I asked this same question, and it's been discussed a good deal on here. It seems that the general consensus is that the DW should go where it makes the most sense for function - near the sink, near dish storage, and just outside of the main prep area. That left and right matter far less - and that you get used to it either way.

Mine is on the left, both before the reno and after. Our first home didn't have a dishwasher when we moved in. We installed one on the right because it was the only place it would fit. You'll probably get a 50/50 response because like Carrie B said, left/right doesn't really matter as much as proper placement within the individual space.

Pre-reno, on the right. Post-reno, on the left. It worked okay previously, not ideal due to location of dishes. It works better now, due to location of dishes and the function of the kitchen as a whole. Neither of them were an issue because of right-handedness or left-handedness (we're all right-handed, for the record).

Above are all useful thoughts. Also consider, if your sink bowl sizes are of different sizes you'll generally use the small bowl for rinsing before placing in the dishwasher so its generally useful to have the dishwasher on the side with the smaller bowl.

Mine is in the wrong place, but nothing can be done. The sink is at the end of the U shaped kitchen. Next to the sink is a bank of drawers too narrow for a DW. The corner turns, and the DW is on the left of the sink but under the counter as it begins the left side of the U. Now I have to go diagonally over the tile floor (thankfully) with dripping rinsed dishes to put in the dishwasher. Sucks.

Pre reno on the left, now on the right. In past houses I have preferred on the right. I have honestly never noticed it being in the way if it is in the prep zone, but the switch here did move it out of the prep zone as well as to the side I prefer to load so it complies with GW wisdom.

I have one on either side. I have never heard or seen anyone have the dishwasher open while prepping a meal. If the dishes are clean, they are put away before prepping, and dirty dishes go in all at once after dinner. Or at least after prep is finished. Another good reason for a big sink ;) I think the dishwasher should go on whichever side is most convenient for your sink and dishes.

I do like being able to open my DW and toss a utensil or prep dish in while I cook, and if there're a lot of them I leave it open for a few minutes. But otherwise, no one is putting dishes way while someone is cooking, the timeline just doesn't work like that in our house.

Which side the Dw goes on depends on the overall layout of the kitchen. Do you arrange your prep-to-cooktop-to-plating/serving based on handed-ness?

The DW in my small galley is now on the left of the sink, across the aisle from the cooktop, so dirty dishes come in from the DR (where we eat every meal), get scraped in trash or sink, then put into DW. Previously, DW was between DR and sink, which was really annoying, because you couldn't get around it easily when it was open, and you also couldn't open the fridge to put things away. I rarely open it during prep. And, since no one in our house except me EVER unloads the DW, there is no chance that someone else will have it sitting open while I am cooking. Think about how and when your DW will be used, and place it to suit yourself.

DW was on the right in our first house. Pre-reno this house, it was on the left. Post-reno, it's on the right. None of these locations were chosen because of handedness (we're all right handed) but because the location made the best sense for function.

After having the DW on the left for 21 yrs, I thought it would take some time to get used to having the DW on right but it didn't.

As others have said, the best location for a DW is where it makes the most sense for lay-out and function. Are you remodeling or building? If so, post your proposed lay-out for feedback and suggestions to make it function well for you.

I'm curious about the previous poster who mentioned rinsing dishes before putting them in the dishwasher. I haven't done that for so many years. Do people still pre-rinse? My MIL pretty much washes everything before putting it in the dishwasher and she always turns up her nose at our house when I don't. She just can't believe that the dishwasher gets everything clean without pre-rinsing...but it does. It is a very rare occasion that something comes out of our dishwasher not clean. She swears her dishes do not come out clean if she doesn't but she loads the dishes crazy...so that may be her problem. Anyway, am I the only one who no longer pre-rinses?

I find that if I don't get melted cheese off of plates, it doesn't come off in my newish Bosch dishwasher. So I scrape very well and rinse those plates well. Pretty much everything else does come off without pre-rinsing.

In my previous kitchen, my DW was to the left of my sink and the range was on the right. I always kept the DW open during prep and cooking, quickly plopped items in, and never had to spend much time after cooking doing clean-up because most of it was already mostly done. Wonderful. And DH or one of the kids would often come into the kitchen, visit with me while cooking, and unload the DW if it needed it while we chatted. Also wonderful. If someone had eaten a snack or rounded up some dirty dishes that were left elsewhere, the could come in and pop them in the DW while I was working without any disruption of my prepping. (Note: the side these are on, left or right, doesn't matter, but rather where the prep zone is.)

In my current kitchen, the DW is in-between sink and range and we hate it, we all hate it, even relatives that don't live here but only visit for a day or two once in awhile hate it. I can't keep it open while prepping/cooking so dirty dishes pile up and clean-up afterwards takes longer. People who visit with me can't be helping out by doing some clean-up while I'm cooking. Now if people bring in dirty dishes while I'm prepping, they're usually left on the counter for me to deal with later rather than going straight into the DW creating counter-top clutter and causing me more work later. If they do decide to help out by loading them in the DW, I have to slide over which isn't a real big deal but it does pause my work process. What can be irritating is that it quite often seems to happen at just the time I need to obtain something from the sink draining in a colander, or rinse something, or some other action requiring me to use the sink but I'm blocked from access. And during times when the DW is releasing steam, it can be uncomfortable to prep there causing me to slide down and not be able to use my entire prep counter's width for awhile.

