What is a Slimline Dishwasher?

You might be wondering what these appliances are.  How do they differ from normal dishwashers?   The answer is that slimline dishwashers are narrower and smaller than full size models.  These smaller dishwashers are made for use in kitchens that don’t have a lot of space to fit in a large dishwasher.  The reality is that slimline dishwashers are more common in Europe than in the United States and Canada.  The reason for this is simple-More Europeans live in smaller apartments and just don’t have the room for such large appliances.

Slimline Dishwasher Dimensions

To be able to fit inside tighter areas in small kitchen layouts, slimline dishwashers are usually 18 inches wide.  In contrast, full size dishwashers are nearly always 6 inches wider, with a width of 24 inches.  As for the height and depth, most major appliances are usually pretty standardized to ensure compatibility with other kitchen components.

Slimline Dishwasher Styles

Like other types of dishwashers, they tend to be made in a few different colors. If you want a solid color, you have the choice of black, white, or stainless steel.  Many people these days are choosing to integrate their kitchens.  For this reason, you can get an integrated slimline dishwasher – what this means is that you affix a front panel of your choice onto the front of the unit.  This option will allow your dishwasher to be pretty much indistinguishable from the cabinets surrounding it.  For more information, read my integrated dishwasher post.

Slimline Dishwasher Brands

Due to their substantial popularity in the UK, some of the better manufacturers of these appliances are located in Europe.  The Bosch slimline dishwasher is named the Integra 800 series 18 inch dishwasher.  Bosch makes some very high quality appliances, and its dishwashers are no exception.  If you are looking for a high end unit, take a look at a Miele slimline dishwasher as well.  They are right up there with Bosch in terms of quality, style, and compatibility.

While Bosch appliances tend to offer high quality products with high price tags to match them, you have cheaper options as well.  A Hotpoint slimline dishwasher will usually cost less, with some units even costing less than $300.  They offer decent quality dishwashers, but I haven’t seen any available with a customizable front.  If you want to go the inexpensive route, you will probably have to settle for white, black, or stainless steel.  Of course, if your cabinets are made of stainless steel, a silver slimline dishwasher should blend in just fine!  Likewise is also true with a black slimline dishwasher and black cabinets.  Unfortunately, the majority of cabinets are made out of different types of wood, so appliance manufacturers can’t offer this style.

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What is an Integrated Slimline Dishwasher?

An integrated slimline dishwasher is used when you want the kitchen to look uniform and without anything standing out.  A slimline dishwasher is narrower and not as deep as a normal one. An integrated dishwasher is specifically designed so that it doesn’t really look like a dishwasher from the outside at all.  When you put both of these features together, you get integrated slimline dishwashers.  You have two choices when it comes to these appliances:

Semi Integrated Slimline Dishwashers

A dishwasher that is semi integrated means that some effort is made to make it blend in with other kitchen components.  They come in black, white, or stainless steel, which are the most common colors of kitchen appliances.  A semi integrated slimline dishwasher will have the controls visible on the door of the unit.  While some people will insist on having the control panel hidden out of sight, the reality is that most people don’t really mind.  To me, it seems like it isn’t really worth spending a couple hundred dollars more to have hidden controls.  Having said that, fully integrated models usually offer some great extra features as well.  One of them is a nearly silent washing cycle, which is very important to many people.

Fully Integrated Slimline Dishwashers

Fully integrated models are designed to completely match your other appliances or your cabinets (or both).  They are usually completely customizable, which means that you put a panel on the front of the dishwasher that is the same color and material as your cabinets.  If you have wooden cabinets, you put a wooden panel that is exactly the same as your cabinets on the dishwasher.  If your cabinets and refrigerator are made of stainless steel, you can easily put a stainless steel panel on the front.  The controls of a fully integrated model are hidden out of sight as well.  They are located on the top of the door, which means that you can only see them when you open the door.

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What is a Slimline Dishwasher?

As its name suggests, a slimline dishwasher is slimmer, or narrower than a normal sized dishwasher.  Most dishwashers are 24 inches wide, and the width of a slimline is usually 18 inches.  In addition, they are also shallower, which means that the distance from back to front is not as much as a regular dishwasher.  People use slimline dishwashers because they need to fit them into their kitchen that does not have a lot of room.  Although slimline dishwashers can hold about the same amount of dishes as a portable dishwasher, they are a lot different.  A portable dishwasher is usually hooked up to the sink, and it definitely does not blend into the kitchen very well.  A slimline dishwasher, on the other hand, is made so that it is an integral part of the kitchen and blends in as much as possible.

One of the best features that these appliances have is their ability to blend in.  They are called an integrated slimline dishwasher because the front panel is customized to perfectly match your kitchen cabinets, refrigerator, and other items.  If your cabinets are wooden, you put a wooden panel made of the same type of wood and color as your cabinets onto the front of the dishwasher.  Many people make their entire kitchen stainless steel.  If the refrigerator, cabinets, and other items are stainless steel, you put a stainless panel on to make a stainless steel slimline dishwasher.

