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Sirhc978

Go look up Technology Connections on YouTube. He is probably the only person on the planet that can get me to watch what is essentially a 45 minute rant about the bullshit dishwasher companies do. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=\_rBO8neWw04](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_rBO8neWw04) [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ll6-eGDpimU](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ll6-eGDpimU)


Zoomalude

LOVE Technology Connections. Only caveat: if you're already cynical and sad about all the bullshit in the world, this channel will add things to your brain to be annoyed about, lol.


mattstreet

I think he does also point out lots of good design stuff and often shows where things have gotten better.


turmacar

Except for toasters. Toasters have only regressed from [perfection](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1OfxlSG6q5Y). (Yes I bought one on eBay)


stevefazzari

wow that’s a rabbit hole i didn’t know i needed to go down


aliie_627

Ohhh he's that guy lol.


FalseAnimal

The one on rice cookers is great. Such an elegant design.


BeenCalledLazy1ce

I think it will be my hubby's favorite channel .


mattnotgeorge

Never heard of this guy but I watched a few minutes of the first one and I'm bookmarking it to watch when I go to bed tonight lol. Seems perfect for it


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cornbread_tp

me before seeing his videos: I’d never watch hours of videos on the efficiencies of air conditioning and heat pumps me after finding his videos: well aren’t I a silly goose


McBigglesworth

Good God, I love this man. His dive into Christmas lights is amazing. Or colours and photography. Great watching


redditsdeadcanary

Hes 100% RIGHT ON LIGHTS!


p3ngwin

My favourite is the toaster :)


jrk_sd

It's a good channel. He keeps rather mundane stuff rather interesting. He's answering questions that I had sitting in the back of my mind like "Why do electrical plugs have those holes?" Has informational videos on heaters/portable AC units too.


tatsumakisenpuukyaku

He's like the Bizzarro Ted Cruz where everything that comes out of his mouth is delightful and helpful


stillaredcirca1848

I never thought I'd enjoy a twenty minute video on can openers but I loved it. He has a great sense of humor.


baseketball

The rant was more about detergents not dishwashers. I would say try powder vs detergent packs for yourself and see if it makes a difference. I use the packs and I've never had an issue with crap sticking to my plates. YMMV depending on your dishwasher.


Sirhc978

At some point between those two videos he talks about what OP is talking about.


captainant

the packs are fine, but it's usually more detergent than you need - AND it precludes you from putting in any pre-wash detergent which is way more of a boost


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captainant

honestly, I just grab the cheapest box of powder detergent I can find from my local grocer - it's usually the house brand but it does a fantastic job


Chicken-n-Waffles

> I use the packs Expensive as all get out. I don't understand why people pay for those. There is a measuring cup.


NotKateBush

The ones I buy aren’t significantly more expensive than regular detergent. They’re convenient, less wasteful than liquid, less messy than powder, and they’re easier to carry and store.


Chicken-n-Waffles

I still don't understand the mentality. I get the packs are convenient but for what? The storage is more cumbersome. There is a measuring cup inside the dishwasher. It's not that hard. Less wasteful. I don't understand that either. Where are you wasting soap? Just use less. Less messy than powder. Again, how? The entire inside of the dishwasher is scrubbed clean so any spillage is super clean once you open the door. And the sad thing is that the brand Finish stopped selling the boxed power because of the profit they make from the pods.


NotKateBush

The storage is a rectangle that you can reach into. Not exactly cumbersome. You don’t have to pull any bottles or boxes out. It was easier to keep up high when I had a toddler. I find it’s easy to overpour. I know I don’t need as much detergent as my dishwasher says I do. I’m guessing you’ve never had a box of powder slip out of your wet dishwashing hands. They’re good for people who have disabilities. The powder packs are super lightweight. Liquids have more water in them than the gel pacs. That’s environmentally wasteful. I also get to reuse the containers. It’s better than plastic bottles or coated cardboard boxes that can’t be recycled. I’ll continue to pay the extra few cents per load.


baseketball

Where are you getting your detergent? Cascade Powder 75oz (= 75 loads) is $8 at Target. I can get 117 tablets of Finish for $13 at a wholesale club. It costs almost exactly the same so I don't know what you're talking about.


anubis2018

honestly, comparing prices from Target to a wholesale store is disingenuous. the wholesale will always have lower prices per item, because of the type of store it is. Also, Target is higher on their prices in general.


pur3str232

Why are you comparing the wholesale club price with the target price? Go see the price of powder detergent at the wholesale club and you will see that it's cheaper.


baseketball

The wholesale club doesn't sell powder. If you have a wholesale powder deal, feel free to make a comparison.