All in all, it makes it much harder for people to help me in the kitchen and makes it harder for me to keep my kitchen clean. Oh, sure, I can pop it open once in awhile during the prep/cook process and load it but it's an interruption in the process and not the easy, seamless way I used to do it as I have to continually open/close the DW door. I like to be efficient and it's definitely much more inefficient this way.

Our kitchen has the world's ugliest cabinets and had a poor layout. It's also small at 9.5x13. While trying to determine my new layout, I was frustrated with trying to find a place for the DW without it being in the prep area or in a major walkway. I was thrilled when the fine folks here at GW helped me come up with a great solution. While I'm happy that my new kitchen will be more attractive, I'm ecstatic and thrilled that my DW will be out of the prep zone and I can go back to just plopping dirty items in while working. I can't wait for that.

Old house - pre-reno, left, post-reno, right. In-between apartment, diagonally to the right. Current - right. It makes no difference to me that I hold the dish in my left hand to scrape (with a utensil in my right hand) and then use my right hand to actually place the dish in the dishwasher. It's just not an issue for me. (dcward, I scrape but don't rinse (much). Everything gets clean, although I'm going to try a melted cheese test soon).

If I understand it right, the enzymes in DW detergent require food particles to activate the cleaning process properly. So it is only recommended to scrape large globs off, not to pre-rinse. I never pre-rinse and rarely scrape and only have a dirty item in the DW once in a blue moon. I just keep it in for the next cycle and it comes out clean. And that is with my current, old DW. I really hope my new one cleans as well.

Left, right, I've had both and it doesn't matter to me at all. I've also had it in the prep zone and outside the prep zone, again it doesn't matter. Obviously, others will disagree. :) The best advice is to place it in a spot that makes sense for the way your kitchen is used and where your dishes are stored.

Dishwasher on the right of sink. I leave it open while cooking and theres room to go past if needed. I have a galley type kitchen with rhe sink across from stove.

I scrape but rarely prerinse. Even in my old cheap DW, dishes came out clean.

Dishwasher to left of sink. It's closest to my dish storage area and out of the main traffic path.

DW to the left of the sink, dish and utensil storage is adjacent. I like it on the left because I scrape with a dish brush into the disposal. Brush in right hand (I'm right-handed), dish in left, into DW.

bpathome - that's the reason I've always heard . . . if you're right-handed you will hold a brush in your right hand and the dish in your left so it's more efficient in that respect to have the DW on the left if you are right-handed.

With regards to left/right handedness - it doesn't matter. I'm right-handed and have had both and it never mattered! You will adapt. People really have preferences b/c they've adapted to having it on a particular side. I could argue the opposite from Bpathhome...some of us who are right handed hold the dish in our right hand and use a cloth with the left hand. It's all in what you adapt to and how it works with your particular layout. This is a neutral adaptation - it does not affect functionality one way or the other.

What you should not have to adapt to is the DW In the Prep Zone - that's an adaptation forced on you by poor design. If you are the only person in the house and never, ever open the DW -and- never have it running while prepping and cooking, it might be OK - but then it also robs you of prep dish/tool storage space in your Prep Zone!

DW and Table Dish storage should not be in the Prep Zone; they should both be in the Cleanup Zone and separated from the Prep & Cooking Zones - even if the only separation is the sink.

In very tiny kitchens, sometimes you cannot do that b/c of space limitations - but then you're making a tradeoff that's forced on you and you have to determine what is worse for you - no space for prepping or having a DW in the Prep Zone. (I'd put the DW in the Prep Zone b/c I've prepped in spaces < 36" and had the DW in the Prep Zone - lack of space is much worse for me!) However, In the vast majority of cases, you can separate them.

Oh, and sink bowl configurations...many sinks have two options for the configuration: Small bowl left or right. I know ours did and I've seen others with the two options.

Pre-rinsing...we had to with our KitchenAid Architect-series DW (not cheap, but not overly expensive) - everything had to be washed on Heavy Duty & they had to be rinsed very well (tried rinsing and not rinsing) to have any hope of the dishes coming out clean. With our new Bosch, I don't pre-rinse, I just scrape (unless it's melted cheese or similar), but my DH and kids still do out of habit. It doesn't seem to make any difference in how the dishes come out - they're always clean!

Agree that it's best to have the DW not in your prep area. Mine is to the right of the sink, and I'm right-handed. No issue with that. We have a bank of drawers between the sink and the DW because I wanted it to be on the end of the cabinet run since it is raised about 6 inches. DH loves this feature more than anything else in our new home.

