Dishwasher Q's

[AKL_Megs]

The apartment DF and I are probably (hopefully - fingers crossed) moving into has a dishwasher !!! But neither of us has ever had a dishwasher, so we don't know what kind of detergent/etc works best. What do you use or recommend? Also, are dishwashers really expensive to run? Thanks!

 

[jillyjoey]

I switch around alot but always get liquid because our water is (either too hard or too soft -- can't remember) and it doesn't disolve all the powder.

I did stop buying the lemon kind -- on some every day flatware I purchased -came a warning not to use the lemon d.w. detergent because it could ruin the flatware.

I'm not one to worry about spots on dishes so I guess I don't think about it too much.

 

[mickeyboat]

I use Cascade complete, powder. It works fine for us. We have also put in some rinse aid every once in a while. We also have to set it to the "pots and pans" setting, because the regular wash setting didn't seem to be getting everything clean.

Denae

Oh, and I don't really care about the cost. I would give up my oven before I would give up my dishwasher.

 

[Just Jan]

I just use the liquid Cascade.
I use all of the energy saving buttons ie: water miser, no heat dry. I also only run it when it is full which is about every two or three days. Mostly I run it in the evening so the dishes dry overnight.

 

[AKL_Megs]

Great! Thanks everyone!

 

[Hannathy]

I usually use the Walmart brand dry. Big no-no if you want clean dishes is to rinse them! the dishwasher detergent works better on dishes that aren't rinsed. Just scrape them and put them in. Don't over pack the dishwasher so the water can freely circulate.

Mickeyboat I'm with you, If they take away my dishwasher we eat nothing that can't be eaten on paper! Oven,Stove anything but my dishwasher and coffee maker in that order.


Adding- running the dishwasher uses LESS water than washing the same amount of dishes by hand- a lot less.

 

[Topper]

Electrasol Tabs.

 

[DMickey28]

Electrasol Tabs.

This is what we use too. The ones with the little ball in the center. Seem to work very well. I buy them at Costco or BJ's and the whole container for $10ish seriously lasts me at least 6 months!! Probably longer!

 

[MAKmom]

I usually use the Walmart brand dry. Big no-no if you want clean dishes is to rinse them! the dishwasher detergent works better on dishes that aren't rinsed. Just scrape them and put them in. Don't over pack the dishwasher so the water can freely circulate.

Mickeyboat I'm with you, If they take away my dishwasher we eat nothing that can't be eaten on paper! Oven,Stove anything but my dishwasher and coffee maker in that order.


Adding- running the dishwasher uses LESS water than washing the same amount of dishes by hand- a lot less.

Consumer Report said the Walmart brand was excellent.

 

[disykat]

One tip - if you use liquid, shake the bottle occasionally. My mom learned the hard way that if you don't it can get more concentrated towards the bottom. She got to the bottom of the bottle and ended up with a kitchen full of bubbles!

 

[disneyfan67]

I have tried many brands of dishwasher detergent over the years and found these tips to work well for me.


Don't use a powder detergent, try a gel liquid instead. There will no residue left over, like there sometimes is with a powder.

Having said that though, I recently tried those 2 into 1 Cascade tablets with Dawn Liquid in them and really like them. The Dawn dish washing liquid inside really cleans the grease off, IMO.

Use a good rinse aid like Jet Dry and it improves the overall performance of the cleaning cycle.


Make sure to properly load it and don't jam things in there. Make sure you keep your more delicate things on the top rack. When I first got married my wife was unfamiliar with using a dishwasher, having never used one before. She loaded our plastic baby bottles on the lower rack and some of them came out partially melted. You soon learn what works and what doesn't. Once you use one though, you don't want to go back to washing dishes by hand.

 

[Just Jan]

Under NO circumstances should you ever use liquid dish washing detergent that is meant to be used in the kitchen sink. NEVER put it into the dishwasher!!!!!!!!!!EVER!!!!!

My teenage daughter did that last summer because we were out of Cascade.
OH MY GOD!!!
There were suds leaking from the sides of the dishwasher, from under the dishwasher, from everywhere!!!!!! The suds seemed to be growing as they hit the kitchen floor!!!
I felt like I was smack in the middle of an I Love Lucy episode.
What a mess!!
The clean up took forever.
I was really angry at the time, but it is quite funny now.

 

[disneyfan67]

Just wanted the OP to realise that the Cascade Tablets that have Dawn Dishwashing liquid in them, is a different formula than the Dawn liquid soap for washing dishes by hand. Didn't want you to think it was OK to use regular dishwashing soap. Brrr... that would be a huge mess.


Here's a review of the tablets below.

http://www.epinions.com/content_147599429252

 

[Just Jan]

LOL! Huge mess is an understatement!!

 

[esoumyekcim]

Under NO circumstances should you ever use liquid dish washing detergent that is meant to be used in the kitchen sink. NEVER put it into the dishwasher!!!!!!!!!!EVER!!!!!

That goes for laundry detergent too. I only had to do that ONE TIME and I got a kitchen full of bubbles. It wasn't funny at the time, but it's funny now.

 

[mamacatnv]

This is what we use too. The ones with the little ball in the center. Seem to work very well. I buy them at Costco or BJ's and the whole container for $10ish seriously lasts me at least 6 months!! Probably longer!

This be me too - we recently ran out and we were using the liquid gunk DH likes, I had to keep re-washing the glasses. I too buy them at Costco, and load up when they have the buy 1 get 1 free coupon. (I don't like the tablet/pack that has the Dawn dish detergent).

Don't know about the cost to run, whatever it is, it is cheaper than the amount of time I would spend hand washing for a family of 4.

 

[FINFAN]

I also use the electrosol tablets. At least with our old dishwasher. We just replaced it yesterday with a new one, so not sure if the tablets will still be my preffered choice, but will start off with them. You will love ahving a dishwasher...if nothing else, it's great to get the dishes out of the way even if you don't run the machine rught away, and with 2 people, you won't likely need to run it that often. I don't hink you will notice much of a utility increase to run it.


Pam

 

[ducklite]

One tip - if you use liquid, shake the bottle occasionally. My mom learned the hard way that if you don't it can get more concentrated towards the bottom. She got to the bottom of the bottle and ended up with a kitchen full of bubbles!

I'm sorry for laughing at her expense, but that's funny!

OP, I use whatever liquid or gel Cascade is on sale. This week Walgreen's has a pretty good deal if you fill out the rebate for and use the coupon that was in yesterday's paper.

Anne