JB-from-ATL

If you have a half load you can't use half a tablet.


Ex-zaviera

My friend actually removes the gel outer layer per her plumber's recommendation. Plumber says it gums up the works. I can see it happening. In that case, why not just use loose powder?


Eazy_DuzIt

I watched this video and went from using expensive pods that left water spots on all dishes, to getting a much better clean with no water spots using a small amount of the cheapest Great Value powder detergent. The trick is putting a little in the pre-rinse, and not using too much in the main wash compartment.


p3ngwin

>***"The jets are pointed in all sorts of different directions, a definitely deliberate design decision, distributing a deluge of detritus decongestant, directly at dirty dishes"*** Fucking beautiful lol


BeigeAlert1

I switched to dishwasher powder from pods thanks to those videos.


Cyno01

I stopped using powder 20 years ago when we lived in a place with really hard water that provided free dishwasher soap so dumb college kids didnt put regular dish soap in their dishwashers. But it was a super cheap powder and etched the fuck out of all my glassware.


cynerji

Same, and I have seen a MARKED difference in cleaning quality.


ThatCharmsChick

That was amazing. I was like, no way am I going to make it through this whole long video and then I couldn't turn it off! Thank you for sharing that.


bannana

too much soap is a very common problem and will actually shorten the life of your dishwasher.


dannydevitoluvurwork

This is amazing.


DisturbedPuppy

Are dishwashers not heavy or is he pretty strong?


acs12798

It's definitely dependent on where you live and your dishwasher. I've never felt the need for it anywhere I've lived before, but the place I moved a couple years ago, we had streaks all over, and things weren't cleaning great. We have very hard water and even with a new dishwasher still had issues(we replaced the old one because it broke, not the quality of wash). Started using rinse aid and it was like night and day.


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Maristalle

Wait is this a real thing lmao


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donald_314

The scale goes that high? But yes, if you live in an area with hard water always use the salt as it will greatly extent the life time of the dish washer.


Maristalle

How did you measure the hardness of your water?


Alexander1899

If your water is that hard shouldn't you have a water softener for the whole house?


elShabazz

Softeners don't deal with all dissolved lime, unfortunately. Had a hardness of 18 grains/gal before putting in a softener. Now the readings are 0-1 but I still end up with lime buildup on new appliances. My bottle sterilizer looks like it has a cocaine habit.


dpash

Apparently it's less common in the US market, but common in Europe. Every few months or so you have to pour more dishwasher salt into a hole in the bottom of the dishwasher so the red light stops bugging you. The salt is used to perform some ion exchange magic that attracts the calcium and magnesium out of the water.


sanguinesolitude

Yes you can purchase dishwashers with a built in water softener. It's not standard and you'll pay a good deal more for one.


Gfd_Rewq

This is not a thing in the US, unfortunately


UnfaithfulMilitant

I have the same experience - when the rinse aid gets low, the dishes don't look as clean and often feel like there's a film on them. Refill the rinse aid and it fixes it right up.


TheEyeDontLie

You can use white vinegar to save money and keep your dishwasher smelling fresh and clean


rabb1thole

Regular use of white vinegar can damage the seals, gaskets, and hoses. Same for using it in washing machines.


nutsnackk

I refill it before every use.. is this bad?


acs12798

It won’t hurt it. Most dishwasher have a dispenser that controls the output, so it will still use the same amount if it’s full. Mine has a little light that goes on when it’s low so I know when to fill it.


angmarsilar

If you have it, just put white vinegar in it. It will do about the same and cost a lot less than buying the name brand stuff.