2 DW on the cleanup side of the kitchen, to the left of only sink. Not an ideal setup... But the left most DW can be and is left open often and emptied/filled during prep/cooking. And the dishes are housed right by there! I love it. Only wish I could have fit in a prep sink and moved the *#//* fridge by the DR door instead of where it is, deep in the kitchen right where we prep...

BTW I've never pre-rinsed. If something stuck on I dealt with it afterwards. It very seldom did. My logic was it wasted water. I read years ago that DW are more water saving than washing by hand and more hygienic as well. That's how I convinced my DH to buy 2 DW and why I stuff everything I can into them. :)

We are all so stuck in a rut. If we don't have to rinse, Or barely scrape, we can have the DW anywhere, like nearer the dining area or close to wherever thedishes are stored. It doesn't HAVE to be next to the sink, right OR left side!

Such interesting responses. I guess what made me wonder is that I was born left-handed but forced to change to right hand as a child. I still tend to do most things (other than writing) with my left hand, although as the years go by I'm adapting more and more to being right-handed and can no longer easily write with my left hand. Anyway, every DW I've had has been on the right side, which is what led me to the question of what side and whether you were right or left hand dominant.

Regarding rinsing, my current DW (Jenn-Air) is the first one that has not required rinsing of the dishes. However, I do either scrape or quickly rinse of any chunks of food, as I cannot stand the idea of pieces of food whirling around in the DW while it's cleaning the dishes. Nothing else gets rinsed, except for possibly milk glasses if the DW won't run right away, as I figure it would have a sour milk smell until they were washed.

One of the worst configurations I've seen is the sink in a corner with the DW directly next to the sink cabinet. It looks like there would be no way to open the DW and stand comfortably at the sink. Even though I don't rinse as much, dirty dishes still seem to find their way to my sink when the table is being cleared. With a deep single bowl sink, they pretty much disappear until they are placed in the DW---usually immediately, but if we have company they can sit in the sink until everyone goes home and then quickly be transferred from sink to DW.

I'm ambidextrous. I eat with my left hand, write with my right hand, pitch with my left and right hands and bat with my left hand. I was tested then allowed to choose which hand to do what with. I'm glad people aren't forced to use either hand anymore! Sorry you were.

My sink is deep and wide too. I love it. I say that a lot. But I mean it.

Interesting point, bpathome. Hmmmm....that would be odd but, yes, why not? I think my only trepidation is that the rest of the family isn't as disciplined as I am about loading dishes immediately after use. And there are times when dirty dishes come into the kitchen while the DW is full and running. I kinda like the idea of hiding them in the deep clean-up sink.

Yes, dish storage should always be near the DW. I think it's rare this can't be worked into the plan.

For loading, the DW might not need to be beside the sink, but it must be within a certain # of feet for a shared drain. (I read that here but I don't recall the specs or the name of the pro who posted it.) You'd have to install separate plumbing if the DW was too far from the sink.

I'm right hand/left eye dominant, so while not ambidextrous, I use my left hand for some tasks instead of switching hands, and I adapt easily. My DW is on the left side of the sink, but when I moved my range from an interior wall to an exterior wall to vent it, that put the DW between the range and the sink. Because there is a new doorway to an addition, on the right side of the sink, the DW has to stay where it is--but the trade-off for a vented hood is worth it. In a new kitchen I wouldn't put a DW in the prep space.

I've never left the DW open while prepping a meal, even when the range was on the other side of the room. It's left open for a short time after the cycle is finished, so that the heated dishes can quickly air dry, but that is usually long after prep is finished. I scrape and rinse more than I should for detergent efficiency, but I have a gray-water drain, no GD, and I don't want large particles of debris--or grease and oils--in my old pipes. Snaking a drain is not my idea of a good time. ;)

I've had both. Neither setup made a difference. DH is a righty and I'm a lefty. Perhaps the current DW being on the left is the reason he doesn't put his dishes away? :)

I've been surprised to read that so many people think the DW should go in the prep zone. If you have 2 sinks, one for prep and the other for clean-up, I would guess that the clean-up sink would be the one tied to the DW location... is that not true? (I'm getting ready to plan a kitchen reno with this setup so I'm very interested!)

As for separating the DW from a sink at all, as suggested above, I think the only reason to keep them tied together is installation cost. Otherwise you might need to run totally separate plumbing for your DW, or find a way to run the lines behind the cabinets in between the two.

@Salex--contrary to GW kitchens, most homes don't have both a prep and a clean up sink. So, the DW is near the *only* sink, which is also near the prep zone.

Mine is to the left of the sink at the end of the run. It's out of the way and I can leave it open if I am prepping at my only sink and want to be able to toss items in as I work. I find it easy to unload because my dishes are all to the right of the sink. The worst configuration I could think of is a DW placed somewhere under wall cabinets where I woud have to dance around the DW to unload and put away. I am a "half pivot" person as I move so being on the right or left is not as important to me as being out of the way of access to everything else. Being a "pivoter" is also why I am not concerned with wide aisles to work in.