Dishwashers - what do I need to know?

[dinasaw]

DH has brought home a dishwasher. I'm not sure whether we need one. We've never had one before.
There are two of us and Ds2 living at home. We always have washing up stacked on the sides waiting to be done and there are endless arguments about doing the washing up. Is it going to turn into an argument about loading the dishwasher?

We can either put it next to the washing machine in the utility or take out a cupboard and put it next to the sink.

Does stuff still need to be rinsed before putting in? What cannot be put in the dishwasher? What tablets and salt do I need to buy? What do I need to know about dishwashers?

Please help! DH is looking like a kicked puppy at my refusal to accept his gift!

put in the kitchen not the utility.

shove all plates and pans in it as soon as they have been used, don't let them lie around the kitchen. Scrape lumps of food off first or rinse under cold tap. no need to wash before washing. Read the instruction book, especially about cleaning the filters.

if it has a timer, put a tablet in it each day and set the time to max, then just carry on putting things in it as used, and you won;t have to worry about setting it going.

You will only ever need the "normal" programme.

Do remember to put salt and rinse-aid in. 5-in-1 tablets are not as good.

Aldi cheap tablets, and Tesco Value tablets, are Which best buys.

Try to be more appreciative.

If the washer's any good, you won't need to rinse, but do scrape off the big bits, especially rice, which will lodge in the spinny things and block them.

Put it near the sink.

Any tablets work, though if you're in a hard water area, you might need extra stuff. I use Aldi's cheapest.

Your rows will centre around those who put dirty dishes next to, but not IN the dishwasher. Every fecking time. Yes, I'm looking at you, DH.

Dishwashers are fab, an extra cupboard for all the filth.:o

I also agree that a dishwasher is an extra cupboard for the storage of clean ware while the used ware piles high in the sink and flows onto the work top waiting for the fool to come home from work to empty and fill it

Tesco daisy powder, one tablespoon per wash.

Homebargains/savers rinse aid £1. Same active ingredients as finish

Half a cup of soda crystals on a hot wash once a month to keep it clean.

Always use salt. Dishwasher salt never table.

I always use the eco setting, it uses less water and electric.

I use the spatula that came with my food processer to scrape plates off.

Cheap basic tablets are as good as branded ones.

Clean the filter weekly.

If the rota arm bangs on things move them, it will damage the arm.

Read the manual.

Never put washing up liquid in it, if you do and it foams up and overflows chuck a block of butter in, it will stop the foaming.

I have a dishwasher but to be honest I use it sparingly. When I have a load of dishes then I use it otherwise I use the sink because I think they are expensive to run - useful when you do have a mountain of dishes but not for everyday use but they are a Godsend at Christmas!! Wouldn't part with mine!!

a dishwasher uses very little hot water. Less than a washing-up bowl, to do more crockery. So once you have bought one, they cost less than washing up by hand (and are far more hygenic)

When I bought ours the water bill went from 18 units a quarter to 4 and the electric bill halved.

They are very economical to run these days.

Dinasaw, it sounds like you don't really want it. Let me take it off your hands.

It's posts like yours shouty that make me want a like button

I scrape leftovers into the bin but dont rinse before putting into the dishwasher. I try to clean the filter fairly regularly. Use tablets (normally branded ones but on special offer), own brand salt and rinse aid. Normally use the Eco setting and also use the speed wash if I am in a hurry. I like to stack the dishwasher myself so dirty dishes get left on the side. It is me that empties it too but I'm not too bothered as dh cooks my dinner for me so I tidy up after him. I stack it during the day and put in on after dinner so it is ready to empty by the morning. I put most things in the dishwasher but do wash baking trays by hand.

I sometimes think I would rather have my dishwasher than my washing machine! Love it love it love it. Definitely load as you go, clean it with a cleaning solution thingy once a month, take the worst of the bits off plates but don't need to rinse them. I like loading/unloading so no problems for us - OCD means you can have all sorts of rules about how it is loaded!

I would put it in the utility room - don't lose kitchen space. If you unload clean dishes and can't be bothered to put them away, you can stack them out of sight in the utility! Mine is in the utility, it isn't loud but I can still shut the door on it when it is on.

I'm sure you will learn to love it (and the lack of dirty stuff stacked up on the sink)

I've decided to appreciate Dh's gift of a dishwasher! It is currently in the garage until we can get it fitted. DH says it has to go in the utility as he doesn't want to rip cupboards out in the kitchen until we are sure we will keep it.
We need to buy a fridge freezer so we can get rid of the ancient freezer and move the tumble dryer to fit the dishwasher in. Think of it like a 3d jigsaw puzzle!
Many thanks for the advice. I've been converted!

You will keep it if you put it in the kitchen.

You are less likely to keep it if you put it in the utility!

We stayed in a holiday place where the kitchen was open plan and they'd put the dishwasher in the utility presumably to avoid noise in the open plan space etc. But it was way too much of a trek between the cupboards the stuff lived in and the dishwasher - so filling and emptying was such a chore.

In my kitchen it is next to the sink, and very near the crockery cupboards. I can have the whole thing emptied in the morning in less time than it takes to boil the kettle for my pot of tea.