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The Best Coolers for Every Type of Summer Chiller

2025-06-09T17:26:22-04:00

Whether you need a massive, dad-coded vault or a chair with a built-in beer stash (because getting up sounds hard), these coolers will rule your warm-weather kickbacks

Whether you’re packing up frankfurters for a weekend in the woods or rolling up to a pool party with brewskies to share, you’re going to need some portable cold storage, aka a cooler. These days, there is a cooler for every conceivable Enneagram; the folks at Igloo have gone full Oreo, launching a bunch of vibey retro coolers in previously unseen hues and some extremely niche branded coolers, while luxury brands like Business & Pleasure have engineered an archetypal Talented Mr. Ripley-esque, sea-ready ice chest, and the same people who gave us the Ninja Swirl crafted one of the most expedition-worthy coolers the back of your SUV has ever seen. Here’s what the coolest coolers out there tell the world about the people who tote them.

“My Other Car is a Ninja Cooler”: The Ninja FrostVault

With its sturdy, sand-ready wheels and cavernous interior, the Ninja FrostVault is like an ATV for your many beach snacks. This massive, dad-coded cooler keeps cold cuts perfectly chilled for literal days, perfect for camping trips and other expeditions, and it includes a chilled dry zone that keeps dry stuff fridge-cold and never soggy for all your Type A packing needs.

“I Came to Party”: The Igloo Retro Fanny Pack

You can’t be bothered with a bunch of details. (That’s for the Ninja FrostVault crowd.) You may be here for a short time, but you’re definitely here for a good time, which is why you’ve tucked exactly three cans of Ranch Water hard seltzer and an airplane bottle of tequila in your temperature-controlled Retro Fanny Pack before donning a bucket hat and hitting the streets.

“I’m Studying for My Level 2 Somm Exam”: A Wine-Optimized Cooler Bag

Only you, a wine rep who likes to crush grapes in quaint villages on your off time, can truly know the best bottle for every occasion. It’s a gift and a burden, but fortunately, Monti’s soft quilted Mayfly cooler backpack can house three of your favorites.

Need room for some Mimolette and tarali? Check out the Corkcicle Beverage Bucket Bag with a pocket for just about everything.

“I Leisure So Hard, Weekend Is a Verb”: Business & Pleasure’s Hemingway Cooler Bench

This is the kind of conspicuous cooler that telegraphs, “I own a boat,” and not just because the design was, according to Business & Pleasure, “inspired by European car designs and luxury speed boats,” though that helps. After snagging a can of Nomadica Bubbly Rosé from its roomy 35-quart interior, you can sit back on this cooler’s detachable cushion and marvel at its sumptuous teak lid, glossy finish, and snazzy gold handles as you sail off into the sunset.

“I Would Prefer Not to Get Up”: ParkIt’s Voyager Cooler

If you’ve ever gone thirsty because you refuse to dislodge yourself from your lawn chair while basting in your own sweat on a languid summer afternoon, I’ve got good news: This brilliant folding outdoor chair from ParkIt has a cooler built right in, so your *getting up and walking over there* days are over. Take the chair/cooler to any music festival or outdoor gathering, and you are guaranteed to make new friends whether you want them or not.

“I Once Caught a Fish THIS BIG”: Canyon’s Pro 45-Quart Cooler

You often find yourself in bear country, and thus, you need a cooler that is not only bear-proof but also comes with a lifetime warranty just in case a grizzly tries any funny stuff. The PRO 45 Quart Canyon Cooler was built to hold a weekend’s worth of food and drink for two (or an overnight’s worth of stuff for four, or 15 minute’s worth of food for a bear), and since it was designed for enjoying in the great outdoors where gadget multitasking is mandatory, the included cooler divider also doubles as a food-safe surface.

“I Look Great in Jorts”: The Igloo KoolTunes

Long before iTunes, there was KoolTunes. Imagine it: Billy Joel’s 1989 classic “We Didn’t Start the Fire” absolutely blasting out of an Igloo Playmate cooler while you dole out Bud heavies to your Breakfast Club-looking crew of friends. Though they discontinued the original version in 1990, Igloo read the room and brought the KoolTunes back a few years ago, reestablishing it as the summer essential it truly is (and now it pairs with Bluetooth). And while we’re on the topic of Igloo’s fanny pack coolers, I would be doing you a disservice if I failed to mention that the brand has also designed one to look like a WWE Championship Belt for you to fill with… Slim Jims???

