GE Café Double Drawer Dishwasher Review (My Honest Opinion)

If you’re wondering whether or not the GE Café double drawer dishwasher is for you, you’ve come to the right place. After using it for a few months, I’m sharing my honest review with pros and cons, tips and comparisons to a single door model. So you can decide if it’s the right appliance for your kitchen.

I don’t normally do reviews.

But every once in a while, I find a product that I just have to talk about.

In this case, it’s a two drawer dishwasher.

I have wanted one for a long time.

So when the top rack on my old single door dishwasher started to fall apart, I decided it was time to look into them.

The only problem?

I couldn’t find any real in-depth reviews about what it was actually like to use one.

Or the pros and cons of the model that I was looking at…the GE Café double drawer dishwasher (which is the only one I could find in my budget).

So in today’s post, I’m telling you all about my experience with this dishwasher, both the good and the bad. (Spoiler alert: It’s mostly good. I love it!!)

(And this is a totally honest review. I bought the dishwasher with my own money and was not compensated for it or this review in any way.)

single door versus double drawer dishwashers

Having used a single door dishwasher for my entire life up until a few months ago, I thought I would first talk about the differences between using a single door dishwasher and a double drawer one.

These should apply to all double drawer dishwashers (not just the GE Café model*).

And will help you decide if a double drawer dishwasher is for you.

No more waiting

I used to have the problem where the top rack of my single door dishwasher was completely full. While the bottom one was still half empty (or vice versa).

Then I would have to decide whether I wanted to just run it anyway (not very efficient) or wait until the other rack was full (what I usually did).

Which caused dishes that were supposed to go in the already-full rack to pile up on the counter.

And made me feel like I was always behind.

The double drawer dishwasher completely eliminates this issue.

Since you can load and wash one drawer at a time, you can run a half load without feeling wasteful, keeping your kitchen neat and your dishes clean as you go.

Flexibility

Flexibility is another big reason to choose a double drawer dishwasher.

Since both drawers are about the same size, you can load glasses, dishes and pots all in one drawer if you want to. (This is what I do most of the time.)

Or choose to run the pots on the Heavy Duty cycle in one drawer and dishes on the China cycle in the other. (This is awesome for dinner parties.)

So you don’t have the same constraints as you do with a single door dishwasher where the top rack is significantly shorter than the bottom one.

But it did take some getting used to. You have to unlearn the “glasses go in the top rack, plates in the bottom rack” habit.

Large platters don’t fit as well

The drawback of having two almost-equally sized drawers is that it’s more difficult to fit in large platters and pans.

In the GE Café double drawer dishwasher, the top drawer will accommodate dishes up to 12¼ inches tall while the bottom drawer will take dishes up to 11 inches tall.

I am able to fit my standard half-sized baking sheets and larger pans in both drawers by leaning them over a bit.

But it isn’t as easy as putting them in the bottom rack of a single door dishwasher.

And a few of my serving platters just won’t fit, so I have to wash them by hand. I don’t use them that often so it isn’t a deal breaker for me, but it’s something to take into consideration.

Take a look at the Loading Tips section below if you want more details.

Half the work

With a drawer dishwasher, you’re only loading and unloading half a dishwasher at a time.

I can do that when I only have a couple of minutes. Which means it happens more often than it did when I had a single door dishwasher.

This may not seem like a big deal, and I know it’s mostly a mindset thing. (It just seems easier!).

But it definitely has decreased the number of dirty dishes piled up in the sink waiting for the dishwasher to be emptied at my house.

Uses more dishwasher detergent

This is one thing I didn’t think of before I bought my dishwasher.

If you use dishwasher pods for detergent (like I do), you will need twice as many them, since each drawer requires one capsule.

To be mindful of your household expenses and environmental impact, you could get around this by using powder detergent. (But powder tends to leave residue in many dishwashers which is why I switched to pods in the first place).

Note: I’m not sure if this is true of all models, but the GE Café double drawer dishwasher doesn’t take liquid detergent at all.

Strategic dish placement

Lastly, you need to remember that the water in the double drawer dishwasher only comes from the bottom.

This means you’ll need to be strategic in how you load your dishes to ensure they all come out sparkling clean.

It’s a small learning curve that you get used to with a bit of practice. And now that I have figured it out, my dishes come out cleaner than they did in my old single door dishwasher.

GE Café double drawer dishwasher pros and cons

Now let’s get onto some of the pros and cons that are specific to the GE Café double drawer dishwasher (You can find it HERE*).

Pros

Versatile drawer configuration: One of the standout features of this dishwasher is that both drawers boast the same rack configuration, complete with dual cutlery trays. This means you’re not limited to what you can load where. Dishes, pots, and pans can go in either drawer, making it a breeze to organize your kitchen cleanup.

Customizable internal racks: All of the racks in this dishwasher can be folded up and down or removed. This flexibility is a game-changer for those awkwardly large bowls and pots that never seemed to fit properly in my old standard dishwasher. It’s like having a customizable cleaning space that adapts to your needs, not the other way around.

