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At a Glance
Imagine you are about to hear the latest plot twist of Game of Thrones or Grey's Anatomy but you can’t hear it because the dishwasher is running in the background.
Quietness is the number one factor when choosing a dishwasher.
In this article, you'll learn the quietest dishwashers from every brand and their decibel ratings.
You’ll also learn how to buy a quiet dishwasher without spending a fortune. In many cases, you can “overbuy” and spend more money than you need to for a quiet dishwasher.
First, you should know what "quiet" sounds like.
Let's get started.
What Does Quiet Sound Like?
A decibel rating of 60 will make it hard to have a conversation in the kitchen, models rated from 38 to 44 decibels will be quiet.
For a better perspective here are decibel ratings of some familiar sounds:
- A whisper - 15 decibels
- A typical conversation - 60 decibels
- A lawnmower - 90 decibels
- A car horn - 110 decibels
- A firecracker - 140 decibels
Better yet, here is what 39, 44, and 55 decibels sound like in an actual kitchen:
Dishwasher Sound Level Comparison [VIDEO]
Dishwasher Quietness Disclaimer
It's important to note that there is no industry standard for measuring DB. One brand may measure their DB rating during a standard wash cycle, where another brand could be measuring it during their china/crystal cycle.
Decibel Levels: What to Know
Dishwasher noise levels are rated in decibels - the lower the decibel number, the quieter the dishwasher.
A difference of just a few decibels may not seem to be much, but a dishwasher that is only one decibel more is 30 percent louder.
A dishwasher that is four decibels is twice as loud. However, buying a dishwasher at 44 DBs is quiet enough.
You do not want to pay for just quietness under 44 DB (I will say this a few more times in this article).
Quietness Factors
- Quality of insulation
- A dishwasher with disposal is louder.
- Sound dampening material on the exterior of the tub.
- Stainless steel tubs tend to be quieter than plastic tubs because it dampens sound.
KitchenAid, for example, became a quieter dishwasher by removing their disposer and adding a filter.
All the quiet dishwashers are filtered. It can be argued the disposer is better, so there is a trade-off in benefit.
Now, let's look at the quietest dishwashers.
Quietest Dishwashers By Decibel Rating For 2020
Jenn-Air Dishwasher JDTSS244GL - $1,399
Decibel Rating: 38 DB
Additional Resources:
- JDTSS246GL - 38 DB
- JDTSS244GM - 38 DB
Miele Dishwasher G6987SCVIK2O - $3,099
Decibel Rating: 38 DB
Additional Models:
- G6785SCVISF - 44 DB - $1,599
- G6835SCI - 42 DB - $2099
Bosch Dishwasher SHX89PW75N - $2,099
Decibel Rating: 38 DB
Additional Models:
- SHS863WD5N 500 Series – 44 DB
- SHXM88Z75N 800 Series - 40 DB
KitchenAid Dishwasher KDPE334GBS - $899
Decibel Rating: 39 DB
Additional Models:
- KDTE334GPS - 39 DB
- KDPM354GBS - 44 DB
- KDTM354DSS- 43 DB
Note: There are multiple models in the KitchenAid lineup with DB ratings between 39 and 44.
Samsung Dishwasher DW80R9950US - $799
Decibel Rating: 39 DB
Additional Models:
- DW80K7050US at 44 dB -$769
- DW80K5050UG at 48 dB - $719
Asko Dishwasher DBI675THXXLS - $1,739
Decibel Rating: 40 DB
Additional Models:
- DBI664THXXLS - 42 DB
- DBI663THS - 44 DB
Café Appliances Dishwasher CDT866P2MS1 - $1,479
Decibel Rating: 40 DB
Additional Models:
- PDT855SIJII - 40 DB
- PDT845SSJSS - 42 DB
LG Dishwasher LSDT9908BD - $944
Decibel Rating: 40 DB
Additional Models:
- LUDP8997SN – 40 DB
- LDT7808BD – 42 DB
Sub-Zero Cove Dishwasher DW2450WS - $2,269
Decibel Rating: 41 DB
Additional Models:
- DW2450 – 41 DB - $1,999
Only two options are currently available, with or without a water softener.