Stay cool, kids.

The Best Fancy Hand Soaps to Class Up Your Kitchen Counter

2025-06-09T15:02:56-04:00

Eater Staff

Turn your sink into a spa with Flamingo Estate’s heirloom tomato hand wash, Loewe’s ode to oregano, or a $20 dupe for Santal 33

When did hand soaps get so sophisticated? Perhaps it was inevitable due to the increasingly competitive [tips Monopoly Man top hat] skincare market; it was only a matter of time until I started collecting unique, fragrant, well-packaged hand soaps like Pokémon. But as someone who loves to cook, using a high-quality soap with a nice scent and making sure my hands feel fresh, hydrated, and free of eau de minced garlic or balsamic vinegar feels especially important.

Washing your hands, while necessary for practical reasons, should feel less like a chore and more like a spa experience. Yes, as far as the finer soaps go, of course we must show reverence (no pun intended) for Aesop’s epicly popular hand wash, but it’s not the only one out there. I am a proud devotee of tomato-scented suds, self-proclaimed herbaceous formulas, and the latest hand soap iteration of the smoky, Icelandic sitka spruce fragrance from the perfumerie of Sigur Ros’ frontman. What you will find below: a curation of hand soaps that lean into an herb garden-forward olfactory experience; hand soaps that feel like they could have been handed down to you from The Giving Tree, or else crafted with a mortar and pestle in a lush Mediterranean estate. What you won’t find below is a smorgasbord of saccharine, overpowering, or flowery hand washes and soaps. (Sorry, Pink Sugar loyalists.)

The way we smell matters, both to ourselves and those in our orbit. Compared to most of the perfumes I pine after, some of the best fancy hand soaps below are also much less expensive, but still succeed in their common goal of making you smell nice, look worldly, and feel, well, fancy. If you love to cook and want a little TLC for your hands, I have rounded up my marquee selection of the best fancy hand soaps for every budget.

The best fancy hand soaps under $30

A chef-approved, garlic-proof hand scrub

We love a through-the-grapevine recommendation, and we got one for Naomi’s hand scrubs from experts who love not only its odor-shooing properties, but its attractive bottle and lavish bergamot-forward scent. Formulated by Los Angeles-based chefs from Michelin-starred restaurants, it truly does double duty of eliminating even the most pungent garlic smells while simultaneously leaving your hands soft and amazing-smelling. Plus, we love that Yves Klein blue label.

This Le Labo Santal 33 dupe (is quite possibly my favorite)

An extra-hydrating vetiver scent

Soap on a rope? So European

This French classic that you can now buy on Amazon...

...And a new French classic

This Aesop dupe that’s perfect for a refillable dispenser

The best fancy hand soaps under $50

Let Aesop, king of herbaceous scents, lead the way

The winner of the tomato-scented hand soaps is: Flamingo Estate

If you want warmth (but not sweetness), opt for cardamom and cinnamon

Hand wash with a streetwear edge

Believe it or not, Brain Dead — known for its highly swaggy streetwear and collabs with everyone from Adidas and Oakley to Magic: The Gathering and Jeff Goldblum — also makes a really nice hand wash, and we love how the earthy, herbal Terra Former scent comes in this ridiculously displayable, art-emblazoned Kelly green bottle. Talk about a lowkey flex.

The best very fancy hand soaps

Diptyque’s regal soap is extra-softening for hands

Loewe’s Oregano is the perfect blend of peppery and woody

Byredo’s musky, pear-kissed scent

Baccarat Rouge 540... in hand wash form

Happy washing.

The Best Father’s Day Gifts (for Food-Loving Dads)

2025-06-09T14:36:24-04:00

Eater Staff

Cheers to Dad (with a John Deere pint glass, of course) and get him some new grill gear, a super-spicy chile crisp, or an iconic barbecue sauce set

In our experience, the best food-related Father’s Day gifts check some combination of feeling personal, kitsch, useful, and delicious. There is no one right way to be a father or a father-like figure, or shop for one, but it feels fair to say that our most successful Father’s Day presents have either fulfilled a hyper-specific need, such as a kneeling foam pad for herb gardening, or celebrated our food-loving fathers’ rituals around grilling, fishing, or making truckloads of their deceased Italian mother’s marinara on Sundays. Riposa in pace, nonna! Your son has become a worthy sauce master in your stead.