Specialized top racks: The GE Café double door dishwasher has small partial racks at the top that are perfect for long-handled utensils and smaller dishes (like cat food bowls or coffee mugs). You can adjust the height of them so they will fit over whatever you have underneath them. Or use them to hold up the stems of wine glasses. And there’s even a knife rack that ensures you don’t have an unfortunate encounter with a blade while loading or unloading the dishwasher.

Whisper-quiet operation: The quietness of this dishwasher cannot be overstated. It operates so silently most of the time that you’ll forget it’s even running. Which is perfect for open-plan living spaces or for running overnight without disturbing anyone’s sleep.

Ultra drying: The GE double drawer dishwasher has an “Ultra Dry” setting that dries dishes really well. When it’s done, the dishes are also cool enough to unload right away without burning your fingers.

Beauty (as well as function): This dishwasher comes in 3 panel finishes (stainless, matte black and matte white) and a few different metal choices for the handles. And it looks absolutely stunning in my kitchen.

Innovative pause feature: To interrupt the dishwashing cycle, all you have to do is double knock on the top right corner of the drawer. Which is really kind of cool. And it’s a convenient feature for those moments when you realize you forgot to add that one last dish.

Cons

Holds fewer glasses: The rack for holding glasses is quite a bit smaller than my old single door dishwasher. The drawer isn’t as deep, and the glass rack cuts off at least another inch on each end. (I don’t have the same problem with plates since the tines in the plate rack are a lot closer together than they were in my old dishwasher).

Long cycle times: The dishwasher’s cycles run for a really long time. I like to use the “Plus” setting (to make sure everything comes out really clean) with the “Ultra Dry” setting and it takes over 3 hours to finish. This doesn’t really bother me since I usually run the dishwasher overnight or during the day while I’m working. But it’s something I think you should know. There is also an “Express” setting which the manual claims to run in 46 minutes (I haven’t timed it) so that might be an option if you’re in a hurry.

Lack of external indicators: There is nothing on the outside of the dishwasher to let you know that it is still running. And it is so quiet you often can’t hear it. So I usually test to see if it’s done by gently pulling on the drawer handle. If it doesn’t open, it’s still going. On the positive side, this lack of external buttons and lights does keep the look of the dishwasher very streamlined. (Since I got it, I have had a couple of people come into my kitchen and ask where the dishwasher is.)

Detergent limitations: A minor drawback is the dishwasher’s incompatibility with liquid detergent, requiring the use of pods or powder detergent instead. While this isn’t a deal-breaker, it does mean you’ll need to use specific types of detergent.

Annoyances

There are a few things that are a nuisance, but I don’t think rise to the same level as a “Con”. So I listed them here as annoyances.

Top rack quirks: While I love the fold down top racks, they are also slightly annoying if you haven’t filled the section under them first. Then you have to unload the top rack to put in the stuff underneath it before putting it back up again.

Sensitive pause feature: The cool double-knock feature can sometimes be too sensitive. Which occasionally causes the cycle to pause inadvertently when you’re loading the other drawer.

Because the dishwasher is so quiet, you may not notice it has stopped until you hear the 3-beep warning that lets you know the cycle has been interrupted. Which doesn’t start until 7 minutes after the interruption. (The first time that happened to me I was wandering around the house all day trying to figure out where those beeps were coming from.)

Capsule Storage: There isn’t a compartment to put the dishwasher pod in (there is for dry detergent). So it has to be placed in a little tray in the cutlery rack (which takes up cutlery space). Or squeezed into the bottom rack (which is a bit of a pain).

Loading tips for your café double drawer dishwasher

In case you want to know how some of the larger or more awkward dishes fit in the drawer dishwasher, I took some pictures of what I do. (All of these are in the shorter bottom drawer).

These are the best configurations I have found for getting everything clean.

But they are by no means the only way, so you may find some other ways that work well for your dishes.

Plates, glasses and cutlery: Regular dishware is very easy to load. In its default configuration, one half of the drawer is dedicated to plates and small bowls. While the other half has spaces for glasses, larger bowls or pots.

If you need to wash a lot of plates, you can also put bowls in the glass rack on the side. The spacing between the tines in the glass rack can be made wider to accommodate this configuration.

Baking sheets: With baking sheets, the trick is to lean them along the glass rack with the dirty side facing down. This positioning ensures that the water jets can directly hit the soiled surfaces, giving you a spotless clean every time. I usually lean the top edge against the fold-down top rack to give it more stability. Plus you get some extra dish space (which you can see in the picture below).

Cutting boards: You can either lean cutting boards along the glass rack with the dirty side down (like a baking sheet) or along the outside edge of the dishwasher with the dirty side facing in. This ensures they don’t block water from reaching other dishes while still getting a thorough clean themselves.

Frying pans or 9″ x 13″ baking dishes: For longer baking dishes and pans, load them on their side in the glass rack with the dirty side leaning downwards. This keeps them standing up with enough of the surface area facing down to maximize the water jets.

