A noisy dishwasher is annoying, and not only in an eat-in kitchen or combined kitchen and living room. Havig a conversation without straining one’s voice, doing homework or watching TV are practically impossible when noisy kitchen appliances drown out all other sound. The solution for this might be an innovative and quiet dishwasher.

Among the quietest dishwashers on the market are the following ones, with an airborne sound level between 39 dB (A) and 42 dB (A) . The noise level in common dishwashers is 44-48 dB (A). As a reduction by 10 dB (A) makes you perceive a noise as only half as loud, this is significant.

 
 
 

Anyone who wants a quieter kitchen should take a look at the following quiet dishwashers:
 

DishwasherNoise levelTypeWidthEnergy consumption/ year
Bosch SHP878ZD5Ncheck on Amazon42 dB (A)fully integrated24 inch269 kWh/yr
Bosch SHEM78W56Ncheck on Amazon42 dB (A)built-in24 inch269 kWh/yr
Bosch SHVM88Z73Ncheck on Amazon40 dB (A)built-in24 inch269 kWh/yr
Samsung DW80R9950UGcheck on Amazon39 dB (A)built-in24 inch239 kWh/yr
 


Quiet dishwasher – 42 dB (A)


Bosch SHP878ZD5N

The Bosch SHP878ZD5N is a quiet dishwasher with a below-average noise level of 42 dB (A). Its low noise can be explained by its EcoSilence motor, multiple insulation layers, a sound absorbing base and grindless food filtration, among others.

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Low-noise dishwasher with 42 dB (A)


Bosch SHEM78W56N

If a quiet dishwasher is your goal, you should also take a look at the Bosch SHEM78W56N. Its noise level is 42 dB (A), as well, which makes it a viable alternative to the previously mentioned model.

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Very quiet dishwasher – 40 dB (A)


Bosch SHVM88Z73N

With its 40 dB (A), the Bosch SHVM88Z73N is another unusually quiet dishwasher. Its noise level is definitely below average and should make it one of the quietest dishwashers out there. It fits 16 place settings and features 6 different wash cycles.

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Exceptionally quiet dishwasher with 39 dB (A)


Samsung DW80R9950UG

The Samsung DW80R9950UG is a surprisingly quiet dishwasher – with its 39 dB (A) it is one of the quietest dishwashers on the market. It fits up to 15 place settings and you can choose between 7 wash cycles.

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How to chose a quiet dishwasher


 

Noise level

Since the common place for a dishwasher is in the kitchen, you would like the dishwasher to be as quiet as possible. Its noise level is thus quite an important purchase criterion. Particularly if you don’t have a separate dining room, the loud rumbling of the dishwasher can become quite annoying. You want your eat-in kitchen to be quiet.

When choosing a quiet dishwasher you should first try to find out if there’s information on the dB (A) sound level of the dishwasher.

The quietest dishwashers on the market have a sound level of about 40 dB (A).

In order to be really satisfied with your dishwasher, however, you will have to consider other criteria apart from the noise level.

When buying a quiet dishwasher, you should also think about the following points:

 

Energy and water consumption

The ideal dishwasher should not only be quiet, but also have a low energy and water consumption. Information on the energy and water consumption should be found in the product specifications.

 

Personal requirements

Quiet dishwashers come with a variety of different features. The more features, the higher the price tag wil usually be. Therefore it makes sense to think about and differentiate between features that are really important to you, features that are just a nice bonus, and features that are unnecessary gimmicks to you personally.

To be satisfied with your dishwasher for a long time, you should try to find a dishwasher that fulfills all of your personal requirements and wishes, while still being quiet.

The cost of the dishwasher is another point to consider. However, you should not only keep in mind the initial cost, but also the long term cost. Some dishwashers may at first seem more affordable, but in the long run they may entail some costly disadvantages. This happens often, but not only, with no-name appliances. For one, the low cost may be explained by inferior design and technology which shows in higher electricity and water consumption. A lower purchasing price may thus be offset by higher electricity and water bills. Furthermore, cheaper dishwashers may often be more expensive to use and maintain. In terms of longevity, customer support and replacment parts, purchasing form a well known manufacturer may be preferable. It is especially annoying to forego quality and useful features in favor of a lower price tag, just to find out the customer service is basically nonexistent when the machine breaks down and replacement parts are nowhere to be had.

Oftentimes it is preferable to invest a tiny bit more into your dishwasher, rather than to run into problems later on. Researching a lot and reading customer reviews may be a good idea.

To narrow down the number of dishwashers to take into consideration, you start with the easiest attributes: the type of dishwasher and the desired width of the dishwasher.

 

Width

The standard width for a dishwashers is mosty 24 inches or 18 inches.

In order to get an idea of how many dishes the dishwasher can fit, a standardized set of dishes is used for comparison, the so-called place setting. This standardized measuring method is used to specify the capacity of a dishwasher more easily.

The place setting consists of one each of the following:
A dinner plate, a soup plate, a dessert plate, a cup with a saucer, a drinking glass, a spoon, a fork, a knife, a teaspoon and a dessert spoon.

An 18 inch dishwasher can usually fit 8-10 place settings.
A 24 inch dishwasher can usually fit 12-14 place settings.

