Need tips for using dishwasher

amalis

Hi all,

so I got this brand new dishwasher Bosch Clasixx and it is the first one in my life. I am on a tight budget and heard so many rumours about how expencive is to run a dishwasher at home. I would like to ask you to share with me your personal tips for dishashwer, eg the cheapest and good tablets? do I really need a rinse aid? if so which one to take? is quick programme enought to clean ? do I need to rinse off plates before i put it in dishwasher? and everything eles )

Thx! :T

MrsBartolozzi

Hi there, I think you may have the same dishwasher as I am getting delivered on Thursday!
I never used rinse aid or salt, but we are in a soft water area so you'd need to see what your water is like. The cheapest DW soap I found is to buy the powder, most shop's own are around £2.30 for 1Kg (not bought for a month or so, so may have gone up). I then use only 5-10mls of powder depending on dirt level (I use an old plastic scoop to measure this out). Otherwise I used half a lidl tablet (£1.72 for 30), but since I realised how much cheaper powder is I tend not to buy these.
Is yours a slimline or full size? If slimline remember that a tablet/usual dosing advice is for the bigger ones so you will need less!
Enjoy your new dishwasher - they are such a great appliance.

seraphina

Avoid the tablets - they are a total rip off and you can't alter the dosage. Seriously, in a soft water area you'll only need about a teaspoon-dessertspoon of powder/detergent for a typical load - mind you, we're a vegetarian household so our dishwasher doesn't have to deal with lard/cooked meat grease, so you may need a bit more.

If you're in a hard water area, it's a must to use salt - it will stop the element furring up. Rinse aid is a matter of personal preference - I add it when I feel like it;) The own brand detergents are fine. If you are worried about delicate items, opt for liquid rather than powder which can be quite abrasive.

Dishwashers are very frugal - I don't know who told you they were expensive! We have a Bosch and it uses only 12 litres of water per full-on wash - there's no way I could do a day's worth of washing up, rinsing etc on 12 litres of water - think of the taps running etc! It's definitely more economical if you are on a water meter, and it will only heat the water it needs.

I run it overnight, empty it first thing in the morning, put the breakfast things in and then put it on a rinse to stop crusts forming (eugh!) and then put the dinner things in in the evening. I do give dinner plates a quick wipe before they go in, ditto saucepans.

Minihauk

Dishwasher powder is available in the poundshops - 1kg in a box, but is the same powder. I think it is called Calgonit there though. It works out much cheaper than the tablets, but if you do use tablets cut them in half. The dishes still come out clean.
Hth.

culpepper

I use vinegar in the rinse aid compartment. About once a month I go over the whole inside with a spray bottle of vinegar too(inside the spray arms too by squirting through the holes), to keep it clear of gunge and scale. The salt needs refilling in ours about once a month -6 weeks depending how often its been running.

amalis

Thx for such excellent tips, girls! At the mo I am using expencive tablets because I just have DW for a few days and was not sure about the dosage and etc.

Practical question: I have half load function and quick wash (30 min). Till now I used only quick wash coz did have anything particularly soiled. Today I tried quick wash + half load at same time and did not notice any difference. Does it make sense to use this half load together with economic function?

wendy52

If you have room to store a sack of salt Homebase sell it in 20kg sacks for water softeners.
It is cheaper than buying it in the small packs at supermarkets and lasts ages.

I agree with the powder advice.

I was without a dishwasher for 2 months because of a kitchen refit and I didn't half miss it.

seraphina

amalis wrote: »

Thx for such excellent tips, girls! At the mo I am using expencive tablets because I just have DW for a few days and was not sure about the dosage and etc.

Practical question: I have half load function and quick wash (30 min). Till now I used only quick wash coz did have anything particularly soiled. Today I tried quick wash + half load at same time and did not notice any difference. Does it make sense to use this half load together with economic function?

Absolutely - I use the quickest way that still gets things clean!

The Bosch dishwashers are quite smart in terms of knowing how dirty things are (they have sensors that look at the quality of the waste water). So even though the normal wash program is scheduled at 2hrs 30 mins, if you watch it (oh no, I would *never* be sad enough to watch a dishwasher, not me....) suddenly it will lop 30mins or so off the time if it twigs that things are getting cleaner quickly.

I think the main things the quick wash does is cut down on the drying time and water heating time.

purpleivy

Unlike the OP I never run my dishwasher at night or if I'm out. The reason for this is they do overheat and catch fire. Same with the tumble dryer.

MrsE_2

wendy52 wrote: »

If you have room to store a sack of salt Homebase sell it in 20kg sacks for water softeners.
It is cheaper than buying it in the small packs at supermarkets and lasts ages..

I wonder would that be ok to store in a shed?

It might get damp do you think?

valk_scot

I have a Siemans dishwasher. It arrived two years ago and I still marvel at how wonderful it is to finally own a dishwasher. I can clear the kitchen of the tottering piles of dirty dishes in under a minute into this magic cupboard and they come out clean and shiney! Truely a miracle, lol.

I live in a soft water area so no need for anything complicated. I use Lidl 3-in-1 dishwasher tablets or anything that's on cheaper at B&M or the reduced to clear section. I don't rate Finish tablets at all, best ones are the Fairy Platinum but they cost megabucks most of the time, unless they're on serious discount.

I don't run it till it's full. Running a half-full dishwasher is a waste of money. There are four of us though so not a problem. I use the 30 minute Economy wash if there's no pots or baking dishes, or the Eco 70 minute cycle for the rest. I don't pre-rinse unless we've been having muesli for breakfast and then I just sluice the bowls under the tap.