, your dishes don’t get clean and/or your kitchen floods. Um, what? Reviews=lifesavers.

3. An Energy Star rating. The one we picked out will only cost $27 a year to run, if we were to run it 4 times a week, which we don’t.

4. Hidden controls. You’ll pay more for this, but it looks a lot nicer. And I am highly attracted to good-looking major appliances. Okay, that’s a bit of an exaggeration/weird statement. Erase it from your memory.

white dishwasher with hidden controls

5. A chrome or silver handle. Okay, that was just something I was looking for. Rick doesn’t care. It looks nicer than regular plastic. Refer to #4. It’s the little things…

Everything else was negotiable. Like the individual slots for silverware and the fact that the upper rack can be lowered to fit larger items up there.

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white dishwa

As for the old dishwasher, it’s currently taking up space in our enclosed porch. We’re debating putting it on Craigslist for really cheap or free if someone wanted it for parts or repair, or if someone doesn’t like to cook and would appreciate the maybe-old-lasagna that is generated upon washing dishes. This is a definite selling point.

Are you a white or stainless steel appliance person? Do you want our old dishwasher for leftovers?

26 comments:

  1. Looks great! You are smart to check the reviews for the model in stainless...what a good idea. Enjoy your new dishwasher. :)

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  2. Looks great! I know you're going to enjoy it!

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  3. I sm not a fan of stainless steel either - if we EVER get to redo our kitchen we'll do white - and I will refer back to this blog post! Enjoy your new dishwasher!

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  4. Yay for grown-up purchases! I think the new dishwasher looks great!

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  5. I don't even have a dishwasher...well, that isn't entirely true, that's my husband's job :). I love the white, especially with the stainless handle. Glad you don't have slimy silverware any more.

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  6. That's so smart to read the reviews for the stainless model. I'm glad you love it! I'm partial to stainless, but that may be because our awful yellowish maple cabinets look so terrible with our white stove and not as bad next to the stainless fridge. :)

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  7. We went with stainless, but I really can't give you a good reason as to why... But we did lots of reading too and decided with such an open area, we wanted the tub to be stainless too, because apparently that cuts down on the noise. And that is true! So yay for literacy!

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  8. Orrrr you can get stainless steel and just NOT clean it every few days. That's our M.O.

    That's actually the most beautiful white dishwasher I ever did see. Seriously. Have you thought about using the old one as a planter in your front yard? The neighbors will LOVE it!

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    1. It basically comes with its own fertilizer what with the decomposing old food in it, so this idea is getting more brilliant by the second. It's probably the next big thing. You'll wish you had kept it to yourself. ;)

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  9. Yay for grown-up purchases!! The dishwasher is very sleek and pretty! :)

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  10. I'm with you on the stainless. Except for I prefer black... probably because that is what we have in our house. We have two appliances left to update and they will both be black too. I think whichever you like best is the right one for you. White is a classic though that will always look good. Enjoy your new big girl purchase.

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  11. Love the new dishwasher- it certainly is the best white one I have ever seen! I grew up with white appliances so I like them too but we have stainless now and I like them just as much. I go the don't clean them every few days route and our fridge is often covered in finger prints and dog nose marks but I'm okay with that. We have a pretty brushed stainless so it's not as bad as some other options.

    Enjoy your first appliance purchase! We purchased a new washer and dryer during our first year of ownership and we just bought a new fridge last month. It definitely makes you feel grown up!

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  12. I'm typically a stainless steel person but your white dishwasher has me thinking otherwise! I am obsessed with white and black kitchen so I think that dishwasher might be a fabulous addition.

    Champagne Lifestyle on a Beer Budget

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  13. I'm on the stainless train, but good for you for swimming against the current of dishwasher trends! Too many metaphors in one comment?

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    1. hahaha it was the perfect number of metaphors for my first official day back at school. ;)

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  14. I 100 % AGREE WITH YOU ABOUT STAINLESS!!! WE BOUGHT A STAINLESS FRIDGE AND I HATTTTE IT!!! ALWAYS STREAKS AND FINGERPRINTS,GRRRRR! I WANTEDDD WHITE BUT MY HUB WON AND WE GOT THE STAINLESS,AGAIN,GRRR!
    ENJOY YOUR NEW CLEAN ;]!

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  15. I swear I just read somewhere the other day that white appliances are BACK! (And if you read something on the internet it's 100% true.) You're so fashion forward in appliance selection :) It's beautiful. May you have sparkling dishes for years to come.

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  16. I just had appliance drama, in that I just had to buy all of ours and had a mega commitment issue since they're NONRETURNABLE (EEK). So far so good, although the dishwasher hasn't been hooked up yet. Color-wise, we went black and I'm lurvin it.

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  17. white, white, white . . . or black!! Glad to have you in my non-stainless appliance loving club! Thought I was the only one . . .

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  18. Definitely in the white category. Never liked the stainless for all the same reasons as you. Had a set of brand new stainless products in a previous house and was glad to leave them behind.

    Looks like a great purchase. Congrats on your big girl pants!!

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  19. Gor-Jee-Us!

    Love the kittie in the cardboard fort, for sure!

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  20. I definitely agree with you on the stainless looking dirty factor! We had a similar issue with our dishwasher a few months ago, and our new one is fabulous. The one you picked out looks really nice...the chrome handle and hidden controls make a world of difference!

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  21. There is little worse than a lasagna-yet-non-lasagna-coated-utensil.

    White. Stainless. Magenta. Who cares? Dishes will be clean and you'll save on medical bills. ;)

    I think your cat would've been a great 2nd if you couldn't afford the new one.

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  22. You aren't alone! We have all white appliances too! Although, to be honest, if we had known we were buying all new appliances within the first year, it would have been stainless.

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  23. Love it.... I'm not a stainless steel person either. It's ok in other people's homes.... just would never want any in mine ;)

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  24. Anonymous11/02/2013

    actually i've been reading up on white appliances and stainless steel is out in the world of designers. wealthy ppl in big trendy houses are not using stainless anymore. it's white. the new in colour is "white ice" like you just bought. my preference is also the white ice appliances.

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