Wiping down the front of a dishwasher after loading in the dirty dishes kind of goes with the territory. No matter how careful you are, greasy finger marks always seem to spoil an otherwise clean surface. The latest integrated machines from German domestic appliance maker Miele overcome this messy problem with a couple of taps.
When we say taps, we're not talking about the shiny chrome ones on your kitchen sink. Miele has developed a door opening technology called Knock2open for integrated dishwashers in two model categories of its latest Generation 6000 series machines.
As you've probably guessed by now, tapping twice on the front of the handle-free door automatically and quietly opens it to the ajar position. Then you can push it down without smudging the front and load in the dirty dishes. The company says that the mechanism won't accidentally open up if you're noisily chopping veg on a nearby worktop or slamming kitchen units closed.
At-a-glance monitoring has also been incorporated into the new machines. Its TimeControl feature uses four edge-mounted LEDs that auto switch on when a wash cycle starts, then turn off at timed points in the program. The last remaining light indicates that 20 minutes are remaining before the door is automatically opened and you can safely remove the cleaned and dried dishes.
We're currently waiting for information from Miele on exactly how this new system works, but while we were at the company's IFA booth we couldn't resist giving the G 6995 SCVi XXL K20 demonstration model a dry run. We can report that the handle-free door did indeed open after two short knocks on the front.
Keeping grease-laden fingers away from the otherwise clean front when closing the door after loading up the dirty dishes wasn't mentioned in the announcement. Nothing special immediately jumped out at us during our visit to the booth, and we were considering that some energetic knee action might be brought into play when we spotted a notice next to the unit that mentioned an AutoClose Function. Sadly, no further details were available.
If the Automatic program is selected, water consumption in the new models is a low as 6.5 liters. The unit on show in Berlin is rated A+++ for energy efficiency, the highest grade EU Energy Label.
No availability information has been provided, but the dishwasher on display at Miele's IFA booth was priced at €2,399 (about US$3,000).
Source: Miele