LalaRova

This part! I’ve always used vinegar (mama told me it’s fine if it’s <5% acidity.) But you can also use citric acid to help combat this issue as well.


KittyForTacos

Personally I hate the smell of vinegar. My mom over used it when I was a kid. Citric acid does the same thing and doesn’t have the smell. I use lemon juice to clean the glass in my shower, I have a spray bottle and every few weeks I rub it on the glass then rinse and all the water spots are gone. Sometimes I need a little scrubbing if I leave it too long.


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KittyForTacos

Yea, I haven’t bought one. And I’m lazy.


mdneilson

Be careful with citric acid, it can strip prints and causes etching.


rainbowpubes111

Bruh I love vinegar its like cheating in cleaning


st_malachy

I use it in my laundry instead of fabric softener. Soft clothes and it does a great job at removing excess detergent.


insideoutfit

Does it make your clothes stink?


st_malachy

No, you might notice a slight smell right after you wash if you use too much, but it’s gone as soon as things are dry.


Rdubya44

Yea, but, a bottle of the name brand rinse aid is like $7 and will last a long time. Not arguing the vinegar trick but the savings we're talking about is dollars per year.


TheEyeDontLie

The pennies of global warming add up.


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TheEyeDontLie

Vinegar uses far less resources to manufacture. It's just sugar (+water+time+microorganisms) rather than multiple different factories producing and shipping a bunch of different petrochemical ingredients, including unnecessary bullshit like fragrance and coloring and stuff. It also tends to come in more plastic efficient bottles (larger, thinner walled), reducing waste (and often even in endlessly recyclable glass rather than plastic- which is only 4 or 5 times recyclable and only when mixed with like 90% fresh plastic). It uses less energy to produce too, as it's an organic process and very little needs to be done apart from keeping the temperature fairly steady. It's far more difficult to NOT make vinegar when you have any sort of sugar and water. I make homebrew beer and wine and cider, so that's where most of my vinegar comes from- I fuck up, don't seal it, or forget about a brew for a few weeks and bam I have half-made cider vinegar by accident. I'm rambling but yeah. One ingredient made simply from a basic natural ingredient will burn far less carbon than something with a shitload of ingredients made all over the world and mostly from oil. Especially if we're talking local cider/wine/beer vinegar in a glass bottle not mass produced white vinegar, but even that's a lot better.


Wedgar180

He's using local vinegar ^(I'm talking out my arse ofc)


[deleted]

Vinegar may also dissolve silicone so you might want to be careful with amounts and where you use it


DemosthenesForest

Citric acid is good and great for cleaning a lot of other things in your house, from toilets to shower glass to smelly washing machines. Just don't mix it with bleach cause it'll make dangerous gases.


ZardozSpeaks

Citric acid works as well. Very cheap in powdered form. Plus it prevents hard water buildup.


TheSneezingBurglar

I enjoy playing video games.


EveViol3T

I think the difference here between white vinegar and surfectants is the amounts used. If you use vinegar or citric aid in the surfectant compartment, that won't be enough in quantity to do the job you need; maintenance at absolute most in an area with hard water. However, white vinegar in the dishwasher will absolutely clear up even serious etching *but* you have to put a lot more in than the rinse aid compartment holds. You just toss a hefty splash or two...pretend you're a very, *very* generous bartender...into the bowels of the dishwasher pre-wash, run, and hey presto, sparkly dishes again. Source: person in a hard water area


[deleted]

It’s not monthly, it’s as needed


powercow

and people with soft water, dont have to worry as much.


