I was not a fan of our kitchen till a few things happened. One, painting the cabinets; two, installing a subway tile backsplash; and three, installing a new oven that we can actually use for baking. Of course, I would love to have a kitchen like the one below, but I have to be realistic.
After all, this little 1928 Craftsman is our first house, and we would like to retire to Hawaii one day. So, I do my day dreaming on Pinterest and then snap out of it and come back to reality.
Sadly, it is about time for another new appliance in our kitchen – the dishwasher. It is no longer cleaning like it should. Mr. Spring has even pulled it all apart and cleaned the nooks and crannies, but that really didn’t make a difference. This is where the question comes.
(Source)
Should we go for a stainless dishwasher?
(Source)
Or a white dishwasher?
There are pros and cons to both. The stainless is the must-have, and when you watch HGTV, you feel like you might lose a buyer if you do not have stainless appliances. So, in the long run for resale, it seems as if buyers’ eyes go towards stainless, and that is all that they want. They also want granite countertops, which we do not have either. We are not sure if we will ever get them because we do not want to price ourselves out of the area. The stainless is sleek, but how is it with finger prints? We do not have children yet, but does it drive all the mothers out there crazy to clean the stainless?
The white dishwasher that we have tends to blend in with the cabinets more, and it is easy to clean. We do not see fingerprints on this bad boy. One day we know we will have to get a new frig, and we will have the same dilemma about it, too. So, the question is for you, dear readers. What should we do – white or stainless????? Please give your opinions and feedback in our comment section. We’re confused and really would love to hear from you on this. Thanks in advance!
We have stainless, and we have a 2 year old. Yes you get finger prints, but it cleans easily.
I say go white but get a panel made that matches your cabinet doors to put on the front.
If that’s not an option, I think all white with the buttons in the top edge instead of along the front will really help it blend right in.
I like my stainless steel appliances. I don’t notice any fingerprints, but I don’t have children (unless you count my dogs). I clean them with Windex (to remove grease splatters) and then spray with Pledge and wipe with a microfiber cloth. There are no streaks that way.
I still have a white cooktop and I hate it! It’s horrible to clean because the only way to get it clean is to use oven cleaner on it and I still can’t get the gray grates perfectly clean.
I have gray grates too. They drove me crazy for years but recently I found a way to clean them (pinterest) that really works. Put the grate in a zip lock bag with 3 or 4 tablespoons of ammonia. Seal the bag and let the grates sit overnight. In the morning take the grates out rinse and wipe off all the crud. I was amazed at how well this works. I’m much happier with my oven now that I can get it really clean easily.
Shannon,
I will be buying some ammonia to try this. Thank you for the tip!
Cheers!
I have three kids and a stainless dishwasher. I have no worries with it, and I do think for resale factor people want stainless, so I would go with that!
Have white cabinets and did have white appliances. Went with the stainless when they needed to be replaced and just love them. Breaks up the monotony of all white. No problem with fingerprints.
I vote for stainless. Your sink and faucet, jar tops and small appliance are stainless and I think that will be enough to pull it all together. The white never matches the cabinets and I think a completely different colour looks better as opposed to “tried to match it but failed”.
Your home is lovely….keep up the good work:)
You can’t use magnets on a stainless fridg and some of us enjoy hanging stuff on that surface…..I am a neighbor of yours and we redid our kitchen 8 years ago and went for the white appliances in a wood kitchen. i don’t regret it……..
When are you putting your house on the market? If not for quite some time then I wouldn’t worry about the stainless factor. I feel the stainless trend is winding down. I’ve always thought white is the best way to go with for the money. It’s timeless. And a note on granite. Counter tops are the first trend to come and go. Remember when tile was all the rage and then granite. I’ve never liked granite most of it is too blingy for me. I worry about our landfills being filled with granite counter tops that are starting to be ripped out. Marble, quartz, and wood are the newer trends. But they will also come and go. For the most bang for your buck and timeless look I would think about a neutral solid surface counter top.
Karen
Karen,
We are not putting our house on the market anytime soon. We always are thinking of resale value and making a smart choice for us and resale in the future.
Cheers!
