Best Dishwasher for Hard Water in 2022

One of the biggest problems that you may face in your area is hard water. Water that is full of calcium and magnesium is defined as hard water. These minerals can then get stuck to the inside of your dishwasher. Not all dishwashers are ideal for use with hard water.

That being said, there are definitely many that are. Luckily for you, today we are here to provide you with all the information you need to make an informed choice. Let’s get to it and take a look at the best dishwashers for hard water that you can buy at this time.

Best Dishwashers for Hard Water: Reviews

Danby 18 Inch Built in Dishwasher

If you are looking for a small and compact dishwasher that is ideal for hard water use, this might just be it. It’s relatively small, and affordable too, but comes loaded with useful features that you might really like.

Review

One of the things that stands out about this dishwasher is its compact design. It comes in at roughly 17 by 22 by 32 inches. This makes it ideal for very small spaces such as apartments. It’s definitely ideal for compact living.

In terms of the internal capacity, obviously it’s not huge. That said, it still has enough room to fit eight full place settings. It also comes complete with a removable silverware basket. This should be enough to accommodate two or even three people. It does come complete with a top and a bottom rack.

Something that you may like about this unit is how it comes complete with a user-friendly control panel. The exterior of this unit is made mostly with stainless steel, which you might really like. Stainless steel is smudge, corrosion, and damage-resistant. There’s also the fact that good old stainless steel also looks quite nice.

The interior of this unit is also made with high quality stainless steel. The interior is extremely corrosion, rust, and heat-resistant, as well as easy to clean.

Another good feature here is that this unit is Energy Star certified. It doesn’t use much energy, and it doesn’t use all that much water either. What this means is that you can save a lot of money on a yearly basis.

What also stands out here is that this unit comes complete with six different wash cycles. It comes complete with a rapid cycle, an eco-friendly cycle, a normal, heavy, and a glass and rinse cycle. It comes with more than enough cycles to fully accommodate your needs.

Moreover, this particular dishwasher also comes with a sanitize function. It has the ability to quite literally boil water, which will then kill all germs on your dishes and remove stuck on food as well. There is also a delay start feature.

Perhaps the best feature here is the smart wash feature. It automatically detects how dirty your dishes are, and will then adjust its output based on your needs.

The other thing that you might appreciate about this dishwasher is the fact that it is very quiet. It produces only 52 decibels of noise, making it one of the quietest dishwashers out there. This makes it ideal for running during the nighttime without disturbing the whole family.

Pros

• Affordable price
• Fairly durable
• Six cycles + sanitize
• Compact and ideal for small sizes
• Drying cycle included
• Spacious considering the small size
• Quiet
• Energy efficient

Cons

• Most installation hardware is not included

VENTRAY Countertop Portable Dishwasher

If you live in a very small space, and you need a compact dishwasher, this might just be it. It’s not overly expensive, it has many great features, and it can definitely resist some hard water as well. It also comes with user-friendly onboard controls that make it extremely easy to operate.

Review

If you just need a small dishwasher, then this is an ideal unit to go with. It comes in at 17 by 16 by 16 inches. This means that it can easily fit on a countertop. When not in use, you can easily store it in a small closet or cupboard.

Keep in mind that it weighs well under 40 pounds, so it’s not too heavy to move around. Of course, it doesn’t have all that much interior space, but it is enough for one or two people. It can hold two full place settings of tableware. On a side note, this is also a great unit to use if you have a camper or an RV.

What does stand out is that this small unit can still produce water temperatures of 158 degrees Fahrenheit. This is quite hot and it means that your dishes should get clean every single time.

This unit comes with five different washing programs. These include an eco-wash, daily wash, intense wash, fast wash, and glass wash.

What you may also appreciate is that this unit is extremely energy efficient and uses barely any electricity at all. We personally love the fast wash mode, as it takes just 35 minutes to complete.

Moreover, it is also very eco-friendly in terms of how much water it uses. At the very most, depending on the cycle, it uses just 6.9 liters of water.

What you may also appreciate here is the 24 hour automatic intermittent ventilation system. Even if you have clean dishes inside of it, this system helps to keep them clean and dry at all times.

Do keep in mind that the majority of this dishwasher is made out of plastic. Plastic is of course not the most durable of materials out there, but it is very lightweight. That said, the interior is made out of stainless steel, which is designed to resist the high levels of heat that this unit can produce.

The fact that it comes with a nice viewing window is also convenient. Moreover, this unit comes complete with a very powerful 360-degree rotating spray arm with omnidirectionally. It should be able to clean your dishes from every angle.