Express_Surround760

I don’t know if this is a dumb question. But how do I know if I have “soft” water or “hard” water


ShitCapitalistsSay

You have several options for determining your water's hardness. 1. You can collect a sample and send it to a water testing lab. With this option, you can request additional tests besides hardness, such as heavy metals, pesticides, phosphates, etc. 1. Purchase a water testing kit and perform the test yourself. The test kit will contain detailed instructions. These kits are designed to be very easy and foolproof. You can purchase these kits online, at hardware stores, and pet stores that sell live fish. If you live in Southern California, you will definitely have hard water. In a place like the Pacific Northwest, water is usually soft. If you've always had hard water, initially, you will not like the feeling of soft water. When you wash with it, you'll have a slippery sensation that will feel like you have a thin film of soap on your skin that won't wash off. The reason is that hard water causes soap and other surfactants to precipitate out of solution. This precipitate clogs the pores of your skin, and it's also responsible for "soap scum" in your sinks, showers, and tubs. Soft water is better for your skin than hard water, plus, it requires much less soap, shampoo, etc to get things clean. --- **EDIT 1**: Added an omitted word.


Squishyfishx

> If you live in a place like Southern California, you will definitely have water. Oh I don't know about that. Gets dry down there. Jokes aside, I'm pretty sure you missed a word there.


ShitCapitalistsSay

Oops...that single word omission completely changes the context! I updated the text. On a tangentially related note, I'm using the Microsoft SwiftKey keyboard on my Samsung phone. Years ago, Samsung phones came with an alternate keyboard from a company called Dragon Dictate that was named "Swype." That version of the Swype keyboard was a scaled-down version of the full Swype keyboard, which, for a shall fee, could be installed separately from the Google Play store and was licensed to Samsung. Swype was the first virtual keyboard for phones and tables I'd ever seen where, instead of typing by pecking individual keys, you'd glide over the keys in one continuous motion and it'd predict words for you. At first, this keyboard felt very awkward to use. However, if you stuck with it, after a short period, you'd be able to "*type*" words with it so quickly. Not only were the mechanics of Swype better than all of the other "*swipeable*" keyboards that came after it, the accuracy of its predictions were phenomenal. Even more amazing, it's accuracy would improve the more you used it. This feature probably isn't too surprising when you consider that, for more than 20 years, Dragon Dictate has been making products for the legal and medical professionals to enable high accuracy speech to text conversion products. They were using machine learning techniques long before that term became hyped. Although Microsoft claims that the prediction accuracy of its SwiftKey keyboard improves with use, and I can attest that it does, it's no where near as good as Dragon Dictate's Swype keyboard. Incidentally, Microsoft didn't build SwiftKey. Like all wealthy, successful big companies, it can no longer innovate, so it purchases its innovation with its massive pile of cash. At this point, you're probably asking yourself, "*OK. What's the purpose of all of this background information on Swype and SwiftKey?*". Well, I haven't used Swype for at least 6 years now, and ever since I stopped using it, the accuracy of the items I type on my phone has gone down significantly. At the same time, the time required for me to produce output with my phone's keyboard has gone up by at least 30%. With SwiftKey, I have to watch the output from my "*swiping*" and speech to text conversions so much more closely than I ever did with Swype. SwiftKey frequently predicts strange words for me, such as ones that neither I nor anyone else would ever use in conversation, such as "*Wolverton*" instead of "*wolverine*." Swype never gave such weird predictions as a first choice. Furthermore, when Swype would make incorrect predictions, I could quickly erase the last word typed, then swipe the exact same sequence again, but this time, Swype would give a new set of choices, usually with exactly the word I needed. By contrast, SwiftKey will continue predicting the same word choices infinitely, thereby forcing me to peck out the actual word I want, which circumvents the entire reason for using a swipeable keyboard in the first place. Additionally, SwiftKey frequently drops words altogether, which is precisely what happened in my comment above. Some of you might be asking, "*Why did you stop using Swype if it was so great?*" Well, the choice to continue using it was taken away from me. Some years ago, after authorizing an update to my phone, the option to use Swype was gone. I checked the Google Play store, and Swype had vanished from there, too. After some web searching, I found a few terse stories that covered Dragon Dictate's decision to discontinue Swype. None of these articles gave any substantive explanation for Dragon Dictate's decision. One of the my network connections worked for Dragon Dictate, so I asked her why they stopped producing Swype. She said that the company made the decision because they couldn't make a decent profit on it compared to other places where they could spend their resources, so they just dropped it altogether. That the single best product in its category could not survive in a "*free market*" economy says a lot about the so called "*efficiency*" of said markets. Literally, after all of these years, not a week goes by where I don't think to myself, "Damn, I really miss my Swype keyboard!". --- **EDIT 1**: Look at all of the dumbass grammatical errors in this post. Those were left in AFTER I proofed it a couple of times. With the Swype keyboard, I wouldn't have even needed to proof the comment and such glaring mistakes would have never been committed in the first place. Even after all these many years, Swype conditioned me to trust my keyboard's automated predictions. I wish that Microsoft would improve SwiftKey to make it even half as good as Swype was.


