POLL: Dishwasher Door - to latch or not?

[toploader55]

Unlatched

The doors on older porcelain lined KitcheAids are pretty heavy so when they are closed, they really are closed where the gasket and the door meet.

I never pre-rinse and never had a odor until I open the door.

And a good point that Paul mentioned, flattening the gaskets. Never thought about that.

Extra Credit Paul !!!

 

[logixx]

Unlatched

I installed the DW ever so slightly tilted back so that it is flush with the adjacent cabinets when unlatched

 

[daveamkrayoguy]

I think I like the dishwasher door CLOSED enough all the time, that ours is always Latched...

Mind you, this is a new one (Maytag) so you really pull on the door to open it, & when you push it closed it latches, unlike the old dishwashers that had the old lever, on which when we lived in our apartment which had an old '80's GE, the lever would only be latched when we washed the dishes in it...

-- Dave

 

[vintagekitchen]

always latched.

Clean or dirty or empty, the dishwasher is always latched here because my 1 year old nephew comes over and heads right for it every time to see if he can get it open so he can play with the rolling racks.

 

[washdaddy]

LATCHED

On the dishwasher I have in my apartment now the door latches shut when you close it. Since I'm by myself I do tend to prefer that since I don't run the DW on a daily basis. It does help to keep down on any odors that should happen since I normally don't prerinse before loading. I just make sure i scrape everything into the disposal before it goes into the DW.
In the past though when I did have a DW that had a slide latch on the door I normally didn't latch the door until I was going to run it.

 

[roto204]

+1 Phil!

I loved that about my Dishmobile spin-tube. Why did no one else use the oven-door (spring-held, non-latching) concept on a dishwasher? That was so brilliant and worked so well. What were the drawbacks?

 

[roto204]

Oh, and...

...unlatched when flash-drying (door ajar) or when accumulating dirty dishes (door closed). If it develops an odor--rare with all the cooking we do at home--I run the heat boost option to engage the heating delay and be sure to use chlorinated gel to give the cooties a good butt-kicking.

 

[frigilux]

Dirty dishes are rarely left all day thanks to the Half-Load cycle.

 

The door is left open after unloading so interior dries/cools.  Latched after that.

 

[bwoods]

unlatched

Always leave it unlatched except when operating for season stated above..easy to throw objects as i dirty them. Seals enough on it's own that I don't notice odors utill door is pulled down.

The 1966 Tappan Reversa-Jet (newer models with the spring loaded reversing washarm) had a self-latching oven-like door.

 

[super32]

always unlatched

Every now and then the door will latch itself when i raise it. No biggie. Tho it seems when people come to visit i constantly have to re-open the door. They will either latch it or lean against it and cause it to latch......UUUHHGGGG! I have to growl hiss and scratch. people that have been here more than once dont even go near, they gave up a long time ago.....lol

 

[gansky1]

Unlatched generally, especially on the older machines to keep from "flattening" door gaskets as mentioned. Rubber door gaskets that have some age on them will dry out and lose their springiness so the less compression the better. I'll let you know in a couple of decades if this made any difference at all

All dishwashers have some ventilation to the environment or they would explode when filling with water so latching the door does little to keep anything "sealed" in or out. If it smells, run it and enjoy the fun.

 

[jakeseacrest]

I have a galley kitchen and the dishwasher is out of the way so I keep the door open all the time. It's only latched when it's running or finished and I haven't emptied it.

 

[firedome]

Not...

BOL DD GE 3 yr old.

 

[whirlcool]

Funny this thread should pop up...

We usually leave the door cracked while accumulating dishes and when we turn it on leave it latched until unloading time. Then we leave the empty DW open about 4 inches of so for the next two hours to completely dry out. Then we just close the door and leave it unlatched.

Yesterday I went to turn it on and when I opened the door to the machine there was a huge wood roach sitting on the inside of the door! That damn thing must have been 2" long! Down here they live outside and occasionally one comes in. The DW is at the end of the cabinets right next to the back door. And we were in and out that door most of the day yesterday so that's how it must have entered the house.

The scary part is that I went to get a broom to sweep it back outside and when I returned with the broom, no roach in sight! I completely checked the inside of the DW and didn't find it. I definitely didn't want roach yibbles in the DW. When I opened the DW after the cycle completed I didn't find anything unusual. Now I am wondering where he went. This is a first time experience for me.

 

[Unimatic1140]

I like all doors latched, especially the KD-12 KitchenAid as the handle looks just so wrong when it's left unlocked. I solved that by attaching an interor light and related wiring circuit to the handle so whenever the handle is unlocked the interior light is on and shining through the window in the door. That way unless we feel like wasting electricity the handle must be in it's correct positon unless the door is down and open of course.

 

[tolivac]

When my KA machine isn't in use keep the door unlocked-I have the roach thing,too-so I HAVE to rinse dishes before putting them into the machine-otherwise the roaches,ants will do a "prelick' cycle for me.The one time I ran it -was like the sci-fi Horror movie "creepshow" Had to run the machine twice that day to get rid of the roach remains.Figure they can get into the machine thru the dish dry fan opening.The roaches are outside here-wish they would stay there.When I find one walking across my floor--Kirby or NSS gets him!The roach is then a greasy spot on the disposable bag!Dark brown large wood ones,too!

 

[hooverwheelaway]

Yep, our DWs are always closed and latched.. It's easier to remember now that the light stays on... I've left the door unlatched before.

 

[bwoods]

Wow, Rex. I don't blame you for keeping your DW latched. I have used to have ant problem in the spring and an occassional roach, but they fortunataely never found their way into the DW.

I put some plastic ant baits out and also some of the plastic baits for large roaches. I don't like to spray because its not healthy for me and definately not for my cats. The cats play with the baits by patting them around the floor with their paws (kind of like kitty hockey) but they can't chew through the plastic to get to the poison inside. And they seem to work. My inital ant infestation was severe, and they were in mass under the carpet padding as I and the installer found out when I replaced the carpeting when I moved in. I do spray the outer foundation of the house and below the windows outside. Since I don't let the cats out, this seems to be safe. Although I don't like using pesticides when I don't have to.

I guess its just something you have to endure here in the south. If you can get access to your drying fan, maybe you can put some window screening over the opening and keep the roaches from getting access to the inside of your dishwasher.

You know what they say...

If its in your house it's a waterbug. 

 

If it's in your neighbor's house--
it's a  <span style="font-family: impact,chicago;">R O A C H</span>!!

 

[iej]

Clean = unlatched.
Dirty = latched to avoid smells / attracting the cat (he's been known to open the dishwasher and lick the plates if there's any trace of fish or chicken on them.

I don't think the dishwasher's that expensive to run, so even if it's not completely full, it always goes on at the end of the day or more frequently if the house is busy.

 

[washer111]

Closed, not "Latched"

With a DishDrawer, shutting the draw does seal its main air-circulation point into the kitchen - although stinky "fumes" can still circulate throughout the cabinet - as the lid does not shut when the drawer is shut. 

 

Typically, the drawer will remain ajar or in that shut position. Sometimes get one or two of those "German" roaches in there. We can't get rid of them, although we do put a dent in the population each time I get the Borax and Bait packs out!

 

If only one or two people are present, then sometimes I will enable the "Closed Drawer" option to seal the unit when it is shut (after 30secs). This keeps the odours at bay, if present but also keeps the soils moist - so you shouldn't need too much detergent or washing horsepower later on!

 

Machine runs anywhere between daily and every 2nd or 3rd day, depending on the cooking and number of people around at any given time.