Electrolux Dishwasher EI24ID81SS - $1,399
Decibel Rating: 45 DB
Additional Models:
- EI24ID50QS - 47 DB
- EI24ID30QB - 49 DB
Maytag Dishwasher MDB8959SFZ - $899
Decibel Rating: 47 DB
Additional Models:
- MDB7959SHZ - 47 DB
- MDB8989SHB - 48 DB
Whirlpool Dishwasher WDT970SAHZ - $599
Decibel Rating: 47 DB
Additional Models:
- WDT975SAHV - 47 DB
- WDTA50SAHZ - 47 DB
Frigidaire Dishwasher FPID2498SF – $893
Silent Rating: 47 DB
Additional Models:
- FGID2479SF – 49 DB
- FFID2459VS – 49 DB
How To Buy A Quiet Dishwasher
This article should read two ways. First, you should now know what is quiet. So if you are opening the living room to your kitchen, you’ll most likely be satisfied at 44 DBS.
However, unless you are interested in other features, you do not need to spend any more money just for quietness past 44 DBs.
You will not be able to hear the difference between a 38-42 DB dishwasher, so why pay extra just for that?
In other words, you should not spend $1,979 for that top of the line Bosch just for quietness when the $849-999 is more than sufficient at 42 DBs.
Generally, you should expect to pay a hefty price for a premium "extra" quiet dishwasher - with one exception. The KitchenAid's dishwasher KDTE334GPS, that we mentioned as an alternative, is 39 DBs for $749.
There are plenty of quiet dishwashers in every brand. Just do not overspend for anything under 44 DBs.
Frequently Asked Questions:
1. What are the best dishwashers for 2020?
Bosch will continue to lead the pack with their forever better engineering dishwashers.
We will continue to see dishwasher prices go down with better features. Such as Crystal dry - which are natural materials causing water to evaporator into heat. They are thus removing moisture to dry everything, including plastic.
KitchenAid may have the best overall dishwasher value with 39 DB quietness at $799.
Samsung has good dishwashers under $700.
2. What are the most reliable dishwashers for 2020?
Samsung, Bosch, and LG are the most reliable dishwasher brands for 2020.
Is 55 DB loud for a dishwasher? Yes, 55 DB is rather noisy. Imagine what a hairdryer sounds like. That would be the equivalent sound at 55 DB.
A full running refrigerator would be in the range of 52-55 DB rating. It could easily disturb comfort living sound.
3. What’s the average decibel rating for dishwashers?
The average decibel rating for dishwashers ranges between 45 and 50 DB.
4. What brand has the quietest dishwashers?
Bosch, KitchenAid, and Miele have the overall most silent dishwashers.
Additional Resources
Get our free Dishwasher Buying Guide with tips, trends, and reviews of all the major brands. Over 680,000 people have already found answers in a Yale guide.
Related Articles:
WHY SHOULD YOU TRUST US?
A few review sites have placed this at the bottom of their articles. So here is our take: Our mission is to find reliable products for you to buy. Other review sites may say this as well.
However, we don’t love every product. Quite frankly, it costs us way too much money in repair costs to support less reliable brands.
In fact, we sell fewer brands than most appliance stores. Here is why:
We feel it is our responsibility to repair your appliances after you buy them.
We now have 30 service technicians, each averaging 8-10 calls a day Monday through Friday, plus another 110 on Saturday. That's over 30,000 service calls logged in one year.
The labor rates of fixing an appliance do not come close to the true cost in any product’s warranty period.
That is why no major retailer has a service department. It costs too much labor, money and time.
Our Blog is a bit different than most others you will read. We cannot write glowing reviews of unreliable products.
Hopefully, the bloggers and organizations who write such glowing product reviews for every brand consider servicing these products first. Only then they will understand the consequences of their marketing.
A Note About Pricing
Pricing on this blog is for reference only and may include time sensitive rebates. We make every attempt to provide accurate pricing at time of publishing. Please call the stores for most accurate price.
