Today is the last day that I wax poetic about my new dishwasher. I figured it would be helpful to list my favorite features so that those of you who are in the market for a dishwasher (or might be in the future) know a few things to look for.

For much of our marriage we haven’t had a dishwasher. When we did, they were generally pretty bad. The last dishwasher we had was so terrible I stopped using it and hand washed everything instead! Not surprisingly, having my very own, brand new dishwasher that actually does the job feels like a dream! Since I am so familiar with bad dishwashers, I can go on for days explaining why my new dishwasher is so much better. It’s like night and day and I am so appreciative of this machine!

Here is a list of my favorite features of the Bosch 800 Plus Series 24”³ Flush Handle Dishwasher in Stainless Steel:

The Third Rack
The dishwasher has a third rack. The third rack is SO AWESOME. It’s shallow and perfect for holding large utensils and my nice, non-wood-handle knives. There are little grooves made just for knives so that they are held firmly in place. While that is all well and good, the third rack is PERFECT for a family with kids. All of our tiny bowls and sippy cup lids fit perfectly and never flip during the wash. The third rack is full every time I run a wash!

Adjustable Top Rack
Let’s move down to the next rack, the top rack. This rack has tons of space in it for glasses, cups and bowls. I’m always amazed how much I can fit in. The rack is adjustable, so you can make it go up or down if you need to. You can also remove it completely if you want to wash something especially large in the bottom rack.

The Dishwasher is Smarter Than Me
The dishwasher has sensors that assess the cleanliness of the dishes SIX times during a wash cycle. The sensors actually necessitate that you do NOT pre-wash (rinse) the dishes before putting them in the dishwasher – the machine cleans better when it can actually tell how dirty the dishes are. I definitely use less water when I do the dishes and things go faster, which is great! The dishwasher also is good at reminding me when I need to add rinse agent or salt to the water softener (which we’ll get to in a minute).

Use Less Soap
This dishwasher only needs about 1 tablespoon of soap for a typical wash. Pretty great! (Sidebar: I have started using Finish powerball detergent and rinse agent. My sister-in-law Jess has been extolling the virtues of Finish for a few years now. Bosch gave me some samples and got me hooked. I have started purchasing Finish instead of the old powder soap I used to use. The dishes come out squeaky clean, with no film or residue. Jess said her dishwasher repairman is the one who told her about Finish – he said not only are the dishes super clean, but their soap is better for your dishwasher, too. By the way, I have no relationship with Finish, I am just totally converted to how awesome they are!)

Oodles of settings
My dishwasher has a ton of settings to choose from, which provides great versatility. I usually just use “Auto” since, as I mentioned before, the machine is smarter than I am. I love the half load option, too, for when we need to do a wash but haven’t filled the dishwasher.

Built-in Water Softener
Dishwashers work better with soft water. If you live in a place with hard water (or really hard water like I do) but don’t have a water softener for your home, then you’re kind of stuck. The Bosch dishwashers have their own water softening system. You simply test your tap water when you install the machine, see how hard your water is, add special salt to the softener, then select the right setting for your home. It was really simple to figure out and I love that this is built right into the machine.

Filter System
Most dishwashers have a disposal system with a blade built in. The blade can never be sharpened and it works just okay. Bosch uses an advanced filter system to break down the food in the water. When they first told us about the filter system I wasn’t sure what I thought about it, but now I totally love it. The filter is easy to pop in and out of the dishwasher. Almost all food can be broken down through the filters, but foods that can’t get caught in a cup in the filter. I check the filter every two weeks or so to see if there is anything in there (there hardly ever is) and that’s it. It’s a great system!

SOOOOO Quiet
I’ve mentioned this before, but my dishwasher is SO QUIET. It’s amazing. I have the 42 decibel model and you can hardly hear anything. I am not kidding when I say that Anna and I tried to start the dishwasher three times the first time we used it – it was on every time, we just couldn’t hear it! When I visited the showroom, they showed us all the different things they do to make the dishwasher quieter. I don’t remember all the details (I’m an artist, not an engineer!), but I do remember they do a LOT of extra soundproofing that other brands don’t do.

The Dishwasher Just Plain Works
Bottom line: my dishes come out clean. I don’t have a million cups and bowls flipped over and filled with dirty water when the wash is done. There aren’t any spots or grime on my dishes. The dishwasher does just what it’s supposed to do – wash the dishes!

Hope this is helpful for those of you thinking about dishwashers! Thank you once again to Bosch! It’s been wonderful working with them!

UPDATE 3/16/16: Almost 3 years later and I am still completely in love with this dishwasher. Never any problems, works beautifully, and that third rack is my favorite.

Disclaimer: Bosch provided me with the dishwasher in exchange for reviewing the product. While they are wonderful and generous, all opinions are my own and, as always, I will share my honest opinions.

Today I am going to totally embarrass myself. Yay!

When we visited the Bosch showroom, they filmed each of the bloggers who attended, interviewing us about our new Bosch dishwashers. The videos will  play in showrooms and will be used for promotional purposes.

So, today, the video. Yes, I’m sharing it with you. Even though I hate seeing myself on video and, like everyone, hate hearing my voice!

