If you’re shopping for a new dishwasher, you’ll be dazzled — or maybe overwhelmed — by all the features and options available. The best dishwasher features improve dishwasher performance, quietness, efficiency and convenience.
We explain 4 of the best dishwasher features you might want to look for when shopping for a dishwasher and then answer a handful of common questions about dishwashers.
Dishwashers with the ENERGY STAR® Most Efficient designation
When you want the most efficient and best cleaning dishwasher on the market, choose from ENERGY STAR®’s list of Most Efficient models.
Qualifying dishwashers meet stricter energy and water use guidelines than regular ENERGY STAR dishwashers. Models with the Most Efficient designation use no more than 240 kWh per year and no more than 3.2 gallons per cycle (regular ENERGY STAR dishwashers must use no more than 270 kWh per year and 3.5 gallons per cycle). Thanks to innovative and efficient spray systems and pumps, Most Efficient dishwashers use 22 percent less energy and 36 percent less water than the minimum allowed.
But a good dishwasher isn’t just about energy savings. Dishwashers with the Most Efficient designation must pass rigorous cleaning tests. To pass, all dishes in the load need to be nearly spotless at the end of testing.
In 2021, only 10 percent of the 756 of ENERGY STAR dishwasher models meet the energy-saving and cleaning criteria to be designated as Most Efficient.
Most Efficient dishwashers use innovative and efficient spray systems and pumps to achieve the stringent cleaning requirements and meet the energy and water use restrictions. If you want the best of the best, buy an ENERGY STAR Most Efficient dishwasher.
Quiet dishwashers
Silence is golden when it comes to a dishwasher. A dishwasher’s quietness rating is the average number of decibels the dishwasher emits during a normal cycle. Quietness ratings range from around 65 decibels for a loud dishwasher to below 40 decibels for a nearly silent model.
Choose a dishwasher with a noise rating below 40 decibels when you want a nearly silent model.
Dishwashers with smart controls
Buy a dishwasher with smart controls if you want to remotely control and monitor your dishwasher. When you have a dishwasher with smart controls, you don’t have to be in the kitchen to start the dishwasher or unlock the controls.
And with a smart dishwasher, you’ll know when something goes wrong. For example, some smart dishwashers let you know immediately if water begins leaking, so you can prevent water damage.
Dishwashers with a 1-Hour Wash
Patience is a virtue, but there’s no need to be patient with your dishwasher when you choose a model with the 1-Hour Wash option.
Many dishwasher cycles take 2 or more hours to finish. Choosing a dishwasher with a 1-Hour Wash lets you get the dishes done quickly — without washing them by hand. (Downside: it’s less energy efficient.)
Frequently asked questions about dishwasher features
Why do dishwashers take so long to finish?
To meet US Department of Energy water and energy use guidelines, dishwashers use less water and don’t heat the already-hot water entering the dishwasher. So to clean and rinse the dishes thoroughly, dishwashers spray the dishes longer, using energy-efficient pumps.
Why don’t plastic dishes dry in my dishwasher?
Plastic dishes don’t retain heat like glass and metal dishes do, so water droplets don’t evaporate from plastics as quickly.
Why don’t bottles get clean in my dishwasher?
The narrow mouths of bottles limit the amount of water that the dishwasher spray arm can spray into the bottle, so the bottles don’t get clean in many dishwashers. You can buy a dishwasher with bottle jets that spray the inside of bottles.
Do I really need to use rinse aid in my dishwasher?
Yes. Rinse aid is a surfactant that breaks the surface tension of water, so instead of forming drops, the water drains from the dishes. As a result, dishes dry faster and have fewer spots from dissolved calcium and other minerals.
You should use rinse aid even if you use detergent pods or tablets that include rinse aid, because the rinse aid dispenser in your dishwasher releases rinse aid at the right time during the rinse cycle — pods and tablets might not do that. So fill that rinse aid dispenser, and refill it when it’s low or empty.