Skip to main content
DEAL WATCH: Keurig K-Express | 22% off $69.99

Keurig has changed the face of coffee, and snagging one of these for less than $70 is a solid deal. Read Review

BUY NOW
  • Introduction

  • Front

  • Finish

  • Controls

  • Interior

  • Top Rack

  • Bottom Rack

  • Cutlery Basket

  • Electricity Use

  • Water Use

  • Yearly Running Cost

  • Washing Speed

  • Washing Performance

  • Quick Wash Cycle

  • Normal Wash Cycle

  • Heavy/Pots & Pans Wash Cycle

  • Washing Cycles

  • Customization

  • Additional Wash Options

  • Capacity

  • Wash Arms & Filters

  • Lower Dish Rack

  • Upper Dish Rack

  • Cutlery Holder

  • Detergent Dispenser

  • Ease of Use

  • Noise

  • Controls

  • Comparison

  • Comparison

  • Efficiency

  • Washing Performance

  • Features

  • Introduction
  • Front
  • Finish
  • Controls
  • Interior
  • Top Rack
  • Bottom Rack
  • Cutlery Basket
  • Electricity Use
  • Water Use
  • Yearly Running Cost
  • Washing Speed
  • Washing Performance
  • Quick Wash Cycle
  • Normal Wash Cycle
  • Heavy/Pots & Pans Wash Cycle
  • Washing Cycles
  • Customization
  • Additional Wash Options
  • Capacity
  • Wash Arms & Filters
  • Lower Dish Rack
  • Upper Dish Rack
  • Cutlery Holder
  • Detergent Dispenser
  • Ease of Use
  • Noise
  • Controls
  • Comparison
  • Comparison
  • Efficiency
  • Washing Performance
  • Features

Introduction

Front

{{section_header}}{{section.name}}{{/section_header}}

The front of the GE CDWT980VSS.

Finish

{{section_header}}{{section.name}}{{/section_header}}

Controls

{{section_header}}{{section.name}}{{/section_header}}

Interior

{{section_header}}{{section.name}}{{/section_header}}

The CDWT980VSS with door open.

Top Rack

{{section_header}}{{section.name}}{{/section_header}}

The top rack of the CDWT980VSS.

Bottom Rack

{{section_header}}{{section.name}}{{/section_header}}

The bottom rack of the CDWT980VSS.

Cutlery Basket

{{section_header}}{{section.name}}{{/section_header}}

The CDWT980VSS cutlery basket.

Electricity Use

{{section_header}}{{section.name}}{{/section_header}}

Most of the cost to run a dishwasher comes from heating water to temperatures warm enough to get dishes clean. That's certainly the case for the {{product.name}}. About 85 percent of the cost of each wash comes from the electric bill.

Water Use

{{section_header}}{{section.name}}{{/section_header}}

The {{product.name}} uses an average amount of water -- between four and eight gallons on most washes.

Yearly Running Cost

{{section_header}}{{section.name}}{{/section_header}}

Assuming that half of your washes are on the normal cycle, a quarter are heavy duty and a quarter are light washes, the {{product.name}} will set you back $33.74 in total water and electricity costs. Expect that cost to go down if you don't use the heated dry function, and to go up if you add sanitizing heat to a cycle.

{{comparison_bars title="Yearly Running Cost", attribute="Yearly Running Cost", xLabel="Cost to run over a typical year ($)"}}

Washing Speed

{{section_header}}{{section.name}}{{/section_header}}

Once again, the {{product.name}} proved average. Cycles all took a little more than two hours, which is right in the middle when it comes to dishwashers.

Washing Performance

{{section_header}}{{section.name}}{{/section_header}}

For all our tests, we use a standard load of absolutely filthy dishes that haven't been scraped or pre-washed. In an actual kitchen, nobody would ever pack a dishwasher so full with such dirty dishes, but the point of our tests is to see how well a washer handles the toughest stains.

The {{product.name}} got most of those dishes entirely clean, though it didn't prove 100 percent effective against some baked-on stains.

Quick Wash Cycle

{{section_header}}{{section.name}}{{/section_header}}

Though the quick cycle did a good job at removing nearly all the stains off dishes, about forty percent of the test load remained dirty in some small way. Unless your dishes are only slightly , you should use a more powerful After more than two hours of washing, we hoped for better results.

Normal Wash Cycle

{{section_header}}{{section.name}}{{/section_header}}

The {{product.name}}'s normal cycle took 16 minutes more than two hours. After that time, most dishes emerged almost totally clean, though 34 percent of dishes still had some debris on them.

Normal Cycle

Heavy/Pots & Pans Wash Cycle

{{section_header}}{{section.name}}{{/section_header}}

The {{product.name}}'s heavy duty cycle took two and a half hours and did a good job ensuring that most dishes emergesd spotless. Only 25 percent of dishes emerged with stains on them. Though some serving dishes had food left on them, the casserole pan with baked on lasagna debris emerged clean, and that's one of the toughest items for a dishwasher to scrub.