You can also lay them down the middle of the dishwasher if you aren’t washing any plates at the same time. You can fold down one of the plate racks and leave the other one up if you want to put pots or bowls in there, too.

Large bowls and pots: For these bulky items, the dishwasher’s design allows you to fold down the center dish racks and/or remove the glasses rack entirely. Which gives you a wide open surface with no tines to work around. This adaptability is something I greatly appreciate, since these large items didn’t fit very well with the racks in my old dishwasher.

Wine glasses: The fold down top racks have notches in them that will hold wine glass stems steady. You just have to adjust their position to fit the top of the glass in. I don’t put my wine glasses in the dishwasher so I haven’t tried this feature. But it seems like a good idea.

Large knives: The dishwasher also has a built in knife rack in one of the top racks that holds large knives in place. This gives me peace of mind since the sharp edge of the blade is facing down into the rack.

Cutlery separator: An anti-nesting grid can be put over the cutlery container to keep your cutlery separated. You put 1 piece of cutlery in each hole and it makes sure they are evenly spaced so everything gets cleaned well. However, my everyday cutlery has handles that are too thick to fit in the holes so I don’t use them.

Small items: The dishwasher also has a small item container with a lid. This fits in the cutlery container or can be put elsewhere in the dishwasher. I haven’t used it because it’s a little too small for anything I have. But it would probably work great for baby bottle teats.

Operation tips

Here are some of my tips for getting the best performance out of the GE Café double drawer dishwasher:

• I find scraping off any bits from the dishes before loading them in the dishwasher prevents anything from getting stuck on the clean dishes. However, pre-rinsing the dishes isn’t necessary. As long as they are loaded properly (so the water can get to them), they will come out clean.
• If your water takes a while to heat up (like my kitchen), you’ll want to run it in the sink until its hot before you turn the dishwasher on. Otherwise, your dishes might get washed in lukewarm water.
• If you use the Normal cycle, you cannot choose any of the other options (such as the Ultra Dry, Sanitize or Fast cycle settings). I normally use the “Plus” wash cycle with the “Ultra Dry” setting. (The other wash options you have are Pots, Express, China and Rinse).
• If you need to add a dish after you have started it, knock twice on the upper right side of the drawer panel. Add your dish, press the “Go” arrow button on the right side and close the drawer to start it again.
• This dishwasher also has a timer which I have never used. Because it’s so quiet when it’s running, I don’t feel like I need to delay it. But it’s there if you do.

Installation tips

Just a few notes about the GE Café double dishwasher installation process.

• It easily replaces an existing dishwasher and has leveling feet so you can set it to the correct height.
• Despite what I read in a lot of places, the GE Café double drawer dishwasher does not have to be installed with an air gap. (Mine doesn’t have one.) There are 3 different installation options in the manual, so you can choose the one that works for your situation.
• Out of the box it comes with a plug. But it can be converted to a hard-wired configuration if necessary (which mine was).
• All of the tubes and connections that you need to install it are provided in the box. So you don’t have order a separate dishwasher installation kit like you do with most dishwashers.
• Be sure to follow the installation directions. Based on the reviews I have read, if it isn’t installed correctly, you will have all kinds of problems with it. (I haven’t had any of those so I don’t have first-hand knowledge of that).

Frequently asked questions

Can the two drawers of the Café double drawer dishwasher be used for different types of dishes at the same time?

Yes, the two drawers operate independently, allowing you to wash different types of dishes simultaneously. For example, you can wash pots and pans in one drawer and more delicate items in the other.

How energy efficient is the Café double drawer dishwasher compared to traditional models?

The Café double drawer dishwasher is designed with efficiency in mind. By allowing you to run smaller loads, it can be more energy-efficient than running a full-sized dishwasher that’s not fully loaded. However, efficiency can vary based on what cycles you use and how often you use the drawers.

Is installation more complicated for a double drawer dishwasher than for a traditional dishwasher?

No, not really. Mine was installed in the same place with the same connections and drain set up as my old single door dishwasher. The only thing that was a little more complicated was removing the bottom drawer to get to the levelling feet at the back of the dishwasher. (And this wasn’t hard to do).

Can I customize the panel of the Café double drawer dishwasher to match my kitchen cabinetry?

The Café series dishwasher is somewhat customizable. You can order it in a Matte Black, Matte White or Stainless steel finish. And then customize the metal used for the handles.

In conclusion, while there are a few drawbacks to the GE Café double door dishwasher, I think the convenience and flexibility of being able to run two separate loads far outweighs any of the negatives. And hopefully, I’ve given you enough information that you can decide whether it’s the right choice for you.

Other Kitchen ideas you might like

• 21 Kitchen Cabinet Organization Ideas For A Small Kitchen
• How to Paint Melamine Kitchen Cabinets
• Pink Kitchen Decor Ideas And Inspiration

Or browse all of our kitchen renovation ideas.

Have comments or questions about our GE Café double drawer dishwasher review? Tell us in the section below.

Sharing is caring!