ALDI Stirling STR-DWSS14 (Apr, Sep 2020, Mar, Sep 2021)

Don't waste your money – Wish I read these reviews before purchasing! I may as well have gone outside and burnt my money.... keeps flashing ECO won't drain, does not clean properly, leaves a dirty film eleven with expensive pods. Same problems as everyone else I guess. Show details

Do not buy! Horrible Customer Service – Called to report a fault and advised that dishwasher is out of warranty as I bought it in April 2020. When I told them that was impossible because the dishwasher was only manufactured in April 2020 I was told I was lying. Show details

Disappointing – Does not clean properly, lots of condensation,can’t seem to stand up long stem wine glasses Show details

Condensation after washing so dishes still soaking wet – I’ve tried every setting on this new dishwasher. It leaves condensation on the roof, trays, dishes etc. We’ve been using the same washing tablets from Aldi as we have for the past 3 years so it’s not that. Any ideas would be great. Show details

Brakes down after 3 washers – Do not buy this product…Dishwasher has fault after 3 washers rang the warranty hotline it has taken me 3 calls over 2werks to finally get a technician to come and fix the problem…… I’m still waiting for technician I thought I’d buy this from Aldi as I thought would be better than my last 1 I should of stuck to my last model from Bunnings I never had 1 problem with it I don not recommend this product or this company Show details

Never had a problem – We have had the dishwasher for 3 years and never a problem. It, like all things, it must be properly maintained and don't over load it with dirty plates. Use common sense and scrap plates properly before using. Show details

Was good for a while, now won’t drain, almost have to wash dishes before putting in – Was great at first, now practically have to wash dishes before putting in, arms kept clogging, now it’s not draining, less than 12 months old Show details

Better than handwashing but have had a lot of issues – Doesn't clean properly, you need to space the plates out. (Only good as a 7 place setting) Becomes clogged regularly. Small particles of food become clogged in the holes on the arms even after scraping. Power won't turn on. It's only 12 months old. Show details

Inexpensive dishwasher that can be great if you properly maintain it – I had to raise the upper basket as the default upper basket position was too low so when I had large items in the lower basket the upper spray arm would hit the tops of large items in the lower basket. If you don't need the additional clearance to fit large items in the lower basket leave the upper basket at the default position as the upper… Read more ·  1

spray arm will be closer to items in the lower basket and thus clean better than having the upper basket higher and upper spray arm further from items in the lower basket.

I am a healthy person so I don't often cook oily and greasy foods so most of my dishes are only lightly to moderately soiled. I scrape excess food off dishes but I never rinse dishes before placing said dishes in the dishwasher.

If you are using a cycle with a prewash and main wash be sure to place some detergent in the detergent dispenser prewash and main wash compartments to maximise cleaning performance.

For best results with cycles that have a prewash use a dishwasher liquid/gel in the prewash dispenser as liquid/gel dissolves quicker than powder and thus is better because the prewash is only 15-20 minutes on most dishwashers so the powder has barely dissolved if at all before the prewash has ended and water is drained.

The instruction manual's recommendation of 27.5g of detergent in the main wash seems to be on the high side for powdered detergents I've tried and results in detergent residue buildup in the machine, on and around the door seals especially on the cooler cycles, I've gotten comparable results with only 1 tablespoon (14.3g) of powdered detergent.

The best value combo with excellent cleaning performance I've found so far is gel or liquid which dissolves the quickest for the short prewash, dishwashing powder for the main wash and generic/store brand rinse aid.

Cleaning the dishwasher monthly with a dishwasher cleaner is worthwhile especially if you use cheap powdered detergents and/or have a lot of contaminates in your water supply like limescale and/or use the cooler cycles like Eco which leave more detergent residue, food residue and limescale behind in the dishwasher than hotter cycles. Check the course and fine filters at least weekly. Also check the water inlet filter for grit buildup at least trimonthly.

I use a combination of the default Eco cycle which has a 45° main wash and 52° rinse for lightly to moderately soiled loads and the Intensive cycle which has a 60° main wash and 65° rinse for more heavily soiled loads. I rarely use the 90 Mins cycle which has a 65° main wash and 65° rinse as this cycle has cracked some cups, bowls and plates. On all cycles I am happy with the cleaning performance of the dishwasher relative to other dishwashers I have used that featured similar cycle water temperatures and run times.

After about 6 months of use some internal plastics did start to fade from the initial shade of grey but purely cosmetic and other people don’t see inside your dishwasher so a non-issue.

The dishwasher was quieter than I expected it to be given the low price.

Dishes can be quite wet at the end of cycles especially the lower temperature cycles where water doesn’t evaporate from the tops of cups and other items as quickly or at all. The Extra Drying option is a waste of time vs just opening the door immediately at the end of a cycle.

