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Original poster

First time dishwasher owner

94 replies

YaWeeShit · 30/05/2020 12:45

As sad as it sounds, I’m getting a dishwasher on Monday and as I’ve never owned one before, I’m hoping for tips on how to get the best use out of it.

We’re a family of three so not loads of dishes - would it be best to put on once a day?

Are plates supposed to be scraped before going in?

Am I officially middle aged being so excited about a dishwasher

OP posts:

areallthenamesusedup · 30/05/2020 12:51

Scrape off as much as you can. Then scrape again, but do not rinse.....wastes water and apparently makes it harder to get dishes clean.
Clear out filter at least monthly.
Do not overload.
Enjoy!

SallyWD · 30/05/2020 12:51

I always scrape the plates beforehand otherwise the filter gets blocked up really quickly and doesn't wash properly. I'd remove and clean the filter every couple of weeks for this reason. I just put it on when it's full otherwise I'd find it a waste of electricity! But I think most people people do it every day. Happy dishwashing!

GreyishDays · 30/05/2020 12:53

Ours goes on when its full. But it doesn’t use much electricity, so you might find it easier to put on every day at the same time. I would be surprised if you don’t fill it every day though.

Yes to scrape but don’t rinse.

Have a look at the cycles to find a medium one in terms of length and washing power.

Enjoy!

Interested in this thread?

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Home improvement

whatsleep · 30/05/2020 12:54

Dont bother with the expensive branded dishwasher tablets, salt and rinse aid just use the cheapest supermarket own brand! Makes no difference in my opinion and are a fraction of the price

GreyishDays · 30/05/2020 12:54

I agree!

WisestIsShe · 30/05/2020 12:56

@whatsleep

Dont bother with the expensive branded dishwasher tablets, salt and rinse aid just use the cheapest supermarket own brand! Makes no difference in my opinion and are a fraction of the price

I agree. Don't believe the "all in 1" hype. Make sure to use the salt and rinse aid and it doesn't matter which detergent you go for. I use Aldi.

Ifailed · 30/05/2020 12:57

depending on how often you use it, once a month remove filter and wash it, then run a cleaning cycle - refer to your manual. Ask your water provider to tell you how hard or soft your water is, if hard keep the salt dispenser topped up.

LadyFeliciaMontague · 30/05/2020 13:00

You made need more mugs/plates. It’s easy to run out if you are used to washing up by hand as you go along but now will have to wait until the dishwasher has finished.
I put it on once a day.
I clean the filter out whenever I see stuff in it but I also wash it once a week as this new one seems to get a buildup of crud on the fine mesh bit around the filter.
I use a dishwasher cleaner on the hot cycle once a month - aldi do a good one (cheap twin pack) when it’s in stock.
Fairy dishwasher tabs are the best in my dishwasher. I found I had to rewash if I used finish or supermarket own brand but other people seem to find the opposite. Either way, home bargains have much cheaper tabs than in the supermarket.
There are as many arguments about who hasn’t bothered to empty the dishwasher as there used to be about who’s turn it is to do the dishes

Congratulations.

Zenithbear · 30/05/2020 13:02

Have plenty of spare cutlery, crockery mugs, glasses etc. Also at least two of things like cheese graters.

sarahlovescake79 · 30/05/2020 13:03

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

bluefoxmug · 30/05/2020 13:05

yes, scrape plates

load so that the water spinners (the grey wing things) can turn.

check how hard the water is in your area. in a soft water area you can get away with an all in one detergent, in a hard water area you need separate salt and rinse aid in addition.

the eco programme is loong (2.5 hours for our bosh) but will only use a tiny amount of water (less than 10l check the manual) and electricity and stuff gets clean.

HalfBrick · 30/05/2020 13:17

Don't buy 'lemon' dishwasher tablets, you'll be able to taste it when you use your crockery! 🤮

DameFanny · 30/05/2020 13:23

Don't wash good kitchen knives or any cutlery where the handle's a separate part. Good knives will be pitted, and prolonged immersion in hot water damages the glue on handled cutlery.

If you put wooden items in they'll lose any finish and be bleached - fine for cooking spoons, not so good for salad servers.

Any vintage or decorated crockery will lose gilding and fade over time. Dishwashers work by effectively sandblasting the surface of whatever's in there, so you can also expect your glasses to get hazed over time.

And if you're in a hard water area, expect for it to blip every once in a while and cover everything in a weird film of limescale. Best thing to do then is soak everything in white vinegar, and run a vinegar wash through the machine. This will only happen when you're short on time, and has no regard for if you've kept the salt and rinse aid topped up or not.

DameFanny · 30/05/2020 13:24

Oh yes, lemon detergent or rinse aid turns silver black, but you're best off not putting actual silver in

BackforGood · 30/05/2020 13:26

Just set it off when it is full. Sometimes that can be more than once a day, sometimes you'll leave it to the next day.
Yes to scraping bits off.
I also rinse - same as I would when clearing the table before stacking plates for hand washing. I don't want tons of gravy / sauce in my washing up bowl so figure I don't want it in the dishwasher either. Even more so if you aren't setting it off straight away.

'Which' consumer tests rate Aldi dishwasher tablets as the best.
I never use salt - I think that might depend if you have hard water or soft water.

MollyAtTheFolly · 30/05/2020 13:26

Another 'stay away from the lemon tablets' here. The smell is very strong and as a PP said, you can taste it

LaaLaaLanded · 30/05/2020 13:30

The lemon ones are always on offer too.

Whatisthisfuckery · 30/05/2020 13:32

This is all very useful. I too will be a first time dishwasher owner in a few weeks time.

00100001 · 30/05/2020 13:34

You might find you need more cutlery and crockery! We had a minimal amount when hand washing (mostly so DH couldn't leave the washing up for days because there was clean stuff), but now we have a dishwasher, we had to get extra bits, mostly cutlery, but also a few more mugs and suchlike.

TwistyHair · 30/05/2020 13:38

Don’t put wood in or sharp knives. And I clean our filter about twice a week. You may need more mugs and small plates unless you have enough to get you through a whole day without washing. I use mine once or twice a day. Twice if I bake or something. Don’t normally bother putting baking trays in because they take up so much room. Also, if you look at water usage, it’s normally really low. A lot lower than hand washing and rinsing would be. We have combi boiler so not sure how electricity usage of dishwasher compares to gas usage for heating hot water for washing up. But I think they’re quite economical. You must have dishwasher salt in and rinse aid.

FinallyHere · 30/05/2020 13:40

Since lockdown we have established a routine, DH cooks the. packs the dishwasher in the evening and sets it going. I'm usually first down in the mornings so unpacking and putting away is my job.

I usually have a little daydream about having space for two dishwashers, one to put the dirty dishes into and the other to provide clean dishes and crockery.

This is appeared in my FB feed https://www.fisherpaykel.com/uk/kitchen/dish-washers/dishdrawer/double-dishdrawer-black.DD60DDFHB9.html

FinallyHere · 30/05/2020 13:41

Oops sorry that post was supposed to be making sure the tasks of loading and unloading are shared reasonably equally.

bluefoxmug · 30/05/2020 13:44

wrt heating the water: if you have solar hot water then you can put the washer directly onto hit water to safe money.

Bulletwithwings · 30/05/2020 13:44

I have a dishwasher for years and never use it aside from when hosting guests!

Bulletwithwings · 30/05/2020 13:45

Where is the filter? Mines built in so I dont use it for fear of breaking it

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