Dish Washer Tablets

[albaqwerty]

Anyone any recommendations please for brand/value for money?

We're hoping our new-to-us one will be delivered if not today, then tomorrow and we've never had one before.

[albaqwerty]

thank you, you can tell I'm a novice lol

[pixie374]

Dishwasher salt, albs x
Ummm, usually just take the cap off and leave the bottle sealed. The hot temperature will melt that. Put it upside down in the cutlery part xx

[pixie374]

... without anything else in the dishwasher.

[bhg481]

If you have soft water you won't need salt. Just set the water-hardness on the dishwasher to stop the salt warning light coming on - the instruction booklet will tell you how.

[albaqwerty]

I love this site most of the time!

Great advice, hints and tips, many thanks everyone.

Probably won't get it plumbed in til the weekend, but it's got to arrive first :-D x

[ummmm]

Cheers Pix. My cutlery holder holds each bit of cutlery individually though so I have no compartment I can just put it in...I'll try and balance it somewhere.

[bhg481]

Pixie's tip about the cleaner is very good. A friend of our daughter is a white-goods engineer and he recommends it every 3 months or so.

[hc4361]

I never saw the point of dishwashers and refused to have one.
Then we went on a self catering holiday and the cottage included a dishwasher. I bought one the day after we got home and wouldn't do without one now. There has been no increase in either my electricity or water bills.

[bhg481]

ummmm - we always balance ours next to the cutlery box in the gap where the plate slots start to lean in the opposite direction.

[chrissa1]

I’ve had three dishwashers over the last 40 odd years. I have Never, used dishwasher salt, and each dishwasher I’ve had has lasted for years with no detrimental affects whatsoever.
It’s just another way of getting you to spend money.

[albaqwerty]

I think I'd put it on after mealtime of an evening and let it do its thing and rescue the dishes in the morning.

How is it for pots and pans?

HC, it freed up holiday time :-)

[chrissa1]

Just put it on when it’s full, alba.

[ummmm]

I'll try that bhg :-)

Chrissa - it only costs about a quid and lasts for ages so hardly breaking the bank.

I lived in a soft water area and the repairman still recommended I use it. He had nothing to gain telling me that.

[bhg481]

Dishwashers have a built-in water softener which requires regenerating by flushing salt solution through it. If you don't have salt in and your water is hard the spray heads will start to clog, just like your shower head. In time this may lead to less effective cleaning as the dishwasher relies on the force of the spray, as well as the detergent, to give a thorough clean.

[ummmm]

Albs...depends how many dishes are in it. Pans can take up a lot of room.

[Prudie]

Before I upset all the lidl/aldi devotees my cheap remark was about Tesco, Co-Op etc. I've never been in an Aldi in my life and Lidl only once and that was enough..

[chrissa1]

I agree, ummmm. I’ve never put pans in.

[bhg481]

We're like Chrissa - we use the dishwasher as a store cupboard for dirty dishes and only run it when it gets full.

[hc4361]

I put everything in my dishwasher, alba - pots, pans, roasting tins even things that apparently can't go in the dishwasher such as riveted steak knives and wooden spoons.
Having said that I don't have silver cutlery or expensive glass so use your own judgement.

Everything comes out much cleaner and of course the health hazard tea towel is eliminated - much more hygienic. I live in a very hard water area and always use salt, it's very cheap.

[woofgang]

Its the same sort that goes in water softeners (granular, not the tabs) If you really want to save money, you can buy it by the sack which is cheaper but in a soft water area, its probably not worth it as you will use so little