5 Reasons I (NO LONGER) Love my New Miele Dishwasher
I want to give you 5 Reasons I (no longer) love my new Miele dishwasher, and why it’s (not) the best brand out there.
UPDATE: Edited on August 29, 2017, over three years later, to include up to date review information in italics.
You probably cannot imagine how many dishes, bowls, glasses, plates, pots and pans I use on a daily basis. My new Miele dishwasher has saved me from a nervous breakdown. You can read about how excited I was to replace my failed Bosch dishwasher with a new Miele dishwasher.
Disclosure: Miele has provided me with a dishwasher so that I can write about it and inform my readers about my experience. I intend to review this dishwasher and honestly report my findings here. As always, my opinions are solely my own.*
Not only am I an avid cook, I’m a messy cook. If I need one bowl, I’ll end up using two. Nothing has changed here, unfortunately ? Due to the fact that I usually make three different things at once, I don’t have time to clean as I go. This makes even more of a mess. So, when I tell you that a really reliable dishwasher is a godsend to me, I mean it more than you can imagine.
You’re probably wondering about the photo above? I’m not a normal person who brings paper plates and buys cupcakes for dessert when going to an event, like a concert at the Hollywood Bowl. No, I make and bring homemade rhubarb crumble in glass ramekins. Then, when I come home around midnight, I’m tired. I often leave the dirty dishes and deal with them the next morning. Do you see where I’m going with this? I need a workhorse of a dishwasher and I’ve finally found one. I have yet to find something it can’t wash properly. (See my other post for the full story on the photos below. It includes an awesome Pasta al Forno recipe.)
For the last 11 years, I have been a Bosch dishwasher owner, and a very unhappy one. My dishwasher was brining me to the point that I really felt I was going to lose it. From the moment I first ran my dishwasher, until the moment it “died” a few months ago, I was disappointed. Looking back, I should have returned the machine right away. If solely due to the noise factor, because it was so loud. I had a Whirlpool dishwasher before my Bosch, and it was more quiet than my Bosch. Right after we installed it,
I had a technician come out to check it. He told me that our model didn’t come with insulation, which explained the noise. However, I just couldn’t understand why a dishwasher would be made without insulation. Especially if the company advertises how quiet they are. As they say, “hindsight is 20/20”, so it’s a mistake I’ll never make again.
The only reason we hadn’t considered a Miele dishwasher was because we were dissuaded by the price. However, if I’d truly done my research properly, I would have found that we were missing a vital piece of information. This probably would have made a big difference in our decision on which brand to purchase.
Miele products are built and tested to last 20 years, which is twice as long (or longer) than most other brands. Many of you are probably thinking to yourselves, “I remember when appliances used to last 20 years”, but Miele’s still do. To fairly compare Miele’s prices with other brands, one should actually figure out a “cost/year”. In doing this, there’s a realization that it’s a much more reasonably priced appliance. I really should have enjoyed a reliable dishwasher all these years with how much time I spend in the kitchen.
I purchased a Bosch because I’d read reviews about how quiet it was, and it was supposed to be a good quality product, but I learned otherwise. I should have added that my Bosch cooktop was a lemon, too. The technicians who came out actually told me I had a defective cooktop, yet I’d been using it for 7 years because Bosch didn’t want to do anything about it. Grrr… Given this experience, I am now a current Miele owner, and a very happy one. I’d like to share some of my reasons for being so satisfied and pleased with my new dishwasher. I am listing these in no particular order as it’s really difficult for me to decide which features I like more than others. NB: I do want to add that the Bosch model I had was not comparable in cost and features to my current Miele dishwasher, however I’m letting you know of my overall experience, and I would definitely be doing a disservice to withhold information about my experience with Bosch.
5 Reasons I Love my New Miele Dishwasher
- NO NOISE. It’s quiet. Compared to what I’ve had to listen to for the past eleven years, it’s incredibly quiet. One night my husband asked (while he was standing next to the dishwasher), “Are the dishes clean or dirty?”. I responded, “Neither one, it’s running!” We’ve been used to hearing our Bosch dishwasher from the dining room.
- CLEANING. It washes everything PROPERLY. Actually, it goes above and beyond, “washing properly”. I’ve been having to re-wash so many glasses, dishes, pots and pans for so many years, that I am over the moon with the ability of my Miele dishwasher to clean everything I put in it. I’m kicking myself because I didn’t take a picture of the dirty pan, but I made a pork roast last night and I wanted put my Miele dishwasher to the test again. I did take a shot of the roast for instagram though!
My daughter was loading dishes and she didn’t put the Le Creuset pan into the dishwasher thinking it was too difficult for the machine as it was covered in baked-on grease. She said, “There is no way it’s going to get clean”, and I admit, I too, doubted and said, “I know, but let’s try.” So I put it in, without any pre-washing, scraping or brushing. This is what happened, and if I didn’t see it myself, I don’t think I would have believed it. - WATER CONSERVATION. This is a triple feature, because I’m saving water three ways.1. Not having to rinse dishes (it’s simply unnecessary and ill-advised). 2. By not having to re-wash dishes because they come out of the dishwasher clean the first time (unlike my old Bosch). 3. Miele dishwashers are so highly water efficient, I’m saving water just by using the dishwasher. If you haven’t heard, California is in its worst drought since records started being kept. Water conservation is incredibly important to us now, more than ever. Not pre-rinsing can save up to 3,500 gallons of water a year! That is a lot of water, time and money saved. My Futura Diamond model has a cycle which runs for only 35 minutes for a light load, and it works great! I never could have imagined such a short cycle could wash dishes so well. Especially given my experience with my old Bosch. The normal cycle on my old machine ran for over 3 hours and the dishes still came out dirty. There are so many different cycles and options on my Futura Diamond. Each load of dishes can be washed according to what sort of dishes, pots and pans, or china has been loaded. I also set it according to what kind and of food is on them and how much. Now, I can actually run my Miele dishwasher, not feel guilty and have clean dishes!
