do you need to use rinse aid and salt as well as 5-in-1 dishwasher tablets

[Hamandcheese]

well, do you?

No

I don't.

My understanding is that it is better to use the extra things seperately even if the tablets say they do everything, as they don't necessarily get added at the right time in the cycle if you rely on the tablets.

I just use the 5 in 1 and it seems fine - on eco cycle too.

I use total separates as we have soft water here and the 5 in 1 type tablets contain far too much salt.

I was looking at my dishwasher manual yesterday (what an exciting life I lead, sigh) and it recommended using seperate powder, salt and rinse aid and not tablets at all. I'm going to use up my tablets and get some powder I think.

I only ever use the tablets/capsules. Have never used rinse aid or salt. Just find it more convenient.

I use rinse aid & salt as my diswasher stops working if it runs out!

Have never used them, all seems fine . We live in a soft water area though, so perhaps we should switch. How did you know you had too much salt suzi2? Also recently switched from super-expensive tablets to supermarket own brand 5in1. No discernable (sp?) difference

I know that if you use a 5 in 1 tablet and rinse aid and salt you can cause a giant load of foam to occur in your machine which can cause it to leak out the door, probably more likely to happen if you live in a soft water area. You can get the basic tablets really easily if you have a machine where you have to add the rinse aid and salt for it to work.

Ah - so I should be using the basic tablets, and adding rinse aid then in a soft water area? Forgive my ignorance, but what is the function of the rinse aid (i.e. if I stop using it, what will happen?)

Also my plastics never dry properly. Has anyone tried this new (Finish?) stuff which claims to dry better?

The rinse aid I think, helps the drying process, it stops big water droplets forming. The salt softens the water and is the thing that can cause the explosive foaming so is what you need to avoid if you add it separately. I wouldn't have thought double rinse aid would cause a problem.