Utilizing powerful water jets, heat, and various sensors, a well-made dishwasher will remove even the most caked-on dirt without harming your dinnerware. Indeed, choosing a dishwasher that has powerful cleaning ability but won’t damage your carefully selected dinner plates is a top consideration for many consumers. After all, what is the point of using a dishwasher if, in the end, the dishes come out dirty or broken?

A lot of factors go into choosing the right dishwasher, but we’ve boiled down a few of the most important considerations:

• Stainless Steel Tub – Higher-end models tend to have stainless steel interiors for a reason – they don’t show dirt and stains as easily and are overall more durable than their plastic counterparts.
• Wash/Cycle Settings – From china and crystal settings to heavy-duty cycles, most dishwashers come with several preset wash programs. Don’t let all the fancy cycles fool you though; they don’t necessarily clean better. With few exceptions, you will only need three basic dishwasher cycles: Light, Normal, and Pots & Pans.
• Dishwasher Noise Levels – Some dishwashers may boast about their low decibel level, but beware—this number is usually the average of the entire cycle. That means the louder moments are averaged into the softer moments. If having a truly quiet dishwasher is important to you, read what other reviewers have to say about the cycle’s loudest moments.
• Dishwasher Cycle Time – A normal wash cycle is somewhere in the area of two to four hours, depending on the selected wash program.