How to use dishwasher salt

[daisydee43]

Hi

I have had a dishwasher for 2 years now and it's cleaning is really bad now. I think this might be because I have never used salt in it, thinking that the tablets had it in. The salt compartment is full of water and won't drain down - shall I just pour it in? What salt to use & how much?

Thanks

Just go and buy some dishwasher salt from the supermarket it will be with the cleaning products. The water will just overflow as you add the salt, it is not a problem. Buy some rinse aid as well . I know with the new tablets you are not meant to need the salt and rinse aid but the engineer who came and looked at my mums machine said that it is better to use them. Do you clean the filter on a regular basis and do you run the machine empty once in a while as it will help?

Forgot to add, just keep adding the salt until it reaches the top and you can close the lid of the machine. HTH

Yep, just add the salt through a funnel into the water until it reaches the top. If you are in a hard water area then your dishwasher will perform better with salt even if you use 5 in 1 tabs.

and stop wasting money on 'all in one' tabs. Salt is always needed.

get thee to Aldi or Wilkinsons, buy the cheap stuff, put in the whole pack of salt (this time) and all will be well. The water will just flow over the top, don't worry about that.

clean the filters weekly too.

It damages the machine to not use salt (unless you are in a very soft water area). So get salt in there ASAP.

Hi there - we don't use salt in our dishwasher as the water is so soft it isn't necessary. Apart from regularly cleaning the filter as previously suggested, watching how you stack it can make a difference to water circulation and rinsing. I find that if I put lots, i.e. too much, in the top basket of ours the water doesn't get round properly and there is gritty residue on things.

boring as it is please let me recommend the Morrisons' dishwasher tablets.

They're cheap, have no individual wrappers (pet hate), never stick together and do a good job. I've been known to go especially to Morrisons to buy them

Have you checked the spray arms? They can get bits of debris in them that block the spray holes leading to uneven cleaning. Most of them just pull of and you can stick them under the tap.