A few years ago when I was down at my parents' house my mother happened to overhear the last of a conversation I was having with my dad and my brother. "...Brunhilde...she's old and ugly, but she works like a champ!" From the living room came my mom's voice, saying something to the effect of who in the world was I talking about?!?
Well, the answer was my dishwasher, which I had long ago named Brunhilde. Don't ask me why, but when I just googled that name, found it refers to a Norse female warrior, and I think it truly fits my Brunhilde.
When we bought this house nineteen years ago, it came with what were maybe the original appliances in the kitchen. The stove and refrigerator were replaced almost immediately, and I intended to replace the dishwasher, but it did such a good job of washing the dishes that I kept putting it off. Over the years I have truly come to love and appreciate Brunhilde, though she is indeed old and ugly. While those descriptors are true, she is also efficient (as in fast). Her normal cycle takes forty-five minutes, start to finish (no hot air dry), and my dishes are spotless. Every.Single.Time. And I never rinse our dishes!
Never mind that her front panel is wrinkled (she came to me that way, but how??), a number of the pegs on her racks are broken off, a rubber molding on her front panel is loose on one side and sort of sticks out, and her insides are orange in places thanks to our well water. Even with these defects, she chugs on; they are superficial and have no effect on her performance. She is a champ and I will be broken-hearted when the day comes that she has to be replaced. I do not hear good things about today's dishwashers. Hour and a half running times, and still the dishes are not clean?
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| Brunhilde the faithful! |
Hang in there, Brunhilde, hang in there!! (And here's where I must say that as I was emptying Brunhilde today, I thought again of how thankful I am to have a dishwasher! I love to make messes in the kitchen and it's truly a blessing to have a machine that takes care of most of the cleanup.)
You are truly blessed to have this old warrior in your kitchen. Never mind her wrinkles. As you know, I'm the owner of a late model Kenmore (Whirlpool) that is all but useless. The efficiency cycle runs for two hours and 20 minutes. I just run the one hour cycle, which is just as good because neither cycle is going to clean my dishes. My dishes are clean when I put them in the dishwasher. Sometimes I wonder why I bother with it. I believe that Brunhilde has good old-fashioned water power. The new machines do not. -- AND, when mine was a year old I had to have her fixed, which was half again her original cost. I won't be fixing her again.
ReplyDeleteI think the only way to get a dishwasher that *might* work is to buy one for over $1000. I hear Bosch might be the one to buy.
DeleteI have always believed that paying more gets a better product, but unfortunately this hasn't always proved to be the case, so I think twice when it comes to the big bucks. But thanks for the tip. I would consider it if I buy again.
ReplyDeleteI think your first comment was right on--water power, and that's what it takes to get dishes clean in lieu of a washcloth. I, too, think paying more nets a better product, but some of the new regulations seem to keep that from happening. I hope Brunhilde gives me enough warning so that I can research and buy before I have to resort to the washcloth for too long!
DeleteOh! -- I forgot to say that you maybe you could find a new panel for Brunhilde if you wanted to. You know -- just if you wanted to.
ReplyDeleteI did ponder doing that but at this point her defects are part of her charm! LOL
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