# What do you throw into your dishwasher?



## PieMan (Jul 11, 2016)

Call me simple, but i've just stumbled across something very basic.

*You need to fill your dishwasher with salt.*

The "all in one" tablets do not have the ability to soften the water before the water hits the internal machine plumbing.

I'm sure everyone here already knows this, but for years i've used "all-in-one" tablets with salt thinking that was it - I'm now getting much, much better results using the most basic washing powder, the most basic rinse aid and keeping the salt compartment topped up with proper dishwasher salt.

So simple. Sometimes I think I know how to use something, yet I don't. Probably the same with knives...


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## cyp450 (Jul 11, 2016)

I don't mean to hijack this thread, but are dishwashers much more convenient than washing by hand? Don't you have to rinse food off anyways before putting dishes into the washer? I'm living by myself so it would take me like a week to fill up the dishwasher--and there would likely be stuff growing by the time I do any washing.


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## nianton (Jul 11, 2016)

I never realized there was so much to a house dishwasher (I've actually never lived in a house with a dishwasher). To be honest the only dishwashers I have ever used are in pro kitchens. Now those would be fun to have in a house, If you got the room.


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## strumke (Jul 11, 2016)

Yes, they are more convenient... rinsing a plate and pushing food particles down the drain is a lot faster than washing all sides of everything with a soapy sponge and then drying.

I had no idea about the salt/water softener thing though... is that a European thing? Googling dishwasher salt seems to pull up mostly european based sites. I've never used any sort of salt for any dishwasher I've had. I also haven't seem a place to put the salts either.


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## MAS4T0 (Jul 11, 2016)

Does the US have water softening at the municipal plant/ built into the household plumbing system or do you still get hard water and the accompanying limescale deposits?

I can't see a dishwasher working well without salt unless the water is already softened or some kind of softener is mixed in with the detergent.


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## zetieum (Jul 11, 2016)

I have a dishwasher. I always have had one. I lived in shared flat, later I settled with my wife. Well, a dishwasher saves you from most of the every-day fights about who-did-not-washed-the-dishes, who-did-wash-badly-dishes etc. 
Currently it is my second dish-washer. The previous one, died after 25 years of use (it belonged to my Grand.ma before). I bought a new one 5 years ago. I bought the same brand (Miele). 
I cook every single meal and eat it in plates. I put everything (but my knives) in the dish washer (plates, pot etc.). I use organic-soap and salt. Instead of rinse-liquid, I use white vinegar (less expensive and more ecological).
Advantages of a dishwasher vs hand washing:
- more ecological,
- less likely to break thing,
- less time consuming,
- utilmately less money (expect if you wash dishes with cold water).


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## nianton (Jul 11, 2016)

MAS4T0 said:


> Does the US have water softening at the municipal plant/ built into the household plumbing system or do you still get hard water and the accompanying limescale deposits?
> 
> I can't see a dishwasher working well without salt unless the water is already softened or some kind of softener is mixed in with the detergent.



Where I live we have a water softener built into the plumbing on the outside of the house, don't If everyone in the US has one. I know some people where I live say they have hard water.


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## Lucretia (Jul 12, 2016)

We don't have a water softener, and haven't lived in a house that has one. Our dishwashers have never had a place to put salt in--apparently it's for dishwashers that have a built-in water softener? We do have a compartment to put in a rinse aid to help keep spots off dishes. When I did a search on salt & dishwashers, it looks like salt compartments are found in brands like Bosch and Miele. 

We did learn something new about our dishwasher recently. We'd been using the "gel" type detergent. Our dishwasher was getting this nasty mineral buildup everywhere and our glasses were getting foggy. The holes in the spray arms were also getting clogged with the stuff. Turns out that's pretty common with the gel detergents. We've swapped over to the pellets and the dishwasher (and the dishes) have cleaned right up.


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## LifeByA1000Cuts (Jul 12, 2016)

The big convenience is with items that do not get very dirty but still need cleaning - mise bowls, drinking cups and glasses. And don't underestimate the value of the dirty dish storage it provides, or of the fact that things get dried .

There are old school dishwashers that are meant to take three chemicals (salt, rinse aid, and powder-that-says-don't-eat-so-lets-make-the-bacteria-eat-it-and-oh-it-dissolves-most-crap-if-you-are-lucky), and modern ones that are optimized for tablets. The old school variant has the advantage that the component chemicals are cheap and that you can underdose or overdose the powder depending on the workload.


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## JaVa (Jul 12, 2016)

My idiot neighbour, if he does not stop complaining about normal basic stuff! :nunchucks:


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## Mucho Bocho (Jul 12, 2016)

The nice thing about salt in the dishwasher is your plates will come pre-seasoned. HA


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## Keith Sinclair (Jul 12, 2016)

I have friends that have dishwasher, dryer, garbage disposal. They live in newer apartments or houses. House I have lived in many years was built in 1932 still has all it's glass doorknobs. Hand wash, trade winds dryer, cut up all my food scraps so will break down faster in my spin composter. Put any protein scraps in small plastic bags refrigerator, clean out my refrig. once a week before garbage day.


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## LifeByA1000Cuts (Jul 12, 2016)

@Mucho bocho that's why you aren't supposed to pre-rinse with modern machines - they need the salt off the plates for water softening and the grease for the gears!


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## nianton (Jul 12, 2016)

Pre-seasoned plates! This could be revolutionary and possibly the next step in evolution!


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## PieMan (Jul 12, 2016)

I've never really owned one before but just had this one installed, so I wasn't aware there were dishwashers you couldn't put salt in!

It's been a good investment, even just for the extra sink drying space it frees up. It's a Miele so whoever said that was bang on the money. 

A house made in 1932? Pffft. This apartment was built in 1822 

Doesn't have the original features beyond the roof and skirting though


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## LifeByA1000Cuts (Jul 12, 2016)

"couldn't put salt in!"

probably just doesn't have the old school ion exchanger system, relying on something in the tablets to take care of that.


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## Keith Sinclair (Jul 13, 2016)

I imagine Scotland has plenty old occupied buildings.


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## Ydj32 (Aug 20, 2016)

What about baking soda? It should work just as well as salt


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## LifeByA1000Cuts (Aug 20, 2016)

In an ion exchanger?


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## daveb (Aug 20, 2016)

He's got stock in Arm and Hammer - baking soda rules!


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