Start finding answers in our Resource Center full of Videos, Buying Guides and Checklists
There are many factors to consider when purchasing a dishwasher; the number of wash cycles, how many place settings will it hold, what colors are available, but the most asked for feature is for it to be quiet.
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 just one decibel more is actually 30 percent louder.
A dishwasher that is four decibels more 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).
In this article, we will talk about levels of quietness, let you listen to two dishwashers at 45 and 55 DB, list the most popular dishwashers levels of quietness and then conclude on how to buy for quietness without breaking the bank.
Short on time? Get our free Dishwasher Buying Guide
Some factors that can affect how noisy a dishwasher will be are:
- Quality of insulation.
- A dishwasher with a disposal will make it louder.
- Sound dampening material on the exterior of the tub.
- Stainless steel tubs tend to be quieter than plastic tubs, because it dampens the sound of the water being sprayed inside.
A decibel rating of 60 will make it hard to have a conversation in the kitchen, models rated from 41 to 46 decibels will be quiet. For a better perspective here are decibel ratings of some common sounds:
- A whisper - 15 decibels
- A normal conversation - 60 decibels
- A lawnmower - 90 decibels
- A car horn - 110 decibels
- A firecracker - 140 decibels
Better yet here is what 44 and 55 decibels sound like in an actual kitchen.
Todays dishwashers are designed for kitchens with open floor plans and are quieter than models purchased 10 years ago. Here is a list of dishwasher models currently on display in our showroom and their decibel rating.
The quietest is now 37 DBs, but the real difference is KitchenAid. The brand is quieter, because of their change from soft disposer to filters in the bottom of the dishwasher itself.
For this years update, we included the most popular models for the brands we sell.
Quietest Dishwasher By Decibel Rating
Miele
Miele G6987SCVIK2O at 38 dB - $2,599
Additional Models:
- G4228SCUSS at 46 dB - $999
- G4926SCU at 46 dB - $1,099
- G4976DCVISF at 46 dB - $1,499
- G6625SCU at 45 dB - $1,499
- G6785SCVISF at 44 dB - $1,599
Bosch
SHXM78W55N at 38 dB - $899
Additional Models:
- SHE3AR75UC at 50 dB - $539
- SHP878WD5N at 42 dB - $859
- SHE878WD5 at 42 dB - $859
- SHV878WD3N at 42 dB - $899
- SHXM98W75N at 39 dB - $1,079
- SHPM98W75N at 39 dB - $1,079
- SHX9PT75UC at 38 dB - $1,999
Thermador
DWHD440MFP at 48 dB - $1,299
Additional Models:
- DWHD650JPR at 42 dB - $1,699
- DWHD860RFP at 44 dB - $2,299
Asko
DBI663ISSOF at 44 dB
Additional Models:
Fisher & Paykel
DD24DCTX9 at 44 dB - $1,299
Top drawer 44 dB if used on gentle cylce, bottom drawer db longer listed, if used together previous models were around 51 dB
KitchenAid
KDTE254ESS at 39 dB - $999
Additional Models:
- KDFE104DSS at 46 dB - $599
- KDPE234GPS at 46 dB - $859
- KDTE334GPS at 39 dB - $1,039
Jenn-Air
JDB9800CWS at 40 dB - $1599
Additional Models:
- JDB9000CWS at 48 dB - $699
- JDB9200CWS - 42 dB - $1,299
Gaggenau
DF281760 at 40 dB
LG
LDF5545ST at 48 dB - $549
Samsung
DW80M2020US at 55 dB - $449
Additonal Models:
- DW80J3020US at 50 dB - $449
- DW80K7050US at 44 dB -$719
- DW80K7050G at 44 dB - $719
Signature Kitchen Suites
UPDF9904ST at 42 dB - $1,299
Final Thoughts
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 can be safe 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.
In other words, you should not spend $1,979 for that top of the line Bosch just for quietness when the $849 is more than sufficient at 42 DBs.
There are plenty of quiet dishwashers in every brand. Just do not overspend for anything under 44DBs.
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.
