Best Built-in Dishwashers

What is the difference between a built-in dishwasher and a freestanding dishwasher?

A lot of thought should be put into choosing the right dishwasher for your home. While there are plenty of dishwasher types to choose from, built-in dishwashers and freestanding dishwashers are the most sought after, so here are the differences between the two.

Built-in dishwashers, as the name suggests, must be built into your kitchen. They don’t have a front cover, letting you add your own to match your kitchen cabinetry - usually a carpenter or cabinetmaker is needed for this.

If you’re getting a built-in dishwasher, you can choose between semi-integration and full integration. A semi-integrated dishwasher has the controls visible on the exterior of the front panel, whereas a fully integrated dishwasher conceals the control panel inside the front panel - so you’ll only know it’s a dishwasher when it’s open. This can give your kitchen a more minimalist look.

Freestanding dishwashers conversely don’t need to be built into your kitchen - they can be placed anywhere with a water connection and a suitable drainage option.

Built-in dishwashers

Freestanding dishwashers

Factors to consider when buying a built-in dishwasher

If you think a built-in dishwasher is the most suitable dishwasher type for your kitchen, then there are plenty of factors to consider before you head off to buy your new appliance.

Features

• Eco Mode: This will wash your dishes with less water at a lower temperature, making it a great option to have handy when you don’t need to do heavy-duty washing.
• Cutlery rack: While they tend to take up more space than a cutlery basket, cutlery racks can make sorting dirty cutlery easier, and also reduce the risk of you accidentally stabbing yourself with a knife when you reach into the dishwasher.
• Time management: A delayed start option also means you can set it to wash at a convenient time for you, without you needing to be there. A time remaining display also lets you easily see when your dishes will be ready and plan accordingly.
• Height-adjustable upper rack: An adjustable upper basket gives you flexibility when loading your dishes, letting you easily slot everything into its place.
• Foldable racks: Foldable racks can be a huge advantage when washing pots and pans, as they let you adjust the layout of your dishwasher to suit your needs.
• Half-load option: If you don’t put in the same amount of dishes each wash, consider getting a dishwasher with a half-load option that uses less energy and water, saving you money and reducing its environmental impact.
• Child lock: Child-safe door locks, control panel locks and detergent dispenser locks will keep your child safely out of harm’s way. If you use dishwasher tablets, you should also keep them well hidden as kids often mistake them for lollies.
• Self cleaning: Dishwashers have filters that can get clogged up with food particles if you don’t regularly clean them, but if you invest in one with a self-cleaning filter, the dishwasher will do the hard work for you.
• Internal light: An interior light makes it easier to see your load.

Water and energy usage

Water and energy efficiency should be considered when choosing a built-in dishwasher - for your power and water bills but also for those looking to minimise their carbon footprint.

Australia’s Water Efficiency Labelling Scheme (WELS) gives each dishwasher a rating based on the water needed for a single cycle - these are the star ratings you’ll see on dishwashers you see in store. Aim for a higher star rating to reduce ongoing costs - most modern dishwashers in Australia have a 4.5 or 5 star rating. Figuring out energy efficiency is similar, as it also follows a star rating system.

Dimensions

While a standard dishwasher size is usually 60cm wide and 60cm deep, built-in dishwashers sizes often run larger. If you don’t know the dimensions of the space for your dishwasher, it’s time to whip out your measuring tape and figure it out - there’s no use researching the features of a certain dishwasher if it won’t even fit in your kitchen. Triple check your measurements so you don’t waste your time or money.

If you find that built-in dishwasher dimensions don’t really suit your kitchen, you may want to consider instead opting for a benchtop dishwasher or a slimline dishwasher, the narrowest of which have a width of around 45cm. Dishwashers can still be integrated and compact, such as drawer dishwashers, which slide out at waist height from your kitchen cabinetry, making them a smaller and more ergonomic alternative.

Build quality

With built-in dishwashers, you can determine some aspects of the build quality by choosing durable kitchen cabinets to encase the mechanics of your machine. As is the case with other dishwashers, the components of built-in dishwashers are mostly made of steel and plastic, and their control panels will most likely be stainless steel.

Going in store and seeing for yourself how sturdy your dishwasher will be is a good place to start. Products on the shop floor will have had to withstand general wear and tear, which can be handy for you to see what your dishwasher might look like over time. Check for things like a machine’s robustness, whether or not the control buttons are flimsy, and how resilient the interior elements are.

Ease of use

While some people may find a certain dishwasher easy to use, others may have difficulty operating it. Consider your own personal preferences and how you’ll use the machine - such as how you like to load dishes and how you clean your dishwasher.

While having all the latest features may sound appealing, consider the possibility that it may take a while before you learn how to use all of them.

Cleaning and maintenance

Because built-in dishwashers are integrated into your kitchen, you luckily won’t have to worry about cleaning underneath and the sides of your dishwasher as you would with freestanding ones. You can also clean the control panel as you would the rest of your cabinets.

Ask a salesperson or consult a product manual to find out the recommended way to clean the built-in dishwasher you’re considering buying - this could include finding out recommended dishwasher cleaners, dishwasher salts, and also practical cleaning tips.

You should consider how easy it is to implement the cleaning practices needed to keep your machine spick and span.

Some of these are:

• Daily: scraping large food pieces into the bin, using good quality detergent
• Weekly: cleaning your filter and dishwasher seals
• Monthly: filling the rinse aid dispenser
• Annually: checking spray arms, running the empty dishwasher on its hottest cycle

Some machines (such as Bosch dishwashers), are also fitted with a self-diagnosis system that will tell you what the problem is in the case of a fault - this can eliminate the need to call someone for repairs.

Noise level

It’s a good idea to check the noise level of a built-in dishwasher before you purchase it - either by reading the manufacturer’s product description or reading consumer reviews. If you live in any high-density area, such as an apartment, this will be an important consideration to make, not just for your own sake, but also for your neighbours.

Load capacity

The capacity of a dishwasher is measured by how many place settings it can wash in a single cycle. Usually integrated dishwashers have a capacity of 14 place settings, but sometimes you can find larger ones. A good way to figure out how many place settings is ideal for you is to jot down how many and what kind of dishes you use in a day.

Generally, a household of 1-2 people will need 6-9 place settings, 3-4 person households will need 9-12, and 5 people or more will need 12+ place settings.

If you have a large household but think you can get away with a small dishwasher, consider the possibility that running a smaller one twice daily may cost you more to run than running a larger dishwasher once a day.

Internal layout

Most people have dishes of different types and sizes, making the internal layout of your dishwasher important. You’ll need a dishwasher that can accommodate the largest saucepans and the smallest cooking utensils simultaneously.

If you have lots of large or unusually shaped cookware, then look into dishwashers that offer you flexibility - such as the ability to move around internal elements to create the space you need. Handy tip - bring your crockery into the store to make sure it fits.

Price

Built-in dishwashers can cost anywhere from $550 to upwards of $4000 (excluding installation costs). Dishwashers with low energy and water efficiency may cost less upfront, but you’ll likely end up racking up bigger power and water bills, making them more expensive in the long run.

Wrapping up

Don’t rush into buying a dishwasher. Resisting the temptation of a cheap dishwasher at a dishwasher sale can be difficult, but unless you’ve considered all the factors that will help you find the most suitable one for your home and kitchen, then it’ll save you a huge headache. A built-in dishwasher can be an expensive purchase to make, but if you use it often and it makes your life easier, then it’s worth every cent.