I don't have black, but I would guess the fingerprints would show more than any other color, kind of like stainless steel.

There is a discussion of 18" dishwashers further down on this list you can see it here.

Welcome to the forum!

thx marti8a! I think they'd show them also - like a sore thumb! lol! but not having any appliances in blk, I wasn't sure. I can't imagine me trying to keep it wiped clean all the time either.
I saw the other thread (thx) which made me really start considering the 18"! it'd give me 6 more inches to add into a drawer bank when I remodel and I'd rather run it twice a wk than once - would rather dirty dishes (tho rinsed) wouldn't be in there for that long.

I did find a few 18" ones. GE, Whirlpool and Frigidare - will look more today. You'd think they'd be a bit cheaper, but no... not finding any cheaper than about 600.00 - so far. that's not a bad price these days I guess. I'd just really like to get one in bisque and have it over with tho!

i don't want to end up with a DW in blk or SS, a stove in white and fridge in almond. which seems the way I'm headed. ugh... not the look I'm after.

and from posts on here, I'm even going back to looking for a 24" range. I seldom cook and that's another 6" area to put into a drawer bank in my small kitchen!
between the 2 6" areas saved I could have another 12" bank of drawers! very needed!

i have stainless but some areas are black on my appl..and the black is HELL to clean

oh dear ronbre... that's worse than I thought!!!

yikes... I need to make things as easy as possible to keep clean. I don't get around very well and am often sick (fibro) so I'm trying to make things as easy as possible for me a I redo things.

how about the brushed SS then?
I don't mind having 2 different 'colors' like SS and bisque. I just always figured SS would be horrible also. maybe the brushed isn't?

Popping out of lurkdom to say that I have a black dishwasher and either I'm completely unobservant (possible!) or my experience has been different than ronbre's. Mine gets an occasional squirt of all-purpose cleaner, but usually just a quick wipe with a damp towel will keep it looking fine. No kids/dogs/etc, so there isn't really anyone ... wiping things or pressing noses against the front. That may make a difference?

And my experience has shown that the SS ones are actually worse - there's no hiding anything on those! My DH insisted he wanted a SS stove, when we were shopping for a new one last fall. So we went to the appliance store, and I just wiped my (clean, but lotioned an hour before) fingers across the front of it - instant smears. I delicately suggested that if he'd like to take responsibility for always cleaning the kitchen, he could have the SS stove ;)

well my appliances are brushed stainless with black ..the dishwasher has a black panel at the top of the door..and the range has black top under the cast iron grates..

OMG..the first time i cooked anything and it spattered on that black I thought..OMG..!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It does clean up ok..and when it is clean ..and not too streaky as it also streaks..it looks fantastic..but you do clean it well after each use..and i mean well.

the stainless..brushed..dosn't show nearly as bad as the black though..as mine are stainless..but black is the trim and range top.

I have a black el cheapo Admiral (Maytag) dishwasher. The front is a shiny black, not the textured stuff. I do not have any problems keeping it clean...or, like embees, I'm totally unobservant. The control panel is a textured black plastic material. No problem there, either.

I had a black-fronted oven, so it was a glass or plastic shiny panel. I was relatively unobservant, but it would get drippy water marks and streaky marks that you could see only from certain angles. I saw them the most when I was in the dining area, three stair-steps down from the kitchen. It was not a textured panel like a fridge or dishwasher might have, but a smooth surface. Ya gotta know, though, I am a lousy housekeeper and DH would never think to wipe down a vertical surface.

Have you considered getting a panel to match your cabinets?

thx everyone!

nancy - yes, I have. just not sure how that works. do the cabinet installers (that might be my bf -ugh) put it on?
that would pose a problem if he does it...

and I've seen some that seem to stick out more than the regular cabinets. I didn't like that look - lol!

since I'm pretty sure i'll be getting a dishdrawer one, it's double confusing. the front of the drawers look a bit curved.