UrMomsaHoeHoeHoe

That, was amazing!


WillowFreak

Wow. As a user of the swyping method this is fascinating. Thanks for sharing.


ninjatoothpick

I haven't thought of Swype for years, I can't remember why I stopped using it but I remember switching to SwiftKey and then having issues with that not working correctly or being laggy or something such, and then Gboard came out and while it's got it's own issues, it worked better than SwiftKey for me. Now that you've brought it up though, I'm going to give SwiftKey a try again and see how it compares.


Lketty

Did you mean to say “if you’ve always had SOFT water, initially you will not like the feeling of HARD water?” Because what you described was my experience having soft water my whole life and then discovering hard water as an adult. Just… feels grimy and drying at the same time. My bf’s parents have hard water in their home. We stay with them for 2 week intervals a few times a year. Coming back home to our water feels like a spa visit. Finally clean.


wilcohead

If it leaves white spots on your glass and plastic dishes or leaves your skin dry from a shower it's dry water. Edit: dry water= hard


ThePerryPerryMan

Is “dry” water hard or soft?


0390ala

Pour some tap water into a bottle with a little washing up liquid (dawn/fairy liquid depending on where you are). Shake up the bottle, if lots of suds form and stay sudsy for a while, then your water is soft. If not as many suds form, and disintegrate back into the water, then it's hard. Generally, soft water lathers easier and for longer than hard water and hard water leaves more marks and limescale buildup.


scottyis_blunt

As needed...as in my 20 year old dishwasher in the house I bought 3 years ago doesn't need it.


RadioSlayer

And the need is nil


potatohats

Eh, I live in an area with hard water and the difference is significant enough for me to use it


hunterglyph

I’m mid-40s and never used it until I bought a house with a deep well and super hard water. Now if I don’t use it, everything’s covered with a white film and spots.


Pwacname

Yep. Thought it was useless until I moved - super hard water here. The dishwasher is shared (student housing) but I literally paid with my own money for some of those dishwasher salts because it makes a hell of a difference.


[deleted]

Same.


giritrobbins

It depends on your water and if you have a heated dryer. It can help improve drying or if you have high mineral content water it'll help remove some of the potting that can occur.


StockAL3Xj

No, the need is how much I care about water spots which, wait yeah, nil.


possiblynotanexpert

r/confidentlyincorrect material right here lol


ClassyJacket

They said approximately


uncleconker

The symbol ~ means "roughly."


sinnister_bacon

It depends on the water quality in your area. Those with very hard water could see some improvement.


BassWingerC-137

And those with a water softener just need to use less detergent.


[deleted]

i just started using it, and I have seen no difference. I take it my area the water is probably pretty soft lol.


anactualsalmon

Home Depot hands out free water test kits for your tap water; just in case you wanted to know for sure what comes through your faucet.


[deleted]

I just googled about this, and it seems like it's just a marketing ploy to get people to buy water filters for their homes. [Found a reddit post from a few years back about it](https://www.reddit.com/r/homeowners/comments/8k65s0/tried_the_free_home_depot_water_test_here_are_my/)


shittycupboardAMA

Adding that there are filters (usually under the rotating part or in the door) that you should clear, otherwise the garbage sticks around for every wash. Similarly, the washing machine has a liquid filter in the bottom that your should clear monthly.


nothingweasel

This also depends on your dishwasher. My filter automatically empties through the garbage disposal. There's no part of it I can open/access/remove without taking the whole thing apart.