Pros

• Ideal for small spaces
• Lightweight
• Easy to move around
• Powerful spray cleaning
• 5 wash cycles
• Dries dishes efficiently
• Energy and water efficient
• Enough for 1 or 2 people

Cons

• Does not have any special features
• Not ideal for large families

FRIGIDAIRE 24 Inch Stainless Steel Built-In Dishwasher

Here we have another dishwasher that is more than ideal for use with hard water. It comes in at 24 inches, has plenty of space, and has many other useful features as well. Let’s take a closer look at what you get with this FRIGIDAIRE dishwasher. We definitely think that it is worth noting that this dishwasher is built and assembled in the USA.

Review

This is a full size 24-inch dishwasher and it can definitely handle a family of four or even six with ease. It can fit at least 14 place settings, which is quite spacious. It comes with a very large lower rack that can fit large pots and plates.

What is however really cool is the adjustable upper rack. You can manually lower or raise the upper rack by two inches. This means that the upper rack can also be used to fit some fairly large items.

We do like how this particular dishwasher is made with high quality stainless steel. This stainless steel is fingerprint-resistant, as well as scratch and corrosion-resistant.

The fact that it is black stainless steel makes it look very sleek and modern. Keep in mind that the interior is also made with stainless steel. This means that the interior can easily resist corrosion, rusting, and high temperatures too.

This is an Energy Star certified dishwasher, which means that it uses minimal energy. At the same time, it is also a very quiet dishwasher. It produces only 51 decibels of noise, which means that you can easily run it during the night without disturbing anybody.

What really stands out here is the wide variety of wash cycles that this unit comes with. The best cycle in our opinion is the sensor cycle. This automatically selects the best wash and dry cycles based on how dirty your dishes are. Yes, this unit can indeed judge how dirty your dishes are using integrated sensors.

This dishwasher also comes with a number of other cycles for you to utilize. You can use the one hour wash cycle to very quickly and efficiently wash your dishes. It also comes with a high temperature option, which effectively sanitizes your dishes. Not only does it remove stuck on food, but it also eliminates up to 99.99% of food and bacteria.

To ensure the best results, this unit also comes complete with a heated dry function. All in all, as far as hard water is concerned, this might just be the best unit on the list today.

Pros

• High level of durability
• Ideal for hard water
• Efficient drying process
• Many cycles to choose from
• Sensor mode for energy efficiency
• Sanitize mode
• Plenty of interior space
• Durable stainless steel construction
• Energy efficient
• Fairly quiet

Cons

• Has been known to spring a leak with prolonged use

Samsung 24” Stainless Steel Tall Tub Dishwasher

Here we have a large and powerful dishwasher that is loaded to the brim with features. No, it’s definitely not the cheapest unit on the list today, but it might just be one of the best.

Let’s take a closer look to see what this particular Samsung dishwasher can bring to the table. What’s actually really cool about this unit is that it is smart home compatible. You can hook it up to your smartphone to monitor it from a distance.

Review

Right off the bat, this is one of the most silent dishwashers on the list today. It produces only 39 decibels of noise, which also makes it one of the quietest dishwashers in the world. It features a special insulation for noise reduction. This means that you can easily run it at nighttime without disturbing anybody.

On that same note, not only is this unit quiet, but also very energy efficient. This is one of the highest rated Energy Star certified dishwashers out there at this time. it uses only 239 kilowatt hours of electricity per year at most, thus making it extremely efficient. This is something that can help you save a whole lot of money on a yearly basis.

What you may also like about this dishwasher is the fact that the exterior is made with high quality stainless steel. It’s smudge, fingerprint, and corrosion-resistant, as well as just very durable overall. There’s also the fact that this stainless steel exterior looks very nice.

On that same note, the interior of this dishwasher is also made with stainless steel. This is designed to resist great temperatures as well as corrosion. It’s also quite easy to clean when needed.

In terms of the overall size of this unit, keep in mind that this is a 24-inch dishwasher. It has more than enough space on the inside to fit at least 15 place settings in a single load. It has two very large racks that can fit large and misshaped dishes.

It definitely has more than enough room for a family of four or even six people. What you might also like is the flexible third rack that provides you with plenty of extra space for silverware and other small items.

To ensure maximum cleaning power for pots and pans, this dishwasher comes complete with a so-called zone booster. This directs an additional stream of water to the bottom left hand area of the dishwasher for those super dirty pots and pans. On that same note, this unit also features a linear washer system with a so-called Aquablast corner to corner coverage.

What you may also appreciate is the automatic release door. At the end of a cycle, the door will automatically open. This helps to circulate air to the inside of the unit, thus helping your dishes dry faster and better.

In terms of cycles, here you can choose from automatic, crystal, delay start, high temperature, pots and pans, quick wash, rinse and hold, sensor wash, and standard wash.