The video itself isn’t all that embarrassing, but the closing quote IS. Every time I hear it, I just laugh and laugh and laugh.

“Such a dream.”

Such a cheeseball.

Ah, the things I do for clean dishes. 😉

Disclaimer: Bosch provided me with the dishwasher in exchange for reviewing the product. While they are wonderful and generous, all opinions are my own and, as always, I will share my honest opinions.

Two days before we moved in June I visited the Bosch showroom to learn about our new dishwasher. Needless to say, it was a crazy week, but I welcomed a break from the packing and moving busy-ness that had taken over my life! It was a fun day, filled with beautiful kitchens, delicious food and fun friends.

Photo credit: Laurie Turk, Tip Junkie

I had the chance to visit the Thermador showroom in Scottsdale previously but had never been to the Irvine showroom, which features Bosch, Thermador and Gaggenau. (Side note: Walking through the Gaggenau kitchens was unreal. I had no idea just how fancy kitchen appliances could be. Wowzah.)

The Bosch kitchens were beautiful, featuring appliance after appliance that I would happily put in my own home. (If I could have fit them in my camera bag, I might have tried to sneak a few away!)

Photo credit: Laurie Turk, Tip Junkie

Bosch is known for dishwashers and they had a room with a whole wall of them! We learned all about why Bosch dishwashers are so quiet as well as all the ins and outs of the dishwasher. Lest you think dishwasher talk would get boring, there was a laser light show! They even played a little Pink Floyd. (Okay, that last part might not be true.)

I loved my dishwasher from the moment I received it, but it was fascinating to discover how it was made and learn all the ins and outs of my machine. The top rack can move up and down. The third rack can be made a little deeper if needed. The silverware compartment can break into two and be placed in various positions in the dishwasher. You can remove the top rack if you want to wash something extra big. Most impressive – the dishwasher stops and senses the cleanliness of the dishes 6 times during a wash and adjusts the cycle accordingly. This dishwasher is most definitely smarter than me.

Photo credit: Laurie Turk, Tip Junkie

We had the chance to help cook lunch in the Bosch kitchens. The chefs are extremely talented because they took the food we prepared and still made it beautiful!

And, wouldn’t you know it, they made us load our dirty dishes after lunch! Okay, so, we didn’t actually have to load our own dishes, but a really cute woman in a really nice outfit did load some of our dirty dishes to teach us how to load properly.

Photo credit: Laurie Turk, Tip Junkie

Best loading tip of the day? Load silverware with the knives down (for safety), but all the other silverware should be facing up for best cleaning! (You know, with the spoon or fork part pointing up.)

Also, if you have a good dishwasher like my Bosch, you don’t need to rinse the dishes. Just scrape the food off and toss it in the dishwasher. And, believe it or not, the dishwasher actually works more efficiently (remember the sensors?). If you rinse your dishes, Bosch folks call that “pre-washing.” It was really hard for me to stop pre-washing when I first got the dishwasher, but now I love it. I use so much less water and it’s faster!

We ended the day with this:

You’ll have to wait until next week to find out more about this photo! (It involves me feeling a bit embarrassed, which should entertain everyone else! Click here to see what I’m talking about.)

Disclaimer: Bosch provided me with the dishwasher in exchange for reviewing the product. While they are wonderful and generous, all opinions are my own and, as always, I will share my honest opinions.

Today I want to introduce you to my new dishwasher. Everyone, meet my dishwasher. Dishwasher, meet everyone.

So, who is this pretty lady? She’s the brand new Bosch 800 Plus Series 24″ Flush Handle Dishwasher in Stainless Steel. She has a long name, kind of like royalty. That’s how fancy dishwashers roll, folks.

I’m going to do a few posts about this dishwasher and why it is SO AWESOME, but today is just a first date. She doesn’t want to scare you all off with talking about herself too much. She has good manners like that. Remember? Fancy, royalty-type dishwasher we’ve got here.

I am really, really, REALLY loving my new Bosch dishwasher. Bosch brags a lot about how quiet their dishwashers are. Well, the bragging is well-deserved. The first time I ran it Anna was with me. We turned it on, closed the door and couldn’t figure out why it wouldn’t start. We did this several times, then Anna spotted the light on the floor (it projects how much time is left!) and we realized the dishwasher WAS on. We honestly could not hear it! Anna thought that was so funny and giggled like crazy. She was also really proud she discovered the light on the floor. (Side note: it is really nice having someone else in the family who is just as enthusiastic as I am about the new dishwasher!)

Fair warning: if you ever come visit me and get a tour of our new house, you will be subjected to a long speech about the various features of my dishwasher. I just can’t help myself. I’m pretty sure my mom was thinking, “Uh, yeah, okay, can I see the kids now?”

Speaking of our house, the new dishwasher fits right in. I’m especially happy we chose the flush handle since the dishwasher is tucked away in the corner there. It’s worked out perfectly.

Big thanks to Bosch for providing me with this dishwasher. Bosch is wonderful to work with and I look forward to sharing more with you about their products!

Disclaimer: Bosch provided me with the dishwasher in exchange for reviewing the product. While they are wonderful and generous, all opinions are my own and, as always, I will share my honest opinions.