Father’s Day falls on June 15 this year, which means you have a little over a week to smash the order button on some Snake River Farms steaks or a high-tech Ooni pizza oven. Should you seriously procrastinate, there are always two-day shipping options from Amazon Prime, and retailers such as Nordstrom provide an estimate of the soonest day an order can arrive. Plus, you can also opt for day-of, shipping-free digital gifts, such as a Southern cooking MasterClass with James Beard Award–winning chef Mashama Bailey, or a gift card to Williams Sonoma.

Your dad is the best dad out of all the dads, of course, so let’s find him the perfect present, whether that means something to throw on the grill (or in the Igloo cooler) or a themed apron that harkens back to his days following the Grateful Dead.

A next-level BBQ sauce set for the grilling dad

Barbecue is an incredible edible art form, and as any brisket- and rib-loving dad knows, opinions run hot about which regional barbecue reigns supreme. That’s why we love this Pitmaster Icons gift set from Goldbelly; it features delectable sauces from Kansas City’s Joe’s KC BBQ; Rodney Scott’s Whole Hog BBQ, the James Beard award-winning restaurant in Charleston, South Carolina; world-famous Franklin Barbecue in Austin; Snow’s BBQ, the beloved Lexington, Texas spot; and a sauce created by North Carolina pitmaster Ed Mitchell. Five sauces, five distinct styles, countless delicious meals grilled by Dad. Plus, thanks to Goldbelly’s quick shipping, this set makes a great last-minute gift.

An elevated chile crisp

Speaking of condiments that feel extra-giftable, for the dad who loves to add heat to his eggs, noodles, sandwiches, or pizza, a jar of carefully selected chile crisp is a great way to broaden his horizons. We like Boon Sauce from chef Max Boonthanakit of LA’s Michelin-recommended restaurant Camphor, which remixes the classic Chinese seasoning with the addition of crispy anchovies, shallots, and fennel. It can be spooned right onto breakfast, lunch, or dinner, or be incorporated into sauces and salad dressings.

Get your dad off crappy instant coffee and into the 21st century

Look, no disrespect to Dad’s massive jar of Folger’s, but he might not even realize that we’re in the fourth wave of coffee by now (maybe even the fifth?) and there are top-tier instant coffees out there that could be blowing his mind every morning while he gets his caffeine fix. If he’s stuck in the past with his freeze-dried crystals, introduce him to Cometeer, which our coffee expert has called “the best instant coffee on the planet.” Brewed as a high-extract concentrate and flash-frozen into individual pucks that you keep in the freezer, Cometeer’s coffee tastes super because it’s never dehydrated, and blooms beautifully with the addition of hot water. “When you do decide to dissolve the puck,” Oliver Strand writes in Eater’s guide to the best instant coffee, “you will have all of the nuanced flavors and delicate aromatics of an immaculately prepared pour over from a good coffee shop.”

A handsome Snow Peak tote for lunch, beer, and beyond

Founded in Japan in 1958, Snow Peak has earned a cult following in the gorpcore crowd for making well-crafted, attractive outdoorsy goods. This Takubako tote has a durable felted exterior that lets it double as a table when turned on its side, so it’s perfect for taking sandwiches, brewskies, or snacks al fresco, whether Dad is camping, picnicking, or enjoying an outdoor sports game. Plus, it’s currently 40% off.

These Wagyu steaks from Snake River Farms

Family-operated since 1968, Snake River Farms has earned a reputation as one of the best ranch-to-table slingers in the game for the best meats you can buy, from Kurobuta pork to wild-caught seafood to dry-aged Porterhouse steak. While it’s an excellent source of dad-centric gifts in general — what father wouldn’t want a Smithey skillet or a custom meat subscription box? — but we’re thinking that Daddy deserves some of the meat purveyor’s wagyu beef, because it’s a rich, marbled cross between pure Japanese wagyu and American-bred beef.

