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mcarroll16

Dishwasher loading: let glassware touch?

4 years ago

I'm shopping for a new DW, and curious about the best build for the cup basket. My failing Whirlpool DW has a basket where the bottom wires are raised. It naturally holds each cup in place, so there is separation between each item. The Miele models I looked at this morning all have a smooth bottom on the middle basket. Glassware is going to end up nestled tightly together. Is this ok? How are mug and cup rims not chipping in this style of basket?

Comments (23)

  • 4 years ago

    Have had Miele DWs in two house over 20 years. Never had a chipped glass or cup.

    mcarroll16 thanked sushipup2
  • 4 years ago

    PS, I do handwash my Baccarat crystal, but I only use that once a year.

  • 4 years ago

    We load pretty haphazardly and the only time anything gets chipped is when I whack it against the granite countertop when I unload.

    mcarroll16 thanked ShadyWillowFarm
  • 4 years ago

    No issues with the Miele DWs, but I also buy good quality durable dishes and glassware.

    mcarroll16 thanked chispa
  • 4 years ago

    Thanks everyone! I'll plan on letting my cups get cozy. That will let me wash more items per load!

  • 4 years ago

    We have never had an issue with ours, though it is a 12-year-old Inspira so not sure the racks are the same anymore. But Miele sells a ton of different inserts for the racks to change the configurations, so if you find it's an issue, you could always choose a different glasses rack (there are several I think).

    mcarroll16 thanked artemis78
  • 4 years ago
    last modified: 4 years ago

    i think its the shape/design of the piece...I've had a couple chips from hand made pottery pieces where the top rim has detail or isnt perfectly straight like the sides of a commercial coffee mug or glass would be. not a problem with those things. i replace at each annual fair I attend with one or two new individual pieces and I dont mind it and still put them in the Miele machine on eco. if any doubt use eco cycle so you dont have to load super tight and wont feel guilty as it is a cost saving setting....i do that a good bit of the time. i hate the occas chips but its not a common thing.

    mcarroll16 thanked herbflavor
  • PRO
    4 years ago

    However the man of the house loads the dishwasher, it's wrong. 3.63 GPA in college, several professional licenses, built severl businesses from nothing, but load a dishwasher properly? Nah.

  • 4 years ago

    @Joseph Corlett, LLC that is very true. A man can be smart, successful, caring, but refuse to learn simple thinks like dish loading. I try to be happy that he does it, and not be bothered by his insistence on pre-rinsing.


    @herbflavor interesting point about machine-made vs irregular handmade. As for ecowash what I'm wondering is how one can achieve loading with distance in a smooth basket? Nothing to hold mugs in place, they can just slide into each other whenever I move the basket in and out.

  • 4 years ago

    I swear my mother can get 3 more plates and 3 more glasses into a dishwasher that any other person would swear can’t fit another blessed thing.

  • 4 years ago

    re: moving basket in and out. i usually load when I have a couple minutes to kinda go a little slow and deliberate....i can never remember what I placed in 8 hrs ago .....I kinda take 15 secs and see if I have to rearrange a bit ...re align the mug handles...angle the bowls a little different etc..the dishwashers are really flexible so i allow for rearrangements here and there........this is hard to describe but its a little more deliberate and slightly slower and more methodical than clearing the table for example... i've never had a worry about chips w basket maneuvering and loading/unloading once you get your little system down pat. the miele basket doesnt jiggle really when moving in/out. my mom had a cheaper machine and it did jiggle a little more..not to the point of breakage but there may be something about the quality of the glides and smooth stable movement. I dont know. you may be able to order dishwasher rack inserts aftermarket .....check "kitchen source" etc.....i think stuff can be inserted if you are really worried. always check the booklet.... they suggest loading schemes too. you should not have to be ultra concerned this way but there is skill w dishwasher use hate to say it.

  • 4 years ago

    Agree completely on skill! It's interesting that you say the Miele basket doesn't jiggle. I visited a local appliance store and Miele showroom in the last two days. At both locations, the middle baskets on multiple models seems to move very jerkily and "loose." It felt flimsy and cheap, worse than our old Whirlpool. It really shocked me. Maybe it's showroom overuse?

  • 4 years ago

    @Joseph Corlett, LLC personally feel that the sexism is a man's unwillingness to believe something his wife has told him, no matter what evidence offered. Your perspective may differ. :)

  • 4 years ago

    components in the machine may be getting sourced differently. my miele is a little older. what series does the showroom have on display? they encourage open/close and inspection so who knows ? inspect many dishwashers if you are shopping...... dont forget consumer reports . what seems desirable to one person may not be the same for another. i waited a long time with an older unit before replacing ......dishes still came clean w older unit but not too flexible...no eco setting..didnt hold as much...noisy..... I like what the extra waiting and willingness to pay offered me and it makes life a little nicer around the kitchen....

  • 4 years ago

    Yes, agree. In "normal" times we would just wait for the current dishwasher to completely die, then shop. With the current lead times, I want to get on the waitlist for a new dishwasher now. We will nurse the old one along and hold out for the DW model we really want. Well, ok, that *I* really want.

  • 4 years ago

    Well that is good news. I have been underestimating modern glassware.

  • 4 years ago

    “and not be bothered by his insistence on pre-rinsing.”

    Pre-rinsing would drive me insane. More power to you that you bear with it. I couldn’t take it.

  • 4 years ago

    My (18") Frigidaire. Nothing chips.


    mcarroll16 thanked Carrie B
  • 4 years ago

    Re: Emily R!! Ahhhh. That makes me crazy just looking at it!

  • 4 years ago

    @spainte2 You and me, both!! I'm sure my boys consider this a very efficient, swift, novel – ground-breaking, even – multi-stacking technique. They feel no shame, just pride.

  • 4 years ago

    Emily R, do those dishes come out clean? If so, I want to know what brand of DW you have!