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Hi everyone, it’s Twilife.
For those building a custom home or considering a kitchen renovation, deciding on a dishwasher is often a major dilemma.
- Should we even get one in the first place?
- Which brand is the best?
- Slide-open (drawer style) or front-loading?
- And should we go with 45cm or 60cm…?
With so many options, I know many of you might be struggling to decide.
Today, I’d like to share how we made our decision as a two-person household, and our unfiltered thoughts after actually using it.
To give you the conclusion right up front: we installed the Panasonic 60cm front-loading dishwasher… and it was an absolutely fantastic decision.
Our Lifestyle and Daily Usage
The “perfect” dishwasher depends entirely on your household’s lifestyle.
For context, here is a quick look at how we live.
- Two-person household
- Mostly working from home (I’m 100% WFH, my husband is about 50/50)
- Cook twice a day (lunch and dinner)
Breakfast is usually simple—smoothies or toast—so there aren’t many dishes.
Lunch is also a quick fix like soba noodles or a one-pan meal.
- Run once a day (at night): We give breakfast and lunch dishes a quick rinse and load them in. At night, we wash them all together along with our large pots and frying pans.
- Turn it on before bed: By the next morning, everything is bone-dry and ready to be put away.
- We trust it with almost everything: Except for cutting boards and some wooden items, everything goes in the dishwasher. *Note: We use items not officially recommended by manufacturers at our own risk.
Keeping this usage in mind, I’ll break down exactly why we chose this specific dishwasher.
Should You Get One? A Must for Cooking Lovers
Since both my husband and I love cooking, we cook at home frequently, which naturally generates a mountain of dishes.
In our previous apartment, we hand-washed everything every single time.
Not only did it take forever and ruin my hands, but I hated how we subconsciously limited our cooking repertoire just to avoid making more dishes.
Obviously, installing a dishwasher saved us a massive amount of time.
But what made us even happier was “the freedom to cook without the fear of washing up.”
- No hesitation with measuring spoons: We don’t eyeball ingredients as much, meaning far fewer seasoning fails.
- Using more kitchen appliances: We freely use the blender and other tools that used to be a pain to wash.
- Freedom in plating: We stopped doing “one-plate” meals just to save on dishes and can now enjoy setting the table with lots of small, beautiful bowls.
- The sink stays pristine: This is personally my favorite part! Since dirty dishes don’t pile up, sink cleanings have drastically reduced, completely eliminating that “cluttered” look from the open kitchen.
I genuinely feel that a dishwasher isn’t just a convenient tool—it expands your culinary horizons and enriches your dining experience.
Plus, with less hand-washing, there are fewer water splatters, meaning the sink, countertops, and floors stay much cleaner.
Why We Chose the 60cm Front-Loading Model
Dishwashers generally come in two types: “slide-open” (drawer style) and “front-loading” (where the door drops down and you pull out the baskets).
The Biggest Appeal: No “Tetris” Required
I’ll skip the minor pros and cons of each, but I believe the absolute biggest advantage of a front-loading dishwasher is being able to load dishes randomly.
For a household like ours that adds dishes a little bit at a time after every meal, a slide-open model would require us to play “dish Tetris” every time we needed to fit things into the bottom layer.
With a front-loading model, each rack slides out independently, so you can just toss things in without overthinking it, and everything usually fits.
We chose the massive 60cm size for the exact same reason.
With a 45cm model, you inevitably have to strategize about angles and loading order.
Some might say, “Just learn how to load it efficiently,” but the entire point of buying a dishwasher is to reduce your daily burden and save time.
“Time spent playing Tetris = You might as well hand-wash”
I wanted to eliminate even the mental effort of calculating loading order and angles.
I believe that “being able to mindlessly toss dishes in” is the single greatest benefit of spending big money on a dishwasher.Even for Two People, 60cm Fills Up Fast
Before buying it, I honestly thought, “Isn’t 45cm enough for just two people?”
But I was completely wrong: even the 60cm gets full surprisingly quickly.
We frequently use large cookware like:
- Oven trays
- 30cm frying pans
- Large stockpots
Being able to fit multiple large items with ease is a luxury only the 60cm front-loading model provides.
It would be tragic to spend all that money on a dishwasher only to have to hand-wash things because “they don’t fit.”
We run it fully loaded every single day, so I shudder to think what would have happened if we went with the 45cm.
If you ever use large pots and pans, I unhesitatingly recommend the 60cm front-loading model.
Why We Chose Panasonic
When it comes to front-loading dishwashers, brands like Miele, Bosch, and Rinnai are famous.
While they are all fantastic products, we ultimately chose Panasonic because of these three features:
- Reliable heater drying
- Odor elimination with Nanoe-X
- Auto-cleaning filter system
1. Reliable Heater Drying It perfectly dries everything regardless of the material. *Note: Bowls with deep bottoms need to be tilted slightly so water doesn’t pool.
2. Nanoe-X Odor Elimination Even if breakfast dishes sit in there until night, there is absolutely no bad smell inside the tub.
3. Auto-Cleaning Filter System After 3 months of daily use, the filter is still sparkling clean.
It’s so good that I actually worry, “When am I supposed to clean this?”The cleaning power is also flawless. It completely removes crusted curry and burnt-on pan grime without any pre-rinsing.
The dedicated bottle stand blasts away tea stains deep inside our tumblers, leaving them undeniably cleaner than hand-washing ever could.
Recommended Tips & Things to Note
Finally, after months of use, here are our top tips and a minor warning.
Panasonic supports both liquid detergent and gel pods, but I overwhelmingly recommend gel pods.
- Liquid: The dispenser is at the bottom of the door, meaning you have to bend down and measure it every time.
- Gel Pods: Just toss one right into the tub. Zero strain on your back.
Because it’s something you use every single day, cutting out every possible hassle is the right move.
Our dishwasher-safe silicone “Stasher” bags are also fantastic. They are great for microwave and oven cooking, and we just toss them in the dishwasher without a second thought.
While oil and burnt bits come off perfectly without pre-rinsing, you need to watch out for tiny vegetable scraps (like minced cabbage or green onions).
Perhaps due to the hot air drying, they can sometimes dry out and bake onto the plates.
The trick for a spotless finish is to simply scrape larger solid bits into the sink before loading.Conclusion: The One Appliance You Shouldn’t Compromise On
Of all the options we chose when building our custom home, the dishwasher is one of the things we are most genuinely glad we installed.
I know many people struggle with this decision, but if we were to build another house, we would unequivocally choose the “60cm front-loading” model again.
Even if our budget forced us to give up on other features, this would remain our top priority.
Being freed from the tedious daily cleanup allows you to purely enjoy the time spent cooking and eating together.
I hope this convenience translates to anyone currently designing their kitchen.
Thank you so much for reading.
I hope this blog helps you even a little bit with your home-building journey.
＼ Read our full review of the L-Class Kitchen, including the cooktop and countertops ／
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