At Canadian Thanksgiving the other weekend my niece, who was standing right in front of the dishwasher, didn't realize it was running : ) . It's a Bosch. It's my second and I love it.

Our Bosch DW (500 series) is now almost 3 years old and 12' from the TV. It's not silent, but pretty close!

I would say anything lower than 50 decibels would be fine. We had a Bosch Ascenta (installed prior to selling) and it was very quiet. Definitely look at the decibels as that is something they all report in the product information. Honestly just about anything you buy now will be so much quieter than one from 25 years ago. The house we moved to has one from about that era, and it's so loud. I know whatever I get to replace it will be so superior.

Our Bosch is soooooo quiet. Love the third rack, too. Not so fond of the bottom rack layout. I wish racks could be interchangeable.

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE our Bosch.

Bosches are so quiet. Mine has a red light that shines on the floor that indicates it's on. Because it's so quiet, people must fling open the door not realizing it's running, hence the red light.

We had the same experience with our Bosch and am buying the same brand for our renovation. I agree with Salonva, most brands offer very quiet dishwashers. The interior arrangement is key to loving or cursing your choice. Take a box of your most used dishes and cookware and check out how easy it is to load. I highly recommend a 3rd rack instead of the usual silverware caddy.

Our Bosch was silent... And now I have a Kitchenaid which is super quiet too. I think you can't go wrong with a Miele, Bosch or KA, all are wonderfully quiet.

While it wasn't quite the best performer, Consumer Reports (https://www.consumerreports.org/join) rated the Bosch Bosch 800 Series SHPM78W55N ($850) "Excellent" in noise. The Bosch Ascenta SHX3AR75UC was cheaper (at about $640) but only "Very Good" in noise though it had an overall higher rating. Per CR, Bosch makes a bunch of dishwashers who prices vary all over the place but whose performance is similar. Tested Miele DWs didn't wash as well and were expensive ($1600+).

Ten year old Bosch. Super quiet. We watch TV in the adjoining keeping room and I totally forget the DW is running until the buzzer sounds.

My 4 year old kitchenaid is very quiet, and was one of the few I found with controls in front (not on top) and no protruding handle. Look for less than 45 decibels. I think mine is even less. Get the least decibels you can afford! :)

We replaced our 17 year old Kitchen Aid (quiet) with another Kitchen Aid (very very quiet) a few months ago...washes wonderfully as did my previous...

Another vote for Bosch. Can't count how many times my husband has opened ours not realizing it was running!

We're just starting to look at a new dishwasher. We have an old Frigidaire. Probably about 9 or 10 yrs old. Over the years I just kind of got used to the noise, but lately it's not working as efficiantly as it used to.

But-here's my question. When we bought it, I wasn't paying attention I guess...but the door wasn't lockable so over the years I've often had to remember that there might be clean dishes that have already dried. More than once someone will throw a piece of silverware or dirty cup in there. Drives me nuts. I will literally re-run the thing. I miss the dishwasher we had before this one. It had a locking latch. So-do the newer dishwashers have locking doors (such as a childsafe feature) on them? I'm not looking for child safe per se..just a dishwasher that you actually have to put a second of thought into before whipping the door open.

I can hear my top of the line MIele from 20 feet away with the TV on.

I had a Bosch 15 years ago that was quiet. Currently, top of the line Asko. I like the DW interior more, and it is extremely quiet.

Lots of them are quiet. What is hard is finding one that both cleans and dries. We bought a Bosch two years ago that cleans great but left everything all wet. Replaced it last spring with a GE which dries wonderfully but cleans poorly. Both are super quiet.

How to dry dishes washed in any dishwasher: Open the door.

MrsM: Best Buy is selling the Consumer Reports-recommended Whirlpool WDF520PADM for $330. Only a "Good" rating for quietness but you can't beat the price for a dishwasher whose reliability, washing, and drying were all rated "Excellent".

A "Clean" indicator light glows when the wash cycle is complete.

Thank you Lawrence Sprowls. I have though, from reading a lot of info on the Bosch's been leaning toward them for the 'quiet' reviews. I have an indicator light now which unless you're looking right at the machine is kind of dinky. It's too easy not to notice sometimes. I'm really interested in a locking door mechanism. Somewhere in the Bosch line they must have those.

I will be watching this thread as we are also shopping for a new dishwasher. We have an old Kenmore that is super quiet - but unfortunately no longer cleans well. I think back in the day it was about 50 decibels and the new ones we are considering are about 46. We are considering the Kitchenaid with the top rack. Our sales person today told us he had the Bosch and felt that was quiet as well, but my understanding is the Bosch uses a different drying method. Can anyone with a Bosch speak to how well it dries the dishes?