Pots & Pans Cycle

Washing Cycles

{{section_header}}{{section.name}}{{/section_header}}

In addition to the "big three" cycles -- normal, heavy and quick -- the {{product.name}} also has an auto wash feature and a rinse only wash.

Customization

{{section_header}}{{section.name}}{{/section_header}}

There's no option for tweaking a cycle's temperature or duration here -- only preset options.

Additional Wash Options

{{section_header}}{{section.name}}{{/section_header}}

Those options are plentiful, however, and include a sanitizing cycle, a high-temperature scrub and a steam wash

Capacity

{{section_header}}{{section.name}}{{/section_header}}

We were able to fit nine standard place settings inside the {{product.name}}. That's -- again -- about average for a dishwasher.

Top Rack

Bottom Rack

Wash Arms & Filters

{{section_header}}{{section.name}}{{/section_header}}

The bottom of the washer features a single wash arm surrounded by a heating element that's used for drying. There's a similar wash arm attached to the bottom of the top rack.

The CDWT980VSS wash arms.

The DW 14140 upper wash arm

The CDWT980VSS filter.

Lower Dish Rack

{{section_header}}{{section.name}}{{/section_header}}

Tines, tines -- everywhere, tines. They're not adjustable, but well-spaced enough that squeezing in lots of dishes and even larger serving bowls isn't a problem.

The bottom rack of the CDWT980VSS.

Upper Dish Rack

{{section_header}}{{section.name}}{{/section_header}}

Up top, there are more fixed tines with only one moving part -- a small half-shelf that folds down to hold ramekins or cordial glasses.

The top rack of the CDWT980VSS.

Cutlery Holder

{{section_header}}{{section.name}}{{/section_header}}

A cutlery holder is split into two removable parts. There's also a removable sorter to keep spoons from sticking to each other during the wash.

The CDWT980VSS cutlery basket.

Detergent Dispenser

{{section_header}}{{section.name}}{{/section_header}}

The {{product.name}} has the standard Maytag/Whirlpool detergent setup: a dispenser for dish soap, and another reservoir for rinse aid.

The CDWT980VSS detergent dispenser.

Ease of Use

{{section_header}}{{section.name}}{{/section_header}}

The shelves slide out easily and are easy to load despite their fixed tines. It would be nice to have some adjustment on the top rack for larger bowls, though.

Noise

{{section_header}}{{section.name}}{{/section_header}}

The {{product.name}} isn't silent, emitting some occasional grunts, grumbles and whooshes. Still, it wasn't loud enough to be obtrusive.

Controls

{{section_header}}{{section.name}}{{/section_header}}

Though its clear plastic coating feels a bit cheap, the {{product.name}}'s control panel is straightforward and easy to use, with button pushes augmented with a light and an optional beep. A plus of having it on the front of the washer is that it can be used with the door closed. There's an indicator to show whether the washer is cleaning dishes, drying them or finished -- but there's no accompanying timer to show how far along a cycle is.

Comparison

{{section_header}}{{section.name}}{{/section_header}}

The Kenmore Elite 13923 sells for a few hundred more than the {{product.name}}. It has more cycles, but poorer performance. The heavy duty cycle takes longer, and the quick wash gets fewer dishes clean.

Comparison

{{section_header}}{{section.name}}{{/section_header}}

The KitchenAid KUDC10FXSS costs a few hundred more than the {{product.name}}. The KitchenAid has a sleeker exterior, which you'll be seeing a lot of since wash cycles take upwards of three hours. For the extra time and money, the KitchenAid only cleans marginally better than the Maytag, and it's less energy efficient.

Washing Performance

Efficiency

{{section_header}}{{section.name}}{{/section_header}}

On average, the {{product.name}} will cost around $33.74 for a year's worth of washing dishes. That's about average, and would be lower if you didn't use the heated dry option.

Washing Performance

{{section_header}}{{section.name}}{{/section_header}}

All cycles took upwards of two hours, and had trouble removing some baked-on stains. The quick cycle took almost as long as the normal cycle.

Features

{{section_header}}{{section.name}}{{/section_header}}

There are features galore on the {{product.name}}, including a steam wash and sanitize option. Preset cycles can't be modified for temperature or length, though.

Meet the tester

Keith Barry

Keith Barry

Former Editor in Chief, Reviewed Home

@itskeithbarry

Keith was the Editor in Chief of Reviewed's appliance and automotive sites. His work has appeared in publications such as Wired, Car & Driver, and CityLab.

See all of Keith Barry's reviews

Checking our work.

Our team is here for one purpose: to help you buy the best stuff and love what you own. Our writers, editors, and lab technicians obsess over the products we cover to make sure you're confident and satisfied. Have a different opinion about something we recommend? Email us and we'll compare notes.

Shoot us an email

Up next