- TIME-SAVING. If I could add up all the time I’ve spent re-washing dishes for the past 11 years, I’m sure I could have taken a trip with that time. :(
- DESIGN. I was talking to a friend about my Miele dishwasher and I ended up telling her, “I really think they thought of everything.”
When I realized there was no cutlery basket, but a third rack instead, I was concerned. So much so, that I kept the cutlery basket from my old Bosch, just in case. I thought I might miss the basket, but there was no need because I simply love the third rack! It makes so much more sense, and I no longer loathe putting my cutlery back in the drawer. It’s all organized before I even get to the drawer. Then there’s all the easy-to-adjust options: anywhere there is a yellow tab, an adjustment can be made in seconds, it’s just brilliant! There’s a stem for vases, flip down slots for wine glasses–I could go on and on. As I said, it’s as though the designers have thought of everything.
Below is a photo of my loaded Miele dishwasher. It doesn’t look like it does in magazines, with every single matching plate and bowl in perfect order, because this is the real deal. I’m using this dishwasher in what I’m sure is one of the most-used home kitchens in LA and I love it.
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask in the comments below. You’ll also find my other posts about Miele there.
I believe in sharing information about companies that try to dupe their customers, so check out my Open Letter to Lagostina.
Another Miele appliance I own is a bit smaller. I entered and won a contest on Instagram. I am now the proud owner of a Miele CM6 Fully Automatic Coffee machine!
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Life in LA…
Tchaikovsky Spectacular at the Hollywood Bowl, with the USC Marching Band. It truly is spectacular.
*Miele agreed to provide me with a dishwasher in exchange for my review and posts on my blog. All thoughts and opinions are mine alone, and as always, I only recommend quality products and services that I truly believe in and would purchase and use myself. There have been no conditions stating that the reviews must be positive; I am disclosing this in compliance with the FTC’s regulations.
We recently purchased a Miele Futura dishwasher and love it. It gets dishes clean w/o rinsing which is what a dishwasher should be all about!
I have one question. The controls on our Miele Futura are on the top of the door which is hidden when the dishwasher is running. Has anyone figured out how to tell when the dishwasher is finished? The only criticism I have is that there is no LED or other indicator telling the user when a load has finished.
Thanks!
Christina, I see that you’ve already answered my question about how to tell is a load is dirty or clean. Thanks for the feedback. For the record, I still think there should be an LED that indicates whether the load is finished. Nonetheless, we love our new Miele and Id recommend it to anyone!
Glad you found it, Ron. I’m also glad you love it! Isn’t it a life-changer? I think the hardest part about owning a Miele dishwasher is that everyone who comes over and tries to help load it starts rinsing dishes and I have to stop them! Scary to think of how much water is being wasted with people rinsing their dishes before putting them in the dishwasher. Wonder how this would fly if everyone had to rinse their clothes before putting them in the washing machine? Thanks for your note!
Dear Christina,
We are in the market for a new dishwasher, and noticed your comments regarding the Miele. We are considering the entry level model (Miele G4228SCUSS) but are concerned about service after the sale. Few service people in our area know about and service the Miele. Do you still like your Miele now as well as you did when it was new? Have you needed service on it during the time you have had it? Thank you.
Sincerely,
Tom Lunger
Hi Tom,
I honestly am still so thankful for this dishwasher every single day. As you know, I cook a lot and often run it twice a day, and four years later, it’s still runs just as it did the first day we got it. The only service issue we had was that the handle got a little loose, but it was such a non-issue they just fixed it in a minute and I don’t believe I even had to pay. On the top cutlery rack a couple of the teeth that hold the knives/forks, etc. in place have fallen off, but it doesn’t affect anything as there are so many of them.
Other than that, there’s been nothing but sparkly clean dishes. I think I really appreciate this Miele so much more than maybe another person would because I had such a nightmare of a time with my Bosch for over 10 years. Having a reliable dishwasher is almost on par with having a reliable car, at least to me it is! :)
Good luck in your choice, however, I can easily say that I still highly recommend Miele (I’ve since bought a Miele oven, too)!
Christina
We just purchased a Miele Futura and love it. You’re certainly right about how clean it gets dishes and pots without rinsing.
My only quibble is how to tell when a load is clean when someone else ran it? The only method that works for us is to leave the door ajar if the load is still unwashed, closed if the dishwasher has been started . Anyone else know of a better way to do this?
Glad you have a Futura, too! Assuming that you’re asking about the dishes being clean or dirty after the the door has been shut after a cycle? The way I can tell is if the door is dirty (it usually gets drips on it even if a mug goes in). I’ve also seen magnets to put on the door that say “clean” on one side and “dirty” on the other. :)
HOW do you load wine glasses in the Miele dishwasher. I have the G4228 model, and it is perplexing.