$235 is cheaper than a new dishwasher.

10 years is so old for a dishwasher that it needs replacing? Well, even though $235 is cheaper than a new dishwasher, if you've been looking for an excuse to replace it (and sometimes we do), why not?

Some of the dishwashers do not have a "dry" cycle, that's true. We typically run our Bosch in the evening and by morning it's dry, except for the channels of the Gladware and the dumb bubble in our Crate and Barrel glasses that looked so great in the store but what was the designer thinking lol!

Some Bosch models do have an "Extra Dry" option.

But in general their dishwashers use a condensation drying process instead of one that uses a heating element at the bottom of the dishwasher. It's definitely more energy efficient, and more hygienic it’s a closed system with no fan, than drying with a heating element. Plus without a heating element at the bottom, plastic containers (like BP's Gladware) and utensils are safe in the lower rack : ) .

I wanted heated drying. This was important to me.

I went with KitchenAid because it has a heating coil. Bought it 3 months ago and very happy with it. Amazing cleaning and silent. Cannot tell its running unless you lean down and put your ear near it.

Its funny, but I find that sort of annoying because my family keeps opening it thinking its finished. I actually wish we could hear it running!

Jane

Very happy with our Miele. Door opens automatically at the end of the cycle to vent steam.

Our new Asko has a green/red light that shines on the floor to let you know it's running/finished. It has various preset settings, but I used the adjustable and set it for an hour. Everything is thoroughly dry (sometime a bit of water left on top of a coffee mug bottom indention. Asko DW were considered part of a SZ/Wolf package. Not sure if that's still the case since SZ just came out with the Cove DW.

If you're looking for a quieter DW, DD2 has the Bosch we took out of our house when remodeling. It was only two years old, but black. SS interior, like our Asko, is quiet and dries well also. It is the SHE55M06UC / 48 model.

We had a Thermador dishwasher installed in January and it is extremely quiet. It has a blue light that illuminates on the floor. Our kitchen is adjacent to our informal family room and the sound is completely undetectable. I’ll also add that it has an awesome delay feature and cleans wonderfully.

Thermador uses the Bosch d/w in their line. They've been a part of BSH (Bosch Siemens) since the late 90s.

I get some puddles here and there with the rental's heated dry and so do my relatives that have similar machines. I chose my last Bosch for the water softener option, which wasn't available in domestic brands. I think KA has the option, now.

Replaced our 18 year old KitchenAid Superba this year after it stopped drying. Got another KA KDTE204GPS and could not be happier with it! Quiet and cleans like a champ!

The Bosch "Extra Dry" is nothing more than simply having the final rinse temperature raised even higher

Replaced our old Kenmore with a KA almost a year ago. We are so happy with it. Very quiet I think 34 db. Dishes come out super clean and dry. Also love the bottle washer rods. For under 1k it was well worth it.

My Bosch dries and cleans well, and is also quiet at 44 decibels. I did not like how it loaded so I bought new everyday dishes, but it does not accommodate modern tall/large wine glasses. Plastics require hand drying, so if you have a lot that will be an issue. Mine was about $800. five years ago, not top of the line and not base model either. Overall I like it, especially the recessed handle.

I love my Bosch that I purchased in April. It's pretty quiet and it cleans amazingly. It's the entry level 300 series and it dries like the previous KitchenAid DW's I owned. I do not put plastics in the DW so I can't speak to that but all of my dished come out super clean (even the ones with dried up food on them) and dry.

I was initially dismayed with my mid level Bosch due to wet dishes. I blamed the lack of a heated drying element. Customer service advised me to do some 'programming' which I can't recall. It was a series of depressing cycle buttons. It did something to raise final temps. Along with that and always using rinse aid, my dishes dry well. The plastics food containers never do, and mug indentations hold a bit of water. I only run it when I'm home, so when there is half an hour or less left in my Auto cycle, I dab the mugs and remove the Gladware. I leave the dishes in for a while after the cycle for added residual drying. Love this QUIET DW and will buy again. Top rack silverware leaves extra space: will never go back to basket!

I have a Miele DW and it's quiet. I can hear it sometimes during washing but it doesn't bother me. My husband has some hearing loss and would open it up during washing so now I hang a dish towel on it as a signal that the DW is on. The dishes are dried and the door pops open when done for venting.