When we bought the house here in Idaho we had to buy a refrigerator, washer and dryer. We knew that coming into things. We got good ones there.
Now that we had been in the house a few weeks, living here and doing life here we found that the dishwasher was not really working all that well. We would run dishes and about 25%-33% of the dishes would still be somewhat dirty (and in some cases quite dirty). The one that bothered me the most were cups because they would tend to still have milk residue at the bottoms of them. So, we tried pre-cleaning everything more. Something that I think is a waste of water and time. It made a little difference, but still we were having to rewash dishes.
So the decision was to replace the dishwasher. I decided that we would look at getting a Bosch dishwasher similar to what we had in AZ. We really liked it for many reason like – it was quite, it had a cool third rack for silverware (and small lids), the layout for dishes was well done, and it always cleaned the dishes. So, I looked and I was able to order one from Costco for a really good price. And it came with free delivery, free uninstalling of our old dishwasher, free install of the new dishwasher, and free hauling away of the old one. (I know that I am paying for all those things in the price and my Costco membership but it was still a better price than anywhere else I could have ordered the dishwasher). And we got an extra discount because we ordered a mattress for our guest bedroom at the same time, and there was a Costco deal when you ordered more things. So an extra $100 off the order for ordering 2 things at once.
That got installed today and I already like it more. The installer was super friendly, Josh, and he was all but raised in the area here so we chatted about the area while he installed it.
And now for the extra fun twist – last night our microwave went out. It was running, and then it just stopped. As in no power. And when opened it had an electrical smell to it. I assumed it was trash. Then about 45 minutes later it turned back on. So, we tried it out to heat up some cobbler for dessert, and it acted like it was running, but when the food came out – it was cold. So we tried one more time to confirm and it was still cold. Therefore it was trash.
The thing about this microwave is that it is not a countertop model, and it isn’t an above the range microwave. No, my friends it is on a shelf above the oven, in an alcove, with a trim piece around it. So, I took that trim off and found that the microwave was on a special stand and there was another piece that acted like a shelf for it to sit on. I got that all apart, and through some online reacher and talking to Josh, the dishwasher installer, that I can get a replacement microwave that will go in that hole, but not using the same trim kit. I will have to start over with a hole size and go from there. So, then I got online and found that microwaves that go in holes like this are pricey. At least the trim kits are often the same cost as the mircowaves themselves, or the entire thing can cost 3-4 times as much as s standard microwave – that seems a bit wrong to me. I know it has to due with lots of factors like demand and design, but still. I thought about just putting a regular microwave in there, and leaving space around it to store things like the dish covers we use in the microwave, but that was shot down by my wonderful wife. She thinks it was look kludgy, and since we are “adults” now we should have it look right. I know she is right.
So, tomorrow I will venture out and look for a new microwave. Josh was able to suggest a long time family owned appliance store in Boise that he said is his go to personally and where he suggests to everyone who asks him about where to buy appliances. I am really hoping that I can find something there to buy. I really don’t want to order anything. We use a microwave almost everyday. So, time without one will be a challenge.