This set of grill-ready fancy salts

With its Grilling Trio, the highly aesthetic Oregon-based company Jacobsen Salt Co. has treated us to a holy trinity of its iconic, chef-loved sea salt, as well as an infused black pepper salt and sea salt steak seasoning with minced garlic, paprika, fennel seed, rosemary, and more dried herbs.

One stainless steel frying pan to rule them all

Ah, the endless versatility of a lidded, stainless steel 10-inch frying pan. There’s a good chance your pops has sizzled his own to the high heavens, no? Eater collaborated with Heritage Steel to make our very own iteration, which is made with durable, high-quality, 5-ply stainless steel and given an extra half-inch of circumference, making it the reigning favorite of our fry pan rotation.

A leather oven mitt

Unlike that greying, striped cloth oven mitt your pops has had for years, a leather oven mitt will only look cooler as it gets a little scratched up and worn-in over the years.

Swaggy slippers for drinking wine on the patio

House shoes are, of course, a tried-and-true dad gift — and frankly, for good reason. We always need a quick pair of kicks to throw on to drink Burgundy on the lanai, grab a bag from the car, or scoop a package on the porch. Well, your pops might as well look a little rizzy doing all that, so instead of showing him you care with a boring generic pair of slippers that come zip-tied together at the discount store, step it up with these men’s Nike mules. Better yet, join him outside for a few glasses of wine and ask him to share some lore.

A Deadhead dad’s dream apron...

For the father who is still a headlight on a northbound train. Several Eater staffers own Hedley & Bennett aprons, and can attest to the comfort and durability of the cotton material. The brand’s collab with The Grateful Dead has spawned some of the coolest aprons money can buy.

...Or a denim apron for a cowboy dad

Maybe you won’t catch Papa at a Dead & Co. gig at the Sphere anytime soon, but you will catch him cranking Kenny Rogers or Tim McGraw while he’s turning some ribeyes over an open flame. Great news: Made In, one of our fave cookware brands, just dropped a very cool collab with Wrangler, and the collection includes this bitchin’ denim apron that adds a rugged edge while keeping his pearl-snap button up clean as a whistle.

A digital picture frame for the kitchen

What father doesn’t love flipping flapjacks beside a digital picture frame featuring the best snapshots of his kids, grandkids, and that time you all rode horses together on Catalina Island?

Ooni’s cult-fave pizza oven is $269 off

The Ferrari of pizza ovens. Ooni’s electric indoor model is 30 percent off right now, and can cook a Neapolitan-style pizza in just 90 seconds (a fact which your pops will love explaining to his pals before watching the game).

Track down vintage John Deere drinkware

There’s an infinite bounty of vintage John Deere coasters, shot glasses — hell, there’s even a John Deere tractor-shaped decanter — on vintage and second-hand retailer sites such as Ebay. It’s like they say: you can take the boy out of the country, but you can’t take the tractor out of his liquor cabinet.

For the pops who wants to sous vide all day

Give Dad the power of preserving his precious deer meats for seasons to come, at the touch of a button.

A MasterClass in cooking pasta and rice dishes (because even Dad doesn’t know everything)

Is it just me, or was there always a handful of track team and cross country dads who prided themselves on being able to whip up buckets of cheesy pasta dishes before a big meet? Should the dad in your life feel curious about improving their recipe portfolio, MasterClass’ series on hardy pasta and rice dishes is a great way to build up their confidence in the kitchen — although there’s a good chance they already have plenty.

Keep things cool with Stanley’s beer stein

Lest we forget, Stanley makes more than Quenchers for dirty sodas. The company’s durable hunter green flasks and colorful beer steins deserve some extra TLC, especially because the latter will keep father’s ambrosia of choice (who knows, maybe it’s a dirty soda!) chilled for hours, whether he’s just chilling on the patio, is at the Big Game, or is chilling on a fishing boat.

Soulful serving utensils

Qäsa Qäsa Carvers ethically sources all of its hand-carved pieces from the talented artisans of the Makonde tribe in Mtwara, Tanzania. No two sets will look quite alike, and the mixed assortment of blackwood utensils will look just as beautiful serving up a dense bean salad or spices as it will hanging from a pot rack.

This coffret of worldly sausages

Olympia Provisions is the United States’ first-ever USDA-approved salumeria, and it has united 13 lucky sausages with flavor profiles from around the world (think, the cinnamon, clove, and nutmeg sausages of Alsace, France, and the bright citrus-kissed flavors of Greek loukanika) into this gift box for Dad.

