Maytag MDB4949SKZ Dishwasher Review

About the Maytag MDB4949SKZ dishwasher

• Dimensions: 33.63" x 23.88" x 24.5" (H x W x D)
• Finishes: White, Black, fingerprint-resistant stainless steel
• Cycles: Auto, Normal, Quick, PowerBlast
• Cycle options: High Temp, Sani Rinse, Heated Dry
• Special features: Dual Power Filtration with built-in masticator
• Control panel: Front-control
• ADA compliant: No
• Energy Star rated: No
• User manual: Maytag MDB4949SKZ dishwasher manual

The Maytag MDB4949SKZ dishwasher has a clean stainless-steel facade with a pocket handle inlaid above its front-facing control panel.

Opening the door reveals a two-rack setup, with a lot of vertical space above the upper rack and not as much above the lower rack.

The upper rack has a set of stem holders on its right side to help keep your stemware safe and secure during a wash cycle.

How we tested the Maytag MDB4949SKZ dishwasher

We have been testing appliances for over a decade, including refrigerators, washers, dryers and dishwashers. We put each appliance through the same rigorous, standardized testing process, so we can directly compare any two dishwashers and help you determine which is the best one for your needs.

Dishwashers require a particularly intense set of lab tests to determine how well they clean because we first need a bunch of standardized dirty dishes. We manually add several common food stains (and some difficult, but less common ones) to a set of dishes, bowls, utensils, and glasses. That allows us to compare how dirty the dishes were before a wash to how clean they are afterward.

Find out more about how we test dishwashers

What we like

Its Auto cycle's cleaning capabilities won't disappoint

The Maytag MDB4949SKZ is capable of a solid cleaning performance that won't disappoint; unfortunately, it won't wow you either.

Its best cycle is the Auto cycle. We saw 97.9% clean dishes after a cycle in our testing, a performance that's on the upper end of average. Typically dishwashers can clear away 96% of stains with an Auto or Normal cycle. However, the Auto cycle time is slow, taking 2 hours 31 minutes to complete, which is 20 minutes longer than average.

The Normal cycle clears away slightly less of the test stains, at 96.4%—again, average. This Maytag dishwasher's Quick cycle and Heavy cycle also manage to clean away most stains, but each falls shy of average by 2–3%.

The MDB4949SKZ does excel at managing redeposit, which refers to food soil that's sprayed off one plate, bypasses the filter, and washes onto another item in the dishwasher.

During our tests, we saw barely any redeposit on clean dishes after a wash cycle, which we attribute to the dishwasher's Dual Power Filtration system catching debris before it can cause problems.

Cycle options are all useful

In addition to the dishwasher's four main cycles, you can enable High Temp wash, Sani Rinse, and Heated Dry, all of which are useful features.

The High Temp wash helps loosen difficult stains and improves cleaning quality by about 2%. The Sani Rinse cycle is a quick and easy way to disinfect dishes or baby toys.

Lastly, the Heated Dry feature leverages the dishwasher's built-in heating element to get dishes mostly dry after a wash cycle. It's effective, resulting in almost every dish getting bone dry.

What we don’t like

It lacks customization

The Maytag MDB4949SKZ lacks some of the customization features we commonly see on dishwashers in this price range, like an upper rack with an adjustable height or foldable tines. These features can help make room for bulkier or larger items.

The MDB4949SKZ's upper rack actually sits quite low in the wash tub and it has a spray arm connected to its underside, both of which cut into the vertical space available to items on the lower rack. Because of this, adjustable height or foldable tines would be more helpful in this dishwasher than most.

You can't adjust the tines in the lower rack, either. These sit close together and are much taller than those on the average dishwasher, which means larger pots or ceramic cookware may be too bulky to slot into place neatly.

Lastly, there's no third rack to give users more options with where certain items are stored. Given how limited the MDB4949SKZ's storage already is, a third rack would've helped alleviate some pain points.

If it's not on sale, it's not a good value

Price really affects how good of a value a dishwasher can be.

With four wash cycles, average cleaning performance, a lack of customizability, and few extra features, the Maytag MDB4949SKZ makes sense as a budget buy in the $500 range. Unfortunately, its MSRP sits around $800. At its full price, it doesn’t live up to the cleaning power and feature sets of competing models.

Other dishwashers with an MSRP in the $800 range typically have above-average cleaning performance, more wash cycles, and helpful extra features like a third rack, bottle jets, adjustable racks, folding tines, or smart features. The MDB4949SKZ falls short on all these points.

What owners are saying

Users seem to be happy with their Maytag MDB4949SKZ overall, awarding it an average of 4.5 out of 5 stars across major retailers. Owners who are pleased with their purchases praise the dishwasher's cleaning power and drying capabilities.

We also noticed that multiple 5-star reviews aren’t entirely positive, despite awarding the highest possible rating. Common downsides include a lack of features and long cycle times.

The negative reviews also point out these same concerns, but mostly focus on disappointment in how clean their dishes are after a wash.

Warranty

Maytag's warranty covers the dishwasher for a standard one-year period for parts and labor.

Beyond that, the company will also replace the following parts for up to 10 years: Wire racks, chopper blade, stainless-steel tub, and inner door liner.

Considering the industry standard is just a single year, we're happy Maytag goes above and beyond to ensure your MDB4949SKZ will remain operational for such a long time.

Should you buy the Maytag MDB4949SKZ dishwasher?

Yes, if you're looking for a good budget buy

Assuming its new pricing holds, the Maytag MDB4949SKZ is a good pick-up for under $600. Don't expect a load of bells and whistles, and do expect an average cleaning performance, but it's a better option than a lot of its competition at this price.

While its average cleaning capabilities couldn't compete at the $800 price point, as a budget buy it means you won't be disappointed. Also, its heated dry feature shines all the brighter, getting dishes completely dry after cycles. Budget dishwashers are notoriously bad at drying, making the MDB4949SKZ stand out from the pack somewhat.

Even at its sale price, the MDB4949SKZ does have some stiff competition. Though it's not available for sale at a lot of retailers, we recommend the Beko DUT25401X, which features better performance. If your budget can stretch to $800, the Bosch SHPM65Z55N 500 Series dishwasher, is a great upgrade, with significantly better cleaning power and excellent extra features.