Hotpoint H7IHP42LUK

Verdict

With its Maxi Space tub, the integrated Hotpoint H7IHP42LUK full size dishwasher has a load more room than your average model, which makes it perfect for awkward-sized items, such as tall wine glasses. This model is a little expensive to run on its highest setting, but it’s an excellent cleaner and has decent running costs on standard wash cycles.

Introduction

Hotpoint’s Maxi Space dishwashers, which give you 10% more space, solve many issues with dishwashers, making it easier to fit in everything you want to clean. That’s as true here on the Hotpoint H7IHP42LUK integrated dishwasher as it is on the other Maxi Space models that I’ve reviewed.

With a clever third-rack, tonnes of space and thoughtful wash programmes, this is a brilliant-value integrated dishwasher that’s easy to load up.

Design and Features

• Maxi Space tub
• 3D Zone Wash for deep cleaning
• Simple controls

A full-size integrated dishwasher, the Hotpoint H7IHP42LUK has the same Maxi Space tub that I’ve seen on previous dishwashers, including the excellent Hotpoint H8IHT59LSUK, although the internal layout of racks is slightly different here.

Hotpoint says that Maxi Space gives 10% more room than on a regular dishwasher and, as such, the door is a touch taller than with a regular model.  While 10% doesn’t sound like a lot, it’s the difference between being able to easily load odd-sized items and long-stem wine glasses and having trouble fitting everything in.

As a result, the Hotpoint H7IHP42LUK has proved to be one of the easiest-to-load dishwashers I have ever reviewed.

At the bottom of the dishwasher is the standard bottom rack, which has two rows of tines with different spacing, so you can load plates and bowls, leaving enough of a gap between them for easy cleaning. The row at the back is split into two sections, each of which can fold down so that pans and casserole dishes can sit flat.

Underneath this back section is the 3D Zone Wash arm, which is a separate sprayer targeted at just this area. When enabled, it allows for a deeper clean of the most heavily soiled items.

Slide out the middle rack, and clips on either side allow the rack to be height adjusted. That’s a common feature on many dishwashers, but with the H7IHP42LUK, putting the rack in its lower position still leaves room for most regular-sized plates; with a normal dishwasher, the lower position usually means the spray arm hits plates below.

Having this extra space is brilliant, as it means that even long-stemmed wine glasses will fit in easily enough. There are fold-down wine glass holders on both sides of the rack, with the tops able to hold longer utensils.

That still leaves plenty of room for cups and mugs, plus there are two sections of fold-down tines that can be used for small plates and saucers.

At the top is a flat cutlery rack, and that’s where the Hotpoint H7IHP42LUK really differs from the Hotpoint H8IHT59LSUK, which has a Hydroforce top rack with dedicated sprayers for cutlery, mugs and placed in the rack.

I’m a fan of Hydroforce, and the targeted cleaning it gives mugs, but it means the rack is quite deep in places, making it harder to fit items below. And, Hydroforce means that there’s only a small top rack for cutlery, so a secondary cutlery basket is required.

As the Hotpoint H7IHP42LUK has a more standard cutlery rack, there’s more space below and no need for a cutlery basket. That just leaves the question of whether you want a cutlery rack or basket. I like a rack, but for many people, unless the cutlery drawer is next to the dishwasher, a basket can be more convenient.

It’s a cleverly designed rack, and the left or right sides can be slid out of the way to leave a gap, so even if you have very tall wine glasses, or want to squeeze in a vase, you can do.

Overall, the Hotpoint H7IHP42LUK has space inside for 15 place settings, which is one more than most full-size integrated models.

Rather than the touch buttons that more expensive H8IHT59LSUK has, the Hotpoint H7IHP42LUK has regular buttons. That’s no issue, as they’re tactile and easy to use. Once turned on, the LCD shows the selected wash cycle by number, with a guide to the cycles printed on the door.

These include Eco, Auto 65°C (for intensive cleaning), Auto 50°C (for a mix of dishes), a rapid clean, a 45°C glass cleaning mode, a night mode, a 65°C sanitising wash, rinse, and a self-clean mode for use with dishwasher cleaner.

For each wash, there are additional selectable options, including 3D Wash Zone for heavily soiled items (placed at the rear of the bottom rack) and a half-wash option that reduces energy and water consumption.

The run-time is shown on the screen once a wash cycle and options have been chosen, and there’s a further option to set a delay if you want the dishwasher to run later on.

While the screen can’t be seen when the dishwasher is closed, there is a light on the bottom of the door that shines so that you know when the machine is operating.

At the end of most wash cycles, bar the quick cycle, the door is pushed open by 10cm to allow air to circulate through and help dry anything inside.

Performance

• Excellent cleaning
• Good running costs
• 3D Wash Zone boosts cleaning for heavily-soiled items

I test all dishwashers on a variety of settings, to see both how efficient they are and how well they clean. I started by using the Eco programme, loading up the dishwasher with soiled items.

For this cycle, I found that the cycle would cost around 19p, assuming an electricity cost of 24.5p per kWh. That’s 3p more expensive per cycle than I tested on the H8IHT59LSUK, which has a lower B energy rating (the Hotpoint H7IHP42LUK has a C rating). Still, that’s very good, and this model is efficient. And, as it fits more inside than a standard C-rated dishwasher, you can run fewer washes per year with this model compared to much of the competition, bringing overall running costs down.

With the Eco cycle, I was very impressed with the wash performance. My mac-and-cheese covered plate was washed perfectly, bringing it back nice and clean.

It was the same result on my plate that had dried-on ketchup; this came up sparkling and clean.

As my tall wine glass could stand up properly, the dried-on red wine was gone, and there were no water marks around the lip.

My coffee cup, with dried-on coffee remains, came up perfectly, with no trace of dirt left behind.

The same was true of the dirty tea mug, which came out fresh-looking with no marks left behind.

My toughest test is a bowl used to make scrambled egg in the microwave. This can prove a hard mess to shift, but the Hotpoint H7IHP42LUK did brilliantly, removing almost every trace of egg, with just a tiny bit of mess left behind that needed a wipe with a wet sponge.

I repeated the test, but this time put the bowl on the bottom shelf and used the 3D Wash Zone and 65°C wash cycle. This pushed the cost per cycle to 48p, with the same load of dirty items, but the wash performance was excellent and the bowl came out perfectly clean. This is a clear example of where higher running costs are worth it for the performance they deliver.

Run at 65°C without the 3D Wash Zone, and the price per cycle drops to around 37p, which isn’t too bad compared to the competition.

Running the standard 50°C auto cycle, which is good for when you want a deeper wash than Eco can deliver, such as with dirtier saucepans, I found that the running cost was a reasonable 26p.

Across these modes, items came out nice and dry, with the automatic drying and door-opening working well.

I also ran the fast wash, which took 35-minutes to run. Here I tested with a dirty coffee mug, which came out clean.

My dirty tea mug, quite heavily stained, also came up nice and clean, showing that this wash cycle is good for regular items when you need results fast.

Running costs were 18p for this cycle, so a touch cheaper than the Eco cycle. However, the downside of this mode is that items are still quite wet, as you can see from my plastic tub. I also found more pooled water on top of mugs, and had to give some things a quick wipe with a tea towel.

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