Because dads deserve their flowers, too

Leave it to Urban Stems, maker of my go-to Mother’s Day bouquet, the Unicorn, to assemble something festive for Father’s Day. This bouquet is aptly dubbed “The Men Love Flowers,” because it’s a peach rose- and golden marigold-forward bundle of optimism and energy that pops will appreciate.

Happy Father’s Day, champ.

Cafe Momentum Founder Chad Houser Cried and Laughed About Being the James Beard Humanitarian of the Year

2025-06-09T13:56:37-04:00

CEO and Founder Chad Houser with a Cafe Momentum intern. | Cafe Momentum

https://dallas.eater.com/2025/6/9/24446084/chad-houser-cafe-momentum-dallas-james-beard-humanitarian-of-the-year-2025-interview

This Fan Comes With Me to Every Picnic and Outdoor Dinner

2025-06-09T13:34:57-04:00

It’s the difference between glowing and “girl, are you okay?”

Do you know what kills the vibe for me when I’m dining outside in the summer? Well, second to the smell of hot trash languishing on city sidewalks, which dampens the mood no matter how cute the outdoor table setup is. It’s the knowledge that the person seated across from me is also too aware of the beads of sweat gathering on my nose and forming into an unflattering sweat stache on my upper lip, belying my desire to appear cool and chill. Instead of impressing with my nonchalance, or radiating the allure of a person unaffected by the constant inconveniences of city life, I’m melting into an overheated mess.

I’d grown up with an appreciation for the Spanish fan my mother would unfurl in hot churches or summer park trips with a poised and satisfying flick of the wrist. The confident clack of the fan made it clear her comfort was non-negotiable and needed no justification. At fairs and festivals as a kid, I’d tote around a battery-operated misting fan. These were easier than my mom’s fans and effective, sure, but they’re way too clunky for regular life. I needed a higher-tech, less conspicuous option I could bring to a variety of venues. Last summer, I found a solution: a USB-chargeable, folding handheld fan, which I likely first saw on TikTok, the source of all endorsements for sub-$20 plastic gadgets. The one I have is listed by the brand JISULIFE, and it currently goes for just $15. Long and pill-shaped, the fan has two rounded nubs on one end that, in combination with a decal on the side, make it look like a bear. I have the pink one, but the visual effect is clearest on the brown one. There are other, non-folding fan designs, but I like how sleek it feels when stored in my bag, with no risk of pens or balled-up old receipts falling into the blades. Just look past the appearance when it’s folded up — a few people have given me weird looks when I’ve pulled it out of my tote in public.

Unfold it and one half becomes a handle, while the other exposes the fan’s blades. Tap the power button and you find two surprisingly effective speeds. You can hold the fan as-is, as I do while waiting in the humid bowels of the subway in July. Or, you can push the handle back horizontally to act as a stand so you can set the fan on a table, as I did at an inadequately air-conditioned Jersey Shore bar last summer. After a day full of the season’s indignities — I was sweaty, sandy, sunburned, and had just gotten pooped on, right in the center of my face, by a seagull. (I declined my editor’s suggestion to call this a seagullseye.) A cold beer and some concentrated fan time kept me out of meltdown territory. The motor is powerful enough to create a comfortable breeze but weak enough to not create intrusive sounds (sometimes I even set the fan on my desk, out of frame during microphone-on meetings).

Do I need to say more? The fan is a multitasker too. Tap the power button while it’s folded up, and it’s a flashlight, or unfold it and use it as a portable charger (I wouldn’t rely too heavily on the latter, but it’s helped me eke past scary-low battery levels in order to get home). I thought it would be disposable garbage, the kind of thing I’d give up on after a few uses and then feel guilty about, but it exceeded my expectations.

I charge the fan every few days through the USB-C cord that connects to my computer, and it has yet to die on me when I need it. It comes to my rescue at picnics, beach days, and outdoor dinners. It shoos away bugs, allows me to keep some composure while commuting, and helps me feel less self-conscious about the face-sweat situation. Having it in my bag feels like reassurance that comfort is close at hand; it’s a sentiment that sometimes eludes me in the summer. Every time I pull it out on the train, I hope I inspire someone else to carry a fan of their own.

