WP Flatware in door re-visited

[kenmore1978]

Well, now that I've lived with the flatware in door thing for a while now, I cn unequvically say it is not satisfactory. Whose ever idea this was had good intentions, but didn't follow up ono the dis-advantages. I get a LOT more "rejects" in the flatware than I did with my old '78 KM DW. And it only makes sense since the spray from the wash arm is being thrown at the flatware sideways so that anything that's facing the door doesn't cleaned on that side. I also keep finding bits of food in the basket and stuck between the basket and the door liner. Machines that have the flatware basket in the lower rack are able to have water hit all sides of the flatware. Also, any bits of food that might fall into the basket are much more likely to be blown back OUT of the basket in subsequent rotations of the wash arm. Again, I would virtually never find bits of food in the bottom of the basket in the KM. And having to make sure that only plates are in the front row so as not to block the spary to the flatware is sort of a pain. In the KM, I would often put things like pots or bowls OVER the flatware basket, knowing that enough water would come through the flatware to get the bowls or pots clean.

 

[mrcleanjeans]

in the door no more

I agree,in theory sounds great, in reality,NOT.One could put their silverware basket on the lower rack.Room is lost,but they'll be clean.

 

[agiflow]

How true

My WP d/w leaves the same mess in mine too. Especially between the basket and door liner. I'm going to try placing the basket in the bottom rack to see any difference in cleaning. Never really gave it much thought before.

 

[maytagbear]

It's a nice idea....

I've never owned a Whirlpool with the flatware basket in the door, but I've used several--when I was doing catering/private chef work, and later, just helping in friends kitchens.

I don't like it there because to use the basket, you have to roll the lower rack into the machine.

One friend has given up, and placed the basket in the lower rack.

Lawrence/Maytagbear

 

[laundromat]

food deposits

I got a Whirlpool Quit wash when they were first introduced and loved it except for the silverware basket having to be cleaned out after every load.I did like the capacity,quitness,performance and convenience but if they had made theirs like they made the Kenmore models,I think I would have liked it even more.I now have a GE Triton Tall Tub and love it!!!!

 

[kenmore1978]

basket in door

"I don't like it there because to use the basket, you have to roll the lower rack into the machine."

I overcame that problem by learning to open the door partway, drop the flatware into the basket, THEN opening the door all the way and pulling out the lower rack to load the dishes. That's the only other advantage of the in door basket, being able to simply "crack" the door open, and drop in stray flatware without having to open the door all the way and roll out the lower rack. Overall, I think the best place for the flatware basket is in front of the lower rack. That way the door doesn't have to be opened all the way and the rack moved out to load, and as mentioned previously, the spray goes up THROUGH the basket for better cleaning. Also, the basket then gets loaded evenly (as does the door mounted rack). My KM had the flatware basket on the right side of the lower rack. People would tend to stuff the front half of the basket because they didn't want to roll out the rack to get to the back half of the basket. Consequently, before I ran the machine, I had to re-distribute the flatware front to rear in the basket.

 

[gansky1]

The newer WP dishwashers with the In-The-Door flatware basket have the ability for the user to place the basket anywhere they wish, either in the door or on hooks on the front of the lower rack, etc.

 

[peterh770]

I've had my WP dw since 1986 and never had a problem with unclean flatware or gunk between the basket and the door. My "rejects" are next to nothing. If the design is so bad, WP wouldn't continue having it.

 

[agiflow]

I have to admit though, i have a tendency to crowd the basket sometimes. The basket in mine can also fit perfectly in the bottom rack.

 

[chachp]

My sister had an older model WP dishwasher with the basket in the door. I found it annoying that the bottom of the basket was slanted so you couldn't put it on the counter to load or unload. I never thought about putting it in the lower rack. As I remember hers, it seems you would have had to put the basket over a couple of spokes of the lower rack to get it to stand up straight.

 

[agiflow]

The right side lower rack on my machine has just enough space to seat the basket in firmly. I wonder if WP anticipated customers might try and do this. Pretty well thought out.

 

[frigilux]

I had a WP dw from 1986-88. I loved the on-the-door silverware rack because it opened up space in the lower rack---especially since it had a hateful tower. I tend to use a lot of pots/pans, so lower rack space is always an issue for me.

Having said that, I did notice a degradation in cleaning when I filled the silverware basket completely.

In my new Frigidaire, the basket can be broken up into 3 separate sections. I often use only one small silverware pod, placed in the upper rack. Obviously, long knives, spatulas, etc. won't fit, but I either put them elsewhere in the top rack, or if there's room, I move the pod to the bottom rack.

 

[david]

I agree Peter

I had 3 WP dishwashers over a 20 year period from moving around and I never had any problem with the flatware basket on the door. Occasionally a dirty spoon or other, but not any more often than any other machine I've used. Maybe its the water or pressure or something like that; also could be the way the machines loaded.

 

[kenmore1978]

WP door basket

"I found it annoying that the bottom of the basket was slanted so you couldn't put it on the counter to load or unload."

Yes, I forgot to mention that annoyance, too.

"The right side lower rack on my machine has just enough space to seat the basket in firmly. I wonder if WP anticipated customers might try and do this. Pretty well thought out."

My machine has a space on the right side of rack that is wide enough for the basket, I may start putting it there before running it.

"Occasionally a dirty spoon or other, but not any more often than any other machine I've used. Maybe its the water or pressure or something like that; also could be the way the machines loaded."

To compare, I'd get maybe 1-2 "rejects" per cycle in my '78 KM, I'm getting 6-7 from WP plus the pieces of gunk in the basket.

We have plenty of water pressure, so it gets an adequate fill. You can really hear the "swooshing" of the wash arms when it's running. As for loading, I alternate the flatware like most manufacturers recommend, and make sure the items in the front of the lower rack are always plates so the spray to the flatware basket isn't blocked.

 

[david]

Well, Jaune

I don't know. Maybe something has changed in the design. The last one I owned was a 90' model and it did ok. Sounds like the loading is correct. I wasn't absolutely fond of the door basket design, although it helped make room in the lower rack. I do have a tendency to pre-rinse sometimes the stikier flatware, but it just amounts to holding under faucet and slinging the water off. Tell me, do you drop your flatware in the basket with the handles sticking up or down. My wife does handles sticking up-I prefer the other way. I think they come cleaner with handles down, but I haven't polled this to be certain. Just an unscientific poll, thats all

 

[kenmore1978]

flatware loading

I alternate, some with handles up, some with handles down. This is how manufacturers usually recommend loading flatware, to prevent "nesting", with the exception of sharp knives are always handle up.

The last time I ran it, I moved the basket to the right side of the lower rack, no "rejects" in that batch, no food bits in basket. I think that's what I'm going to do from now on. This wil also let me load large bowls and such in front of the door and OVER the flatware basket if needed, like I did with the KM machine.

 

[appnut]

David, you're correct. Essentially, the WP baskets work best with the handles down with regards to cleaning.

 

[david]

Bob

I'm glad you think that too. I had to confess about the prerinsing, don't rinse anything else though. Do you ever prerinse at all? I felt like you didn't. The staggering of flatware sounds like an interesting concept, what Jaune was talking about earlier. Maybe I'll try it soon

 

[kenmore1978]

staggering flatware

I didn't want to give out false info, so I checked the instructions for the WP and it has a diagram shows staggering the flatware and warns about "nesting". Goes on to say to put sharp items (knives, forks, skewers) point down.