Of course, the sensor wash is a really cool feature. It automatically senses just how dirty your dishes are. It will then automatically adjust water pressure and temperature to match your needs. This means that dishes come out perfectly clean every time without wasting unnecessary amounts of water.

The high temperature sanitize function is pretty cool too because it does really well at removing stuck-on foods. At the same time, this high temperature function also removes up to 99.99% of all bacteria.

Pros

• Ideal for hard water use
• Superior cleaning power
• Corner to corner spray coverage
• Tons of wash cycles to choose from
• Sanitize and sensor cycles
• Auto door open at the end of a cycle
• Stainless steel interior and exterior
• Plenty of interior space
• Quiet and energy efficient

Cons

• Not exactly budget friendly
• Auto open door doesn’t always work

SPT Stainless Steel Smart Dishwasher

What we have here is a relatively high-end dishwasher that is loaded to the brim with features. It has plenty of space, tons of cleaning power, many cycle options, and so much more. Let’s take a closer look.

Review

Right off the bat, you might like this unit to because of its silent operation. It produces just 44 decibels of noise, thus making it extremely quiet. You can definitely run it at nighttime without waking up the whole house.

Moreover, this particular dishwasher is also Energy Star certified. This means that it uses as little energy as humanly possible. This of course means that you can save a whole lot of money on your monthly electricity bills.

In terms of the dimensions, this is a 24-inch dishwasher. It comes complete with triple racks on the inside for plenty of dishes. It can fit around 16 place settings at once and features a lower rack and a middle rack. Both of these have plenty of space for tall dishes.

Here, you also get a third upper rack. This is designed for small items and for items such as cutlery. What you might also like is how this unit comes complete with triple water jets. These allow for corner to corner coverage for efficient cleaning power.

The door of this unit as well as the interior are both made out of stainless steel. The stainless steel door not only looks very nice, but it’s also very resilient. It’s smudge-resistant and easy to clean. On that same note, the interior is very resistant to high temperatures as well as to corrosion.

In terms of wash programs, you can choose from pots and pans, normal wash, crystal wash, quick wash, rinse only, and the energy saver mode. We especially like this unit due to the energy saving mode.

However, it doesn’t end there because there is still more. It also comes with a turbo wash function for those times when you need dishes cleaned quickly. One of the best features here is the sanitize function. This more or less boils your dishes and removes even the toughest of messes. At the same time, it also helps to kill 99.9% of all germs out there.

Pros

• Great washing power
• Turbo dry
• Sanitize wash mode
• 6 wash programs to choose from
• High quality stainless steel build
• High capacity design
• Quiet operation
• Energy Star certified

Cons

• Does not have a sensor mode
• Not the most budget friendly

Buyers Guide

Before you go out and buy a dishwasher for hard water, there are some important considerations to keep in mind.

1. The Interior

One of the things to keep an eye out for is what the interior of the dishwasher is made out of. For use with hard water, you definitely want stainless steel as opposed to plastic. A plastic interior just cannot resist hard water the same way that stainless steel can. On that same note, a stainless steel exterior is always beneficial too.

2. Sensor Wash

Something else that can help your dishwasher stand up to hard water is if it features a sensor wash mode. A sensor wash mode automatically adjusts temperature, pressure, and water volume output based on your needs. This can indeed help your dishwasher last for much longer when hard water is being used.

3. High Temperatures

If you want a dishwasher that is ideal for hard water, you do want to look for one that features high temperatures. You especially want to look for a sanitized mode. Very high water temperatures have the ability to dissolve the minerals contained in hard water. This will prevent those minerals from sticking to the interior of your dishwasher.

4. A Water Softener

Although finding a dishwasher with an integrated water softener is not easily done, they do exist. If you happen to find a dishwasher with a water softener integrated, then you are definitely on the right track.

5. Cost, Brand, and Overall Durability

The simple fact of the matter here is that if you want a dishwasher that can withstand hard water, you will have to pay for it. A good bet here is to go with a high end brand name that is known for producing durable products.

FAQ

1. How can I treat hard water in my dishwasher?

You can always add some lemon juice or vinegar into your wash in order to deal with hard water.

2. How do I check for hard water?

If you notice lots of white spots in residue on your appliances, then you probably have hard water. That said, the best way to check for hard water is by using a water testing kit.

3. How do I deal with hard water in my home?

To deal with hard water, one of the best things that you can do is to get a whole house water softening system.

Conclusion

When it comes down to it, the number one dishwasher for hard water on the list today is the FRIGIDAIRE 24-Inch Stainless Steel Built-In Dishwasher. Its performance is nearly unbeatable.