Just as my mom, the Filipino woman that she is, always carried either her Spanish fan or a native heart-shaped, woven palm fan, I bring my bear-shaped device everywhere. The discomfort of summer, and the anxieties it creates, can’t be avoided entirely. But with the right tools, it can be mitigated — lesson learned. We become our mothers, just modernized (and hopefully less sweaty).

I’ve yet to find a solution for dealing with the garbage smells, however.

The Best Single-Use Kitchen Tools, According to Eater Staff

2025-06-09T13:03:58-04:00

Francky Knapp

The coffee grinder, electric kettle, garlic press, popcorn popper, and more unitaskers that are beloved by our cooking experts

There is an admirable, spartan beauty to the single-use kitchen tool, otherwise known as a unitasker: the zester that remains ever monogamous to zesting its fruit, the cheese knife that begs for Brie, or the corer that makes a parade of apple pies possible at Thanksgiving. Not that I’m turning my nose up at multitaskers and trendy hybrid kitchen tools — at their best, they save you time, money, and space. But there’s a special place in my heart for the noble unitasker.

My fellow Eater staffers agree. And as we swapped stories of stand-out tools, we realized that so many of us sang the praises of tried and true unitaskers, including garlic presses, kettles, popcorn makers, and more tools that have the potential to make your life a whole lot easier while pouring olive oil, making German egg noodles, and whatever else you have in store.

This Is an M&M?

2025-06-09T11:49:58-04:00

Joanna Lin

https://punchdrink.com/articles/mezcal-amaro-montenegro-trend/

Eddie Huang Is Back Cooking in New York — And Wants to Open a Restaurant

2025-06-09T11:45:16-04:00

Eddie Huang is cooking at the Flower Shop this summer. | Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images for IMDb

https://ny.eater.com/2025/6/9/24444264/eddie-huang-lower-east-side-pop-up-restaurant-flower-shop-bar

Brandy From New York? This Upstate Distillery Is Counting on It.

2025-06-09T11:40:26-04:00

Brandy from Klocke Estate. | Eric Medsker/Kocke Estate

https://ny.eater.com/2025/6/9/24444405/klocke-estate-brandy-distillery-new-york

How to Ensure Your Dishwasher Outlives Its Standard Life Expectancy

2025-06-09T10:00:00-04:00

Nicole Medina

Start by making sure you properly load the dishes

In my decade-plus as a renter, the household appliance that I’ve had to fix time and time again is the dishwasher. And yet, it’s hard to believe that it has a standard life expectancy of 10-12 years. I can’t say I’ve experienced that lifespan from start to finish, but I’ve seen plenty of repair crews sent to fix my dishwashers during that time — and about as many who come to replace them.

When asked about the frequency of dishwasher replacement, Glenn Lewis, the president of the repair franchise Mr. Appliance, says it’s “unfortunately, too often. I hate to see perfectly good appliances going to the landfill.” However, if you take a few extra steps to maintain your dishwasher, you’ll save yourself thousands — and may even have an appliance for life. Lewis says the oldest dishwasher he’s worked on was from 1955, and Mark McCann, the director of product marketing at BSH Home Appliances, remarks that he’s heard of customers using their dishwashers as long as 24 years and counting.

But first, how does a dishwasher work?

No matter how flashy or no-frills a dishwasher is, its inner workings are pretty straightforward. The machine heats, circulates, and redistributes water in multiple cycles with and without detergent. Its washing cycles, heat capabilities, and minimal water usage (3.6 gallons on average) are what make it so efficient.

Here’s how most dishwashers work: Clean water runs through a hose and into the dishwasher basin. Here, a heating element increases the water temperature to 120-155 degrees. The hose is attached to a circulation pump that forces the water through sprayheads, which are typically located on the top and bottom of the dishwasher. This same pump is usually part of a motor that rotates the sprayheads to distribute water. If there is a prewash feature, the first cycle removes the initial food debris and particles on the dishes and disposes the dirty water through a second hose, which acts as a drain for the machine.

Otherwise, a dispenser (usually attached to the door) releases detergent during the next cycle of washing. After that drains, the following cycle will rinse the detergent off the dishes and drain once more. This is often followed by a drying cycle, where the same heating element heats the air inside the dishwasher. A normal wash runs a total of four to five cycles, which takes around one and a half to two hours. Dish loads that have prewash and sanitize features usually take three to four hours.

