Doesn’t it seem that life runs more smoothly when there are no dishes in the sink and everything is clean? You rely on your dishwasher for that (I know, I do!), and there’s nothing more frustrating than when the dishes don’t come out clean. Let’s prevent that.
Those of you who are my longtime readers know about the loving relationship I have with my dishwashers. Many of you were there, four years ago, when my two-drawer dishwasher (which barely fit a pot) broke (Yay!), paving the installation for two new full-sized dishwashers (we removed drawers to fit the second dishwasher).
Especially in my line of work, even though it sounds odd, having two dishwashers was one of my life-changing moments.
Dishwashers can truly be your best friend…but it can be very frustrating when you rely on them and they’re not working properly.
1 – Sauces, not Solids.
You don’t need to rinse dishes before adding them to the dishwasher, but you do need to scrape all solids. Unlike in-sink disposal, dishwashers can’t handle solids and eventually, the solid will clog the dishwasher and cause it to break down.
2 – Tablets, not Liquid
It doesn’t matter the brand, but detergent tablets are the recommended item to use in your dishwasher because they dispense just the right amount of detergent, not too much and not too little. We know why we don’t want too little soap, but too much soap can also be detrimental to both your dishes and your dishwasher.
3 – Add a Rinse Aid
Because today’s appliances are energy efficient, they often don’t do a good job of drying dishes. A rinse aid will help get the dishes perfectly dry, though Joe warns, plastics, such as baby bottles, will never be perfectly dry when the run is complete.
4 – Use Sani-Rinse Sometimes
Is someone sick at home? Want to take extra special care with germs? Sani-Rinse uses a higher temperature when washing the dishes (similar, but not the same, as commercial dishwashers).
5 – The Vinegar Trick
Once a month, clean your dishwasher by placing a measuring cup with 1 cup vinegar standing up in the top rack of the dishwasher and run a cycle. “Vinegar is the best low cost, no chemical cleaner. By putting the vinegar upright, it’ll release into the dishwasher little by little as the cycle runs.”
6 – The Rinse Run
Even though this isn’t relevant for my family because I can definitely fill two dishwashers full of dishes daily if you have a small family and only have a few dishes to wash, don’t leave them in there dirty until the dishwasher is full. Rather, if your dishwasher has a “rinse only” option, let the machine rinse the dishes so nothing is caked on when it’s time to do the full run.
So helpful!
Thank you so much!
Always run the hot water in sink closest to dishwasher. The dishwasher can’t bring water temperature high enough itself.
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Please note that the detergent tablets are EXTREMELY toxic for children, because the detergent is very concentrated. Make sure to store the container high up, keep pods from falling to the floor, and make sure kids cannot grab pods from an open dishwasher. Also try not to touch with wet hands, as the cover can dissolve and get detergent on skin.