Dish? Washer!

At some point in my childhood, I began, as did JoAnne, washing dishes. We started on Sundays, after our big roast beef and mashed potatoes Sunday dinner. Later, we began to wash dishes every weeknight, too.

Several years later, Mother waited until the KitchenAid dishwashers went on sale and bought one. She lost some storage space, as a cabinet and a couple of drawers had to be removed so the dishwasher could be installed. That dishwasher kept on washing dishes for about 30 years. And, even then, the dishes were getting washed, but the hinges on the door began to fall apart, and eventually, the door, once opened, wouldn’t close.

We replaced that dishwasher, but it only lasted three or four years. By then, Daddy had passed away, and David and I had moved in. The door (the door again!) had developed a leak that could not be repaired.  So, we were looking at having to get another new dishwasher. Without a lot of study on the matter, we took the advice of a salesman at one of those big stores that sell all sort of appliances (and paint and lumber, etc.), and bought a lemon. We didn’t know it was a lemon. It just was a lemon.

It needed two repairs while it was covered by warranty. And another one after that. Then the water didn’t flow into the machine. Repair people ordered a new part and replaced the old one. And, still, no water. At least not on a regular basis. Sometimes, it worked; sometimes it didn’t. I gave up.

This time, I tried to be more involved, pro-active, informed. I went to Consumer Reports to find the best, most reliable dishwashers, because, seriously, I’m thinking that this will be the last dishwasher I will buy. I went to all the local stores that sell dishwashers. And, in all those places, no one came to help me. And, I was walking up and down the dishwasher displays, taking photographs, reading the all the information posted on the machines. No one helped.

Ultimately, I went to Best Buy, which does sell appliances. And, does have salespeople who volunteer to help. Together, the salesman and I looked at machines, both in the store and online. He printed out a comparison of four machines and all their attributes, and sent me home with the information. David looked at the choices and thought the one I liked best was a good choice. I went back a few days later and ordered the machine, which, of course, would have to be ordered. So, I waited. And washed dishes. By hand.

At last, delivery day came.  The guy arrived right on time. He came in, looked things over, measured the space, and said, “It won’t fit. It’s too tall.”

(At this point, I can go on and on about what happened next, and next, and next. But, it’s a little boring. And tiresome. So, we’ll cut to . . .)

Then the new dishwasher arrived. It got installed with no additional issues (well, there was that plumbing thing . . .)

Just let me say that dishwashers have changed since my mother bought a top of the line KitchenAid. The days of “put the dishes in the dishwasher, add the detergent, press ‘Start'” are long past. Long past.

I read the user’s manual twice through. I spent an hour or so dealing with the local water hardness issue. Yes, there’s an issue.

This machine needs to know the water hardness level of our local water. I was supposed to contact my water department to find out what the hardness level is. I pretty much knew already, but I did go to the web site and look it up. We’re at the dishwasher’s level 7, the highest one. That’s important, because I’m supposed to put in “Special Dishwashing Salt” to help the dishwasher to clean appropriately. And, the booklet says, very clearly, that I should NOT use rock salt or table salt, but only “Special Dishwashing Salt,” which, of course, one can get from Amazon. So, I had to wait a couple of days to use the dishwasher for the first time.

There is a place in the machine for the “Special Dishwashing Salt,” and a special funnel for putting it in. And, I have to use the digital display to inform the dishwasher what hardness level our water is, so that the machine will, um, do something with the salt, so that my dishes will get good and washed, the way they’re supposed to.

 She is energetic, a hard worker,  and watches for bargains.

Proverbs 31:17b, 18 (The Living Bible)

Funny thing about bargains. Just because something is inexpensive, sometimes time will tell whether it’s a bargain or not. Something expensive is a bargain if it lasts for a long time. Something inexpensive may turn out to be the opposite of a bargain, if the repairfolks have to keep coming back again and again and again, to fix something that never has worked properly.