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Post by downandout on Mar 29, 2010 14:39:34 GMT -5
ive never had a dishwasher before so this is going to sound really stupid but is it normal for the dishwasher to leave residue soap on the dishes? i have changed the soap from the cascade loose powder brand to the cascade stuff in the little pouch. is it the brand of soap? if so can you recommend a brand? also the last time i used the little pouch its like it didnt dissolve right or somethng and i had a smear of it going down the inside of the door. (which i actually cleaned up haha). last night i was so discouraged from using it i ended up doing the dishes by hand. thank you for any help or advice you can give me!!  |
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Post by eaglesflight on Mar 29, 2010 14:59:39 GMT -5
There should be a dispensed for a rinse aid. The most common brand is Jet Dry. It helps the water to sheet off the dishes instead of beading up. It also sounds like the water is not getting hot enough. You may have the water heater turned down but in order for the dishes to come out well, you want it to be turned up to about 140F.
A third factor that may be causing problems is if there is lime scale or other build-up on the spray arms. You can use a powder called Lemi Shine in the soap dispenser that will remove the scale. And finally, you may just need to run a dishwasher cleaner. This will remove any soap scum that is built up on the dishwasher parts themselves. You're supposed to run a dishwasher cleaner monthly, but I tend to do it about every six months.
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Post by momof3boys on Mar 30, 2010 1:22:01 GMT -5
yes, I agree to use the rinse aid. Also when I had a dishwasher I used pure hot water and had the best results with the hottest water possible.
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Post by howardsgirlfriend on Mar 30, 2010 1:53:44 GMT -5
I have better luck with liquid dishwasher detergent. It's also possible that your heating element isn't working. Could you be overloading it, or positioning the items so water doesn't drain out easily? Instead of a special cleaner, you can clean any grease or mineral deposits by pouring in a cup of vinegar, and running it on the longest, hottest cycle. I have learned the hard way that I have to rinse or scrape everything before putting it in the dishwasher--if I have to use a scrub brush, the dishwasher won't remove it. I also learned the hard way that there's no substitute for dishwasher detergent. Dish soap and laundry soap both create a mound of bubbles worthy of a sitcom! Each type of dishwasher is different. I had to have ours replaced last year, and it took me awhile to get acquainted with its differences (quieter, but slower.) Keep working with it. |
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Post by bigtimetroubles on Mar 30, 2010 6:44:25 GMT -5
I have had a dishwasher for many years and never have run a dishwasher cleaner...I am interested in the limey stuff that was mentioned by eaglesflight....for cleaning away limescale....I use jet dry sometimes....but I also use cascade complete with its enzyme action for eating away the particles that are on the dishes....it does not eat everything but it does better than any other soap I have ever used....so I would keep with the powder Cascade....and use jetdry...also my dishwasher has a heater for its water....it heats it into the hot range aside from coming out tap hot....my dishwasher is portable.....rolls around in kitchen....I love dishes being done this way rather than by hand...if I had to do dishes by hand they never would be done and I would be doing what I did at age 20 tossing the dirty dishes from scuzzy sink out the back door into the yard for junk....hehehehe
hugs btt
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Post by downandout on Mar 31, 2010 14:36:55 GMT -5
please forgive me for not answering sooner! sometimes i have waves of depression and its all i can do to go to work every day. i appreciate everyone's replies i didnt know about using a lime scale removr or vinegar! but where do you put the vinegar or the lime remover? in the soap thingy? i will have hubby check th e water heater too and make sure to increase the temp. i do think that the water is not as hot as it should be because when you run the hot water it isnt as hot as our old place. the only thing i can say for sure is that i didnt overload the dishwasher when i used it. just a couple of plates, maybe six glasses and a bowl and one big pot. bunch of silverware tho. (i use paper plates alot i am ashamed to say) tomorrow i will go to wally world after work and get the jet dry and both vinegar and the lime remover stuff. thank you to all fo r your helpful replies!  |
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Post by howardsgirlfriend on Apr 1, 2010 2:41:49 GMT -5
The water in my dishwasher is hot enough to warp a fast-food drink cup, though I don't know wxactly how hot that is.
As for the vinegar, just throw it inside and turn it on.
While you're at Wally World, get some baking soda, too. You can clean almost anything with some combination of soap, vinegar, baking soda, and water.
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Post by eagle on Apr 2, 2010 20:12:33 GMT -5
Is anything impeding the spinning arm from spinning around during the wash and rinse cycle? After you load it, reach in and give it a spin. If it hits a pot or a dish, it won't spin during the cycle and this impedes rinsing of soap, etc off the dishes.
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Post by downandout on Apr 3, 2010 8:06:38 GMT -5
i will try that eagle! it never occured to me that something might be blocking it! i did buy the vinegar at wally world but i couldnt find the lime cleaner and i completely forgot the jet dry duh! but i will run a cycle with the vinegar and see if it helps things. thanks everyone!! oh and hubby turned up the water heater temp it was on the lowest possible setting!!! |
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Post by eagle on Apr 3, 2010 9:06:29 GMT -5
The vinegar does help remove hard water deposits in the little holes that spray out. I also use it to soak the shower head in when the little holes get clogged up. Just wrap a baggie full of straight vinegar and rubber band it around the shower head for a few hours and the deposits all fall out. Can't quite do that with the dishwasher, but it still works by running it through the wash cycle periodically.
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Post by bluefrog on Apr 3, 2010 10:04:57 GMT -5
If it's hot enough and the water flow isn't blocked and lime scale doesn't turn out to be the problem, could you be using too much dishwasher detergent? It really takes only a couple of tablespoons, whatever the manufacturers say.
If the dishwasher isn't new, just new to you, running it a couple of times empty with a cup of vinegar will help get rid of any gunk left behind that might be making it less efficient.
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Post by howardsgirlfriend on Apr 3, 2010 11:54:34 GMT -5
On the plus side, you can run your dishwashing/wiping sponges, brushes, etc when you run the dishwasher, and they come out clean and sanitary. I leave them inside so my dogs don't turn them into dog toys.
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