To minimise the need to dry dishes upon cycle completion immediately open dishwasher door so as much water evaporates as possible.

Cheap dishwashers like other cheap appliances can suffer from an extreme Bathtub Curve, if you get a good unit it can work for years but if you get a bad unit there can seemingly be no end of issues.

Only additional features I could see being worth paying more for would be a top mounted spray arm so items in sliding cutlery rack are cleaned better and a drying fan, at this price range these omissions due to cost reasons are to be expected.

I don’t use the sliding cutlery rack as I tend to carefully overload the upper basket with many cups so there is not much room between items but everything comes out clean on the Eco and Intensive cycles and I save on reduced cycles, detergent, electricity and water use.

For $349 I am very happy with my purchase but I wouldn’t blanket recommend people buy an inexpensive dishwasher as there are potential pitfalls and when things do go wrong installation/removal fees charged by plumbers can be expensive destroying any cost savings initially achieved from getting an inexpensive dishwasher.

EDIT: I've removed Logix Dishwasher Powder from the review as the formulation of the product has changed and the product now leaves excessive residue behind in the machine so I would not recommend it.

EDIT 2: 31/7/2025 The dishwasher is still working flawlessly after close to 4 years.

Such a CRAP – I bought it last year in September/October sometime. It was okay for almost a month. Lately, metal parts on the side walls started bending inwards which ultimately restricted baskets to move in. I called helpline and believe me it was too hard to explain them what happened. They were not sure it was due to mechanical fault or manufacturing fault… Read more

or mishandling. Ultimately they told to send a mechanic on certain time. But nobody turned up. They also told me if it come out to be your fault you will have to pay for it. I never mind to call them again as I did not want to pay $150 on top of $300. And I end up having no dishwasher now

I wish there was a zero star option – Used maybe 5 times. Left for a year, went to use agaon and one LCD panel no longer works so it cannot be started. Sterling will not look at it and are issuing a refund instead as they have stated it is "uneconomical" to repair. It never washed dishes at all or rinsed properly hence why we never used it. Waste of money and now we have to pay to dump the thing. Show details

Quality control failure. New machine ..which doesn’t work! – Dishes were not being cleaned AT ALL despite trying various locations. Tried rinsing prior to washing as even crumbs not being removed and glasses dirtier after a wash cycle! Reported faulty when 2 weeks old. Tempo organised for service repairman to come out to assess. Asked for replacement but had to endure new parts being ordered! Needed new… Read more

motor and bottom spray arm which were fitted today, but the top one still does not rotate! How did this pass Quality Control, when it is not fit for purpose? Totally disappointed. Not recommended at all!

Truly awful - hand washing is a better option – Everything comes out wet and unclean - cleaning blades catch on any large plates - water pump plays up and when you contact Tempo regards the warranty they are unhelpful, evasive & not interested in dealing with your complaint - do not purchase this product from Aldi Show details

Much better than my last dishwasher! – At first, I was sceptical about buying another sub-$400 dishwasher owing to the horrible experience I had with the last one (a $399 Bellini) This Stirling dishwasher is better built (feels more solid), quieter, washes & dries more effectively, has more features (including self-cleaning and 1/2 load functions) and was actually $50 cheaper; so far… Read more

I’m impressed!

Edit: October 2021 Has outlasted the old dishwasher; still works well with a variety of detergent brands!

Edit: December 2023 Still going strong, although the bottom rack is starting to rust...

Edit: November 2024 Still runs a full cycle but no longer washes properly even after removing and scrubbing spray arms and filters, then running self-clean with Finish cleaner; half the spikes on bottom rack have fallen off due to rust. To its credit, it lasted 4x longer than my last dishwasher!

Great value – Great value, especially with a 3year warranty, does a great job cleaning dishes. We use finish tablets and have rinse aid in it Not the quietest but not noisy either but there is a delay start feature so you can delay the start to do it during the night if you wish, I was going to get a secondhand Bosch, glad I got this one Show details

Faulty product – It couldn't even do the first wash properly. It's turned off completely after 1hr of operation. I tried to turn it on again but keep giving error warning. I returned it to Aldi. Show details

Best dishwasher till today – I love Aldi and their product. But this dishwasher is the best ever I bought in my life. My wife’s life goes easy after this. Even my friend is going to buy the same. Show details

Pleased - so far – Took a gamble as I had previously purchased a sterling product from Aldi which I returned very disappointed . However have used this dishwasher daily for over a week and have found it washes well. I have large dining plates that fitted well in bottom shelf. ( Top tray height adjustable). Quiet machine. It doesn’t totally dry as much as I would… Read more

like but I haven’t tried the “extra drying” function yet. It was easy to install as it replaced a very old dishwasher. Had to purchase an extension hose for drainage to fit my plumbing. All good - so far.