Dishwashers

Last summer when we did our large home addition (adding a master bedroom and 2 bathrooms), we had to put in a new dishwasher in order to pass the Green Energy Inspection.  Yes I know, a dishwasher has NOTHING to do with a bedroom or a bathroom.  But that is how "well thought out" the green energy inspection laws are. 

Anyway, we got a new dishwasher out of the deal.  Can't complain.

So when my 10 month old dishwasher QUIT WORKING, I was a little perturbed.  Fortunately it was still under warranty, so the service call was free.

Turns out a little wire had not been fully "clicked" to the next wire at the factory. And after many uses, the wires had disconnected.  The nice man fixed it in less than 5 minutes and there was no cost. Yay!

But then he proceeded to give me some dishwasher tips... so far I've only really done 1 of these... but I fully intend to do both.

1.  Pre-Wash:  I showed him that I really only use the little dishwasher packets. He said those aren't his favorite (since you can't adjust how much detergent you put in based on whether or not you have hard or soft water. Which, of course, I have no clue if I have hard or soft water, so the packets work just fine for me.)

But he asked if I ever put detergent in the "pre-wash" spot.  Um... no. 

He kindly explained that I was missing out on the full capabilities of my dishwasher and by just adding some detergent to the Pre-wash, I could get much cleaner dishes.  He said powder or gel work equally well. And he typically uses powder himself.

Done and done.  I bought some gel dishwasher detergent (because the gel was on sale)

I add a small amount and I have to say, it is truly amazing how different my dishes now look!

2. Dishwasher Magic 

Apparently you're supposed to clean your dishwasher every 6 months.  Who knew!
He says this "Dishwasher Magic" brand is great and to just follow the directions on the bottle.  I still haven't done this because the one time I remembered to look for the dishwasher magic I was at the grocery store and I couldn't find it and I gave up after 2 minutes.

But he said it helps clean out all of the gears and stuff under the bottom of the dishwasher and really prolongs the life and productivity of your dishwasher. So I fully intend to do this.

In fact, when searching for a photo of the stuff for this blog, I found their website and turns out they offer free shipping. So I really have no excuse not to buy this stuff right this minute.  And neither do you! 

So while this is a somewhat boring post... I felt those 2 tips were worth sharing!  I hope you try at least one of them!  and maybe I'll go get some dishwasher magic right now too!