My Experience of Using Bosch Dishwasher

Like many people, I found myself in a familiar situation of utensil cleaning  during the peak of the pandemic, with household helpers not coming to work. It was during this challenging time that I made the decision to invest in a Bosch Dishwasher, a choice that has now defined my family’s daily routine for nearly three years now. As I think about this investment on this appliance’s integral role in our lives, I thought of sharing a comprehensive review from my perspective, covering various aspects that could assist you in making a well-informed purchase. There are several things that you need to analyse before buying a dishwasher such as wash programs, its thoughtful design, user-friendly operation, resource consumption, performance under varying circumstances, and the essential maintenance to ensure the longevity of this kitchen helper. First things first, my mom wasn’t convinced to buying it before, she was against it, but after some time, she got used to it and now our whole family uses it with ease. There are definitely some issues just like other machines or new stuff that you try, but it doesn’t have to stop you from trying something new.

Design and space:

The Bosch SMS66GW01I in our home has a generous 13-place setting capacity. As most dishwasher are designed with Western family usage, a place setting has a set of essential items: a dinner plate, a snack plate, a saucer, a bowl, a coffee cup, a drinking glass, a knife, two teaspoons, a dinner fork, and a salad fork. So you don’t need to worry, the dishwasher has good space for all utensils for a family of 5-6, which is the best thing. You can use the space to place things commonly used in our household like frying pan, kadai, and bowls.

You can put plates, and big utensils on the lower rack of the dishwasher. The cutlery tray can also go there, or you can just stack the cutlery on the upper rack. Behind the holders for plates and lids, there’s room for two large pots or pans. Typically, you can fit two 5-liter pressure cookers or one big Kadai in that space.

On the upper rack of the dishwasher, you can put bowls, pots, glasses, cups, and serving tools. Sometimes, you can even put frying pans up there, and they come out clean. But remember, when loading, don’t stack them in a way that the water spray can’t reach them.

Wash Programs:

There are 6 different wash programs and 3 additional functions that you get with this dishwasher. I think all of them are pretty helpful at different times. I will tell you how:

Intensive Kadai: This is the most time consuming but strong washing function. It takes around 1 hour and 35 minutes. It is good for cleaning solid heavy dishes.

Express Sparkle: This mode takes 59 minutes to be precise. It is good for cleaning normal dishes.

Auto: This takes up to 1 hour and 20 minutes. This mode uses sensor controls for light to normally soiled dishes.

Eco: If you want to save power, then this mode is right. It takes 1 hour and 30 minutes and is good for cleaning solid dishes with very low energy consumption.

Quick: This mode is for quick cleaning. It helps in cleaning in 29 minutes but it doesn’t dry the utensils.

Pre Rinse: This takes 15 minutes but it is used to rinse the utensils but not completely clean them.

Cleaning Supply for Dishwasher:

Many people have wrong ideas about dishwashers just like my mothers. Some think they’re only good for washing plates and glasses, and even I used to think that they don’t work well in Indian kitchens. But when I started using the dishwasher, I realized and even my family members that it’s a fantastic time-saver and keeps your dishes clean and safe.

To make a dishwasher work, you need three things. First, there’s dishwasher detergent. These special detergents have special ingredients to remove oil and stains without making too many bubbles. You put detergent in a special holder each time you use the dishwasher.

There’s something called dishwasher salt. It’s used to make the water not too hard, so the detergent can do its job. If your water’s TDS is high, then your dishwasher might not clean well. If your water is already soft, you might not need salt, or you can use a little bit. A technician can adjust this based on your water’s hardness and pH. You can put up to 2 kg of salt in the special compartment near the dishwasher filter.

Finally, there’s rinse aid. It helps water slide off your dishes by making it less sticky. You can adjust how much rinse aid is used depending on your water quality. You can pour about 200 ml of rinse aid in a special spot near the detergent holder.

If you don’t want to deal with these three things separately, you can use dishwasher tablets that have everything in one. This is something that I use personally for my dishwasher. It is perfect and you can use one tablet for one wash. Just insert it and voila.

Performance:

In my experience, I’ve found that the dishwasher does a fantastic job cleaning various types of cookware, including pressure cookers and Kadai. One really cool feature is its memory function, which means it can pick up where it left off if the power goes out during a wash cycle.

I’ve noticed it’s especially good at tackling stains from masala stains and even moderately burnt food residues. But if your kadai or cookware is burnt a lot, then it might not clean perfectly. I did run into a situation once where I had completely burnt some oil in a stainless steel pan, and the dishwasher couldn’t quite get it back to its clean state.

I’ve also learned the hard way not to put certain items in the dishwasher. Cast iron pans lose their seasoning, aluminum can change its appearance and get discolored, and wooden or bamboo items might not handle the heat well and could split. Interestingly, some folks say that clay pots can break in the dishwasher, but I haven’t personally experienced that. Oh, and one more thing, I wouldn’t recommend cleaning mixer grinder jars in there because the dirty water can accumulate in the coupler and cause damage over time.

Energy and Cleaning Supplies:

According to my experience, a dishwasher uses between up to 1 unit of energy for each wash, depending on how you set it. Most people use their dishwasher once or twice a day. So, every month, it can use from 25 to 70 units of energy, depending on how often you use it. And this also varies as per the different modes.

Now, how much detergent you need changes a lot based on your water. If your water’s TDS is high, you might use up your salt and rinse aid in just one month. But if your water is good, they can last up to 4 months, and one kilogram of detergent an clean your dishes for 2 to 3 months.

If you have any questions about the dishwasher, I will be happy to help.