Use a Dishwasher correctly for Best Results

Use a dishwasher correctly and get satisfying cleaning results with a long working machine.

A dishwasher washes, cleans, rinses and dries dishes, plates, cutlery, pots and pans and glasses etc. all in one cycle. To ensure a satisfying, clean end-result consider the following:

• Proper loading of the machine


• Use of the right detergent


• Use of salt (water softener) and rinse-aid to protect your machine and ensure longevity

Proper Loading of the Machine

Aim to load and use a dishwasher correctly. Avoid overloading as this will result in decreased cleaning performance and can damage relevant parts.

• Try to scrap food remains off plates and dishes, pre-soak baked on rests in pans and pots. This helps to save energy and water.


• It is good practice to load heavier and larger items into the bottom rack and more delicate glassware and smaller plates, cups etc. on the top.


• Make sure glasses, cups and pots are facing up side down. This way cleaning water will be able to run off surfaces and not been collected in them.


• Cutlery and flatware should be placed into baskets or cutlery trays. Avoid "cramming" too many cutlery pieces into the tray or basket as this way water cannot reach every surface and improper cleaning results would occur.


• The same is advised for similar sized dishes, pots and plates: make sure surfaces can be reached by the water-jets.


• Make sure nothing sticks out and blocks the rotating spray-arms or hinders the unlocking mechanism of the detergent dispenser. Items that are too long can be placed safely onto the top racks.


• Keep items made out of different metals apart from each other. This prevents erosion and surface or flash rust.


• For your own safety you should put sharp and spiky items in the cutlery basket or -tray. This way you can avoid injuries during loading and unloading the dishwasher.

Use the right Dishwasher Detergent

Always use a dishwasher detergent that is recommended by the manufacturer. Normal washing up liquid will cause excessive foam production that can damage your machine and results in improper washing performance.

Modern detergents come in powder or tablet form. The all-in-one tablets are little "chemo-technical" power cleaner with 3 to 5 different components that are working timed according to specific sections within the washing-cycle.

To clean inner surfaces, racks, tines and valves let the dishwasher run a full cycle without placing any items inside using only white vinegar. (Just put some into the detergent dispenser or onto the bottom of the tub.)

Dishwasher Salt and Rinse Aid

Dishwasher salt is not equal household salt!

Always use a dishwasher-recommended salt and rinse aid. This way you will ensure proper washing and cleaning performance and you won't damage your machine.

Salt is needed to prepare or soften water so that it can be used by the dishwasher safely. In a lot of places water contains varying amounts of dissolved calcium and magnesium. These elements determine the grade of water hardness and if not "removed" or exchanged, they cause scaling of valves, hoses and relevant parts of the dishwasher.

Rinse aid is usually a fluid placed into a separate dispenser right beside the Detergent dispensing unit. In modern detergent tablets rinse aid can be integrated in the tablets. For that read instructions of your tablets.

Rinse aid helps water to flow off items more easily and prevents forming of speckles and marks on washed and dried dishes, plates, flatware/cutlery and glasses.

How a Dishwasher Works

Understanding how a dishwasher works might not seem very relevant to everyone at first...but it's been demonstrated in a number of studies that people who understand the basics of

how their kitchen appliances (or other machinery they use) work, actually have fewer problems with breakdowns. (I suppose that's what my father was thinking when he insisted I did a basic car mechanics evening course before he'd help me buy my first car! I grumbled at the time but I've blessed him on many occasions since!) So having even a basic idea of how it works may help you use a dishwasher more sympathetically and help it do its job better.

For detailed diagrams and clear explanations of how all types of dishwashers work, from commercial dishwashers to domestic ones, the Laundry and Dishwasher Info site, run by one of my fellow SBI!-ers, is excellent...just click the link to check it out.