A Dishwasher is an important appliance in most households; follow this simple guide to help you purchase the perfect model for you.
Space
- Decide how much space you have in your kitchen for your dishwasher and where you would like it to go.
- Measure the area accurately – make sure you take all measurements including height, width and depth – make sure also that you will have enough room to open the door.
- You need to place your dishwasher somewhere near to the pipes as it needs to be plumbed into.
Look
- You firstly need to decide whether you would like a standard, slim line, or countertop dishwasher.
- You then need to decide if you would like a stand alone dishwasher or a machine that is integrated or partially integrated into your kitchen.
- If an integrated dishwasher will look better in your kitchen you can chose to have the dishwasher hidden behind a cupboard door or panel completely or partially.
Storage and Features
- Look out for added features such as a timer, a timer delay function, adjustable baskets and self cleaning features.
- Special features include programme cycles you may feel you need:-
-
Economy
Wash – Is more economical using less water and less electricity.
-
Quick
Wash
– A fast wash for lightly soiled items.
-
Glassware
Wash – A low temperature wash for delicate items.
-
Intensive
Wash
– For heavily soiled items or baked on grease.
Energy
- You will find that there is an energy efficiency labelling scheme on most appliances you buy including dishwashers.
- The energy scale ranges between A and G with A being the most efficient.
- An appliance marked A uses approximately half the energy of one marked G.
- It is said that you can save up to £50 a year buy switching to an appliance marked A.
Saving Money and Hidden Costs
- Make sure you shop around before purchasing your dishwasher to ensure you get the best and most competitive price. Make sure too that you compare brands, many of the top brands including Hotpoint, Proline, Beko, and Zanussi have a wide range of dishwashers at varying costs.
- Make sure you know about your warranty, whether it is included in the price of your dishwasher or whether you will be charged extra. You should also check how long it will last, what exactly it covers and whether you can renew it.
- You also need to ask about delivery and installation costs as you will probably need to have your dishwasher plumbed in.