We have an older black and stainless drop in stove. When the fridge had to be replaced I went with the stainless and love it. My husband leaves many fingerprints but they come off easily with a spray cleaner for stainless. Then the dishwasher had to go and it is right next to the fridge, so it just had to be stainless to match. It is much easier to keep clean because I am the one loading it most of the time. If your children are small they won’t be using the dishwasher. Get what makes your heart SING. If price is a concern as it was for me, Wait untill a sale.
Linda
Regarding the granite piling up in landfills.. check out Greendemolitions.org.
I bought most of my house parts from them, and there are architectural salvage places like them in many cities, where the ripped out granite and other house parts can go. It’s a great option if you’re shopping, and a really great option if you’re renovating!
I didn’t want granite, but when I found that it was the same price as Corian, it was a no brainer and I love it! So easy to care for!
I have to say I hate my black enamel top stove… that black enamel is never un-streaky!!! My stainless on the other hand gets a quick wipe with Clorox wipes and looks great!
I have stainless, and have no problems with fingerprints. As far as granite is concerned…I’d go for a product that is green….recycled glass perhaps. 😉
stainless is supposed to be on it’s way out so I would go for white especially if your cabinets are white. We have white cabinets but the stove, microwave and dishwasher are black and it looks nice and graphic. The previous homeowners took their black refrigerator and ours is white, so even though the appliances do not all match the white fridge actually blends in better with the surrounding cabinetry.
I agree with previous poster that it will be tough to match the whites. A quick spritz of windex on the fingerprints and you’re all set. Some stainless is better than others, though. Take notice when you shop which ones are the smudgiest. I have a small under counter extra fridge in my kitchen by GE that really gets smudgy compared to all the other stainless. But it’s not terrible. Also, black is a great option. but I think it looks great with maple or wood cabinets. It might really jump next to the white.
Whatever you do will be wonderful.
Also, best d/w I have owned is by Kitchenaid, if that helps!
I am currently in the process of getting all major appliances upgraded, and I am going with Stainless Steel. The new Stainless does not have an issue with fingerprints, and also it does not need to be constantly cleaned, due to fingerprints.
Your Kitchen will look much better with some Stainless to break things up, as all white tends to look rather boring. Pops of color also helps, and having some of your favorite things out makes the Kitchen your own.
Good Luck, I hope that you enjoy what you decide!!! 🙂
go stainless. depending on the “grain” of the stainless it cleans just as easily.
white is seen a lot but is on its way out. that is what we were told repeatedly when we did our kitchen. but realllllllly do what you want and are comfortable with. i learned so much doing my kitchen and now having it done. i bet mr spring could do cement ctops. i absolutely love them. and you can tint them in any color!!
I love my stainess appliances and as stated above, not too much of an issue in newer model appliances. Plus, you mainly use the handle to put your dishwasher up and down so the front is rarely touched by fingers! I think the stainless will be around longer than you will be in this house!
I have owned 7 homes, and also was a real estate broker. I can tell you, since we all often move much sooner than we may have expected (the average time in a home is only 5-7 years) I would go with stainless. Without exception, it is preferred and, in fact, I had couples who refused to buy a home that did not have stainless appliances – both my own, and as a realtor!
White. Stainless will not be your friend in…what is your plan again? Did Wyatt make it a 10 year plan? Anyways, you want one that will be able to have magnetic letters and easy to clean. At least the white won’t show the fingerprints…..
I guess that I would ask whether or not you plan to sell your house anytime soon. Stainless is trendy, but so was avocado green way back when. How many of us want that now?! I have struggled with the same dilemma. Our microwave bit it, and we needed to get a new one. Our appliances are black (except for the stove, which is cream —- go figure). I opted for a black one, since it will match what we (mostly) have. Our kitchen is one that we would eventually love to gut, but the chances of that are slim to none. If we sold the house, I think hat a buyer would be thinking the same thing. So it brings me to my point —- why have an appliance that doesn’t match what you have already? If you are going to be replacing everything else relatively soon, go for it. If not, stick with the white. It will match, will look nice, and will be functional. Plus, it will not show fingerprints. And your kitchen is adorable!
I think you should go with the white. I think the stainless would stand out from the other appliances. We had to buy a new fridge a few months ago and got stainless and it really shows fingerprints and our children are grown! By the way I think your kitchen looks great!