I found a drawer on line that doesn't looked curved - and the KA 18" also that comes in bisque. I like the drawer because I wouldn't have to bend down to lower the door or close it. somedays (weeks) that'd be a real struggle.

I have thought of hanging a rope nearby so I could lasso that door and haul it back up tho...

I don't have kids at home anymore but I do have 2 dogs. don't know what they'll do with a DW - they've never been around one before. I expect one will wanna climb in and lick the dishes clean... she always thinks she is starving.

I do have access to consumer reports so I'll check that and maybe finances will make up my mind for me when I start adding all of this stuff up?

I have a black textured fridge and smooth black stove and dishwasher. I haven't had any troubles with fingerprints or anything. I just wipe them all down with window cleaner and I am done. I have had stove and dishwasher for several years and they still look really good. Just bought fridge 2 months ago so we will see how it holds up. All are Kenmore.

thx everyone. maybe it's just some brands that don't clean up that good.
next trip to HD i'm gonna lay hands on some of their black and SS appliances...and see what shows... lol!

I really don't want SS but I could go with black if not hard to keep clean. easy cleaning is the way I have to go since i can't do much anymore.

Just wanted to throw in my two cents. From my experience, it really depends on the material with any color. The smoother, the dirtier it looks, but smooth is also easier to clean. Good luck! :)

I own the 18" GE dishwasher. There is a silver frame that can be unscrewed from the side. Once done, you can slide the black panel out and slide the white panel or the stainless panel on top. All panels are kept in the frame but only the top panel is visible.

Hope that helps!

sduck - how is that 18" inside - space for dishes, pans etc? I haven't seen an 18" IRL yet. will be going out this next month to look at one I think. It's only me so I'm thinking it should be plenty big enough.
If it's decent I'll probably go that way rather than the drawer. If I spend that much on a drawer and had problems with it, I'd really, really be ticked.
my biggest problem with normal DW is because of my back and bending down to close door. I'll probably be ok-just might have to not load/unload if my back is really in pain.

I think paper plates and plastic forks should tide me over til the pain eases up. There have been times it's lasted several weeks.

Ihave a black dishwasher. It cleans much better than my former Stainless did, and hides dirt better than the white one I took out. Check to see what angle you see the dishwasher from. A dishwasher is below eye level (unlike a cooktop), so unless your kitchen plan lets you step far away from it, you probably won't notice every smudge.

desertsteph, It's only me so I only run it once or twice a week. The best part is, since it's small it unloads in a quickly. I used to hate unloading the dishwasher growing up becasue there was so much stuff. I'm surprised more people don't opt for the smaller one.

We have had a black front dishwasher for many years, and while I was concerned when we bought it, it has been the easiest to keep clean.

It shows almost nothing, and needs wiping down almost never. I do it because i think I'm supposed to, not because it needs it!!

I have a black front dishwasher, and I literally never have a problem with finger prints. Perhaps that's because I tend to touch only the upper portion where the control buttons are, and that part's a different material. But, no, literally no finger prints ever.

What I do notice occasionally is a drip of food or water down the front of the dishwasher. I always wonder, "How does that get there?", but I suppose when you're talking about the area where you keep dirty dishes, it happens. This is fairly rare.

Really, black dishwashers are not a problem to keep clean.

I have two black front dishwashers.

I see vertical water streaks from time to time, but it's not very noticeable, unless I look at it from certain angle, or shine a flashlight on it.

The area that I do have problem keeping clean is the pull handle area. I try to wash my hands before pulling the dishwasher open, but this is not always practical, so grease/lotion/etc gets onto the pull area sooner or later. I guess this has nothing to do with the dishwasher color.. I just need to wipe it clean more often.

I have a black fridge, stove and dishwasher and they are no harder (nor do they show fingerprints any worse) that other color appliances I've had in the past (white and biscuit). From my small amount of experience with SS, I much prefer black when it comes to fingerprints.

thx for the input! I hope this helps someone who might now be looking at black appliances. I long ago got a used bisque dw.