The Miele Slimline Dishwasher

The most common and arguably the highest quality brand you can buy are the Miele Slimline dishwashers.  Its 18 inch fully integrated slimline dishwasher has a capacity of 9 place settings.  It features 6 different wash settings, temperature controls, a double waterproof seal, and a built in water softener.  Another great feature it has is a 24 hour delay timer, which lets you set the machine to run at a time when you won’t be bothered by it.

You can also buy a Bosch slimline dishwasher, although they technically aren’t called slimlines.  That is a term used by Miele.  The Bosch Integra 800 series dishwashers are also 18 inches wide, making them the same size as the slimlines.  A number of other appliance manufacturers also offer 18 inch dishwashers, including the Avanti DW181SS and the GE Profile 18 inch stainless steel built in dishwasher.  The Avanti is also customizable, and it costs far less than a Miele model.  The GE Profile comes in stainless steel, and has its controls hidden out of sight.  This would be great if your kitchen is designed with lots of stainless steel features.  For more information on this type of dishwasher, read my post about integrated dishwashers.

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Many people all over the world have a dishwasher in their home.  To some it is one of their most treasured helpers. To others it is a loud, vibrating, annoying pest.  The last few years has brought about a change in the design and manufacturing of dishwashers.  You can now get what is called an integrated dishwasher.  Now, most people are wondering what that means.  Does it work in unison with other appliances in your kitchen?  Not exactly.  Basically, integrated dishwashers are designed to blend in with your overall kitchen design.  The main difference that sets these appliances apart is that they have their controls on the top of the door that pulls out.  Because the controls are hidden, when you see the kitchen, you see a uniform design, instead of a bunch of different shaped, different colored appliances with lights and buttons all over them.
These are top of the line machines, the best home dishwashers that are made.  Since most people who have luxurious kitchens tend to choose appliances made out of stainless steel, the dishwasher is also made out of this same material.  This allows it to blend in with the other large appliances in the kitchen like the refrigerator, the range oven, and the lower cabinets.  If you want are looking for an integrated dishwasher, you have two basic choices when it comes to where the control buttons are located.

Fully Integrated Dishwashers

If you want people to look at your kitchen and not even know they are looking at a dishwasher, then a fully integrated dishwasher is for you.  These machines are sleek and shiny, with only a handle that protrudes.  Pull the handle to open the door, and the control panel will be there on top of the door.  This hiding of the buttons is in essence what sets fully integrated machines apart from those that aren’t.

Semi Integrated Dishwashers

If you want a dishwasher that still has a sleek, fashionable look that blends in with your other appliances, but you are willing to live with the buttons being visible on the door of the machine, then a semi integrated dishwasher is for you.  These snazzy looking machines can match your other large appliances as well.  A Bosch semi integrated dishwasher has a great look, with a price that is cheaper than with the controls completely hidden.

Different styles of integrated dishwashers

Most people design their kitchens with a single color in mind.  They try to get all of their appliances to match each other.  The vast majority of people choose to the same few colors – White, Black, or the shiny color of Stainless Steel.  Appliance manufacturers know this all too well, so they make their dishwashers in these colors as well.  It is possible to get an integrated dishwasher in a color other than those just mentioned, but you have to search a little harder to find it.

Features of integrated dishwashers

In addition to having a style that sets them apart from normal dishwashers, integrated dishwashers can come with some other great features as well, depending on the company that makes it.  Here are a few features to look for:
•    A Bosch integrated dishwasher can be so quiet that you will hardly even know that it is on.  Many people are so used to having annoyingly loud dishwashers, and will be quite pleased at how quiet these machines are.
•    These machines tend to have a larger capacity than other dishwashers.  Many integrated dishwashers can wash fifteen or more place settings in each load.
•    Top of the line integrated dishwashers come with all kinds of bells and whistles including triple filters, automatic sensors that can tell how dirty the dishes are (don’t ask how!), and extra washing and drying cycles.
•    Double drawers – Some integrated dishwashers come with two separate drawers, A large one on the top and a smaller drawer on the bottom.  Each drawer can run its own load, separate from the other one.
•    An integrated slimline dishwasher is narrower than a normal dishwasher.  This allows it to fit into smaller spaces where space is an issue.

Brands of Integrated Dishwashers

A number of manufacturers produce integrated dishwashers, including Miele, Whirlpool, Thermador, LG, Bosch, Maytag, and Kitchenaid.
A Miele dishwasher can come with a custom integrated dishwasher door, which will allow it to blend in with whatever the rest of the kitchen is using.  You can choose one with false cabinet drawers that make it disappear into your kitchen design.  This is a great feature if you want a color or design different than the standard white, black or stainless steel.  A Bosch fully integrated dishwasher is a great choice as well, but if you want to customize the front of it completely, the Miele is your choice.

Prices of integrated dishwashers

When you step up to semi and fully integrated dishwashers, you are going to have to spend more than the standard models.  At the low end of the price range, you will have models that cost around $800.  For a full featured, top quality integrated dishwasher, be prepared to pay between anywhere from $1,000 to $2,500. Adding a custom door will cost more as well.

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