How did I mess up my dishwasher in the first place?

Leaks, oil residue, and questionable water in the basin are common pains that people assume mean it’s time for a dishwasher replacement. In reality, they’re indications that smaller parts are malfunctioning. “Any and all parts can fail,” Lewis explains. “Springs and hinges and door latches break and make closing or opening the door difficult. Seals can break or dry rot and cause leaks. Touch pads, control boards, and sensors can short out and stop working.” He’s got a long list of things that could go wrong, but most of the issues are due to user error. McCann adds that some common ways that people damage their dishwashers include “not cleaning the filter, overloading the dishwasher, washing items that aren’t dishwasher safe, and not descaling their dishwasher when they have hard water.”

Stacking the dishwasher beyond its capacity prevents the sprayheads from working because bowls and plates may block them, leading to potential machine malfunction. Leaving too much leftover food on your dishes could also clog the filter and the hoses, which also explains the basin water. And while many people know the dishwasher can dull knives and sharp kitchen tools, they can also damage the machine itself depending where they’re placed. Objects often fall off the racks and into the bottom of the dishwasher, damaging the heating element, jets, and sprayheads in the process. If you’re not using pods, you could also be putting too much detergent in the dispenser, which will leave residue on your dishes.

How do I make my machine live out its full capacity?

Besides proper dish loading, it’s really not that hard to make your machine outlive your time in its home (because in 2025, how many of us will live in the same dwelling for longer than a decade?).

McCann explains that if there’s a filter, it’s important to clean it every two to three months depending on usage. If your dishwasher smells gross or is leaving food particles on your dishes, this is a good sign that it’s time to change the filter. It’s usually located at the bottom of the machine underneath a sprayhead. Depending on how gunky it is, you can simply give it a warm water rinse or wipe it with a soft brush. If it’s too gross to touch, it’s probably time to change it completely. McCann also suggests wiping “the door seals with a rag and some white vinegar to clean any residues and food particles” just as often. Lewis even suggests cleaning the filter weekly.

Lewis also recommends cleaning the inside of the dishwasher with dishwasher cleaner every month. For a more natural remedy, he suggests running an empty load with one cup of baking powder into the basin with two cups of white vinegar on the top rack. Alternatively, you can make a paste out of the two and wipe your dishwasher with it before running a rinse cycle only.

The latter is also a great way to descale your machine of hard water buildup. You should descale every six months, especially if there’s gray and white residue on the walls, or if your dishes have cloudy spots on them. If a vinegar cycle doesn’t do the trick, dishwasher salt will break down the hard mineral buildup. Dishwasher salt is its own thing — do not use table salt.

A no-brainer tip to many might also be to use your dishwasher regularly, but this is worth mentioning for owners of vacation homes or spaces they don’t live in regularly. During the winter, the pipes and seals of your dishwasher are susceptible to freezing and bursting. Save a few bucks on your electricity bill by turning off the power and water when you’re not at home long-term, and get your dishwasher winterized by disconnecting the inlet hose and adding antifreeze to the inside of it.

Will paying more for a dishwasher make it last longer?

New entry-level dishwashers can run on the low end of $300-400, and I’ve even purchased a perfectly good used one for $200. Sexier models, however, mostly boast features that emphasize durability, efficiency — and of course, because this is 2025 — connectivity. Both midrange and high-end dishwashers offer increased storage capacity (which cost $800-1,200), front control panels, stainless steel interiors, and more racks that are often adjustable, which make it easier to load dishes of varying sizes for cleaning efficiency. They’re also much quieter and energy efficient, and equipped with WiFi. The highest-end models, which can run up to $3,000, basically tout the same features of midrange models but with a “do-it-better” attitude on energy efficiency, materials, and cleaning capabilities.

But does a fancy dishwasher equate to a longer lifespan? Not exactly. If you maintain your appliance’s parts and use it properly, you’ll save money on both repairs and replacements.

Nicole Medina is a Philly-based illustrator who loves using bold color and detailed patterns to create eye-catching illustrations. Nicole likes drawing surreal imagery that tells a story and has a sense of adventure.