To get an idea of what size of the dishwasher is right for you, you should consider the number of people in the household and the frequency in which you use the dishwasher.

However, most of the time, dishwashers with a width of 18 inches are neither much cheaper than the 24 inch version, nor are the operating costs for water and energy much lower. Nevertheless, comparing the products’ specifications always makes sense. Perhaps you might find an exceptionally ecnomical 18 inch dishwasher.

If you decide on a narrower dishwasher, you also have less space left for pots, pans, bowls and other large dishes and kitchenware.

In case you find water consumption and energy consumption to be nearly the same for the 24 inch and the 18 inch dishwasher and you have enough space in your kitchen, a large dishwasher is usually more comfortable.

Small dishwashers with a width of 18 inch are only worth considering if you use very few dishes, have only limited space in your kitchen and don’t want the dishes to stack up for too long. 18 inch dishwashers may be an option for people who eat out very often.

 

Type

When it comes to the type of dishwasher, there are freestanding, semi-integrated and fully integrated dishwashers to choose from.

Quiet dishwashers can be found among any of these types of dishwashers.

Freestanding dishwashers have a complete exterior paneling. The outward look is thus completely designed by the manufacturer. These dishwashers can be set up independently of the rest of the kitchen furniture, only a water connection must be accessible.

In some freestanding dishwashers, the lid can be taken off so that the dishwasher can be placed under a kitchen worktop. Usually it stands right next to the sink. The front keeps the design of the manufacturer.

In semi-integrated dishwashers, you can match the front paneling to the overall kitchen style. Only the control panel and display will be visible. For this purpose, a decorative plate is put into the frame of the dishwasher. The plates have to be bought separately, usually from the manufacturer of your kitchen.

Fully integrated dishwashers fit seamlessly into the design of your kitchen. Worktop, front panel, bottom bar – the dishwasher is completely hidden from all sides. Even control buttons and the display are not visible – you will find them on the top of the door when you open it. The place where the controls are found thus differs from that in the other types of dishwashers. To operate the dishwasher, you consequently have to open the door first.

 

Cleaning programs

Looking at cleaning programs, modern dishwashers offer a wide range of options. Whether all of these are really necessary to get your dishes clean may be a question in itself, but in following you will get an overview of the most common ones.

Express programs usually take less than one hour to complete the washing cycle. Ecological programs are designed to save energy and water, to wash dishes in environmentally friendly way, and most dishwashers have them. Economical programs often take up to several hours to clean the dishes. In addition, it is common for a dishwasher to have an automatic program, a normal program, an intensive program and a sensitive program.

The standard program usually cleans at about 140° F, and the Eco program often utilizes a temperature between 115° F and 130° F. If possible, you should clean your dishes in the latter temperature range, as temperatures of 140° F and above are only necessary for heavier and more peristent soiling. To sanitize, there may be a program with 155° F.

Some dishwashers also feature automatic operation that measures the degree of soiling in the water and adjusts the temperature, the water inflow, the water consumption and the energy consumption or the rinsing time accordingly.

Another program that the dishwasher may have allows to decouple the water pressure in the upper and lower compartment of the dishwasher. The water pressure in the lower basket is increased to remove persistent dirt, while the water pressure in the upper basket remains lower, so that sensitive dishes are cleaned in a gentle way.

A steaming functionality can help to remove dried-up deposits, even without pre-rinsing.

Some dishwashers allow for using only the upper or the lower basket at a time to clean dishes. This is useful, for instance, to clean small amounts of dishes. In that way you do not have to wait until the dishwasher is full to start the cleaning program. However, the consumption of electricity and water is usually disproportionately higher than in the normal dishwasher programs.

Another useful feature of a dishwasher allows you to preset a start time or an end time for cleaning.

 

Use of space

The interior of the dishwasher is usually divided into a top basket and a lower basket.

The baskets can often be varied in level. This is useful if you want to accommodate large plates with a big diameter, pots or other types of high dishes. Sometimes there is an additional cutlery slipcase, alternatively the cutlery ends up in a cutlery basket.

All in all, the baskets should be sturdy. Ideally it should be possible to still move the baskets safely or adjust their position, even when they are filled.

 

Drying properties

At the end of the wash cycle, the dishwasher should dry the dishes as well as possible.

Drying can be achieved in various ways: through condensation, zeolite drying, a ventilation system, controlling the air circulation. Crystal Dry is another popular method to dry the dishes. Additionally some dishwasher automatically open the door a little bit to make the dishes dry faster or even tilt the baskets to drain the water.

Most short programs will skip drying. Plastic utensils are a little harder to dry and the small puddles in cups and other dishes with depressions can hardly ever be avoided.

 

Water protection and warranty

Especially in apartment buildings a water protection system is highly recommended. In addition, many manufacturers warrant the reliability of the water protection system during the lifetime of the dishwasher. This, too, can help with the purchasing decision.

 

User friendliness

It is nice to have an easy-to-use dishwasher. This includes intuitive program selection, self-explanatory icons and labeling, and an easily legible display.

If you want to transport and install the dishwasher yourself, it would be helpful if the dishwasher were not too heavy. This is also advantageous if you want to move the dishwasher to another spot in your house or apartement, to move or to give it to your children one day.