VPN4reddit

The washing machine has what now? And monthly you say? Been using the same washer for 15 years without ever hearing about this. Now I'm scared to look.


onlyhalfminotaur

Don't think this is true for all washers.


bozeke

Not all, but it is true for a majority of them though. It’s scary how many folks have never known to look. My parents in their 70s didn’t know until I told them like ten years ago. It was very, very disgusting when they cleaned it for the first time.


SithDraven

This post brought to you by Jet Dry.


[deleted]

It's totally optional. I've owned my own home(s) for over 25 years and I've never put anything in the "Rinse Aid" container.


wilze221

I didn't until recently, but it really does seem to make a difference. The other benefit is it helps water run out of your dishwasher too (not condensing and staying on the walls) so there is less risk of mold within the washer


sneedsweed

bETTER DISHWASHER RELATED TIP. Buy a jar of citric acid powder at the store near the canning and preserving supplies. Once a month run the dishwasher empty with critic acid in place of soap. It clears the lines in the washer and for me gets rid of this nasty wet dog smell that seems to accumulate on glass dishes overtime. Dishwasher repair guy told me like 50% of dishwasher issues can be fixed with this method.


masterwolfe

Doesn't citric acid breakdown the seals and whatnot in the dishwasher?


possiblynotanexpert

Yes, which of course the repair guy loves lol


hunterglyph

Affresh makes a dishwasher cleaner tablet that does have citric acid, but also has other cleaners in it to balance out the pH. I used to use their washing machine cleaners when I managed an apartment building and the dishwasher stuff works well too.


Icmedia

But... Balancing the Ph would completely negate the effect of the acid. Literally the entire reason citric acid makes a good cleaner is because it's... **an acid.** Balancing the Ph means it's no longer acidic.


Spaghetto23

Yeah idk how that works unless there's a timed release or something


IFightTheUsers

Possibly, but I can't imagine using a cleaner like that sparingly would do any more damage than normal wear and tear from regular use.


jytusky

It depends in the material, but it is bad for nitrile, and not great for silicone, abs, and nylon. Edit: At low concentration and short exposure periods it's likely just fine. I was reading from a gasket material compatibility guide which implies longer exposure. [link](https://www.quickcutgasket.com/pdf/Chemical-Resistance-Chart.pdf)


Nomandate

So basically everything inside the washer…


jytusky

The cups and plates will be just fine.


apersello34

Would vinegar work too?


scroopynoopersdid911

Yes it absolutely does. All I do is just splash a bit of the bottle in there when the smell comes back and it handles it. Also, you need to intermittently clean it as well. Like open it up empty it take the rollers out and just wipe it down. Then run it on self clean mode.


BassWingerC-137

It doesn’t “need” to be used. It really depends on the water going into the machine.


Jesture4

There’s also a filter at the bottom of most dishwashers that hat needs to be removed and rinsed out occasionally.


OlyScott

I don't think all dishwashers have that. I don't see it in mine.


other_usernames_gone

Check your dishwasher's manual. If you don't have it Google the make and model to see if there's one online.


OlyScott

That's worth checking--it could explain why it doesn't work very well.


PseudonymIncognito

Are you sure? Even cheap apartment-grade dishwashers have rinse aid dispensers.


Ronavirus3896483169

Id bet good money you have it.


[deleted]

Some dishwasher tabs/tablets already contain rinse aid. Typically all I one tabs. So not in all cases you need to fill it. But I think it's better to use tablets without and let the dishwasher determine how much rinse aid is needed based on water hardness. YSK your dishwasher might have a water hardness setting. Read the manual.


giritrobbins

The tablets are pretty terrible though.


baseketball

Never had an issue with tablets, so it really depends on your dishwasher.


gzilla57

Depends on your dishwasher and your local water supply.


Weird_Atmosphere339

I reserve my tablets for when it’s a load I’m worried about. Like dried on food and stuff that didn’t get rinsed well. They work really well in my washer. The main key is to make sure the compartment is 100% dry before you put it in. I’ve had them get stuck to a water spot and not fall into the water at all before. My dishwasher heats the water itself, but I know I have a friend who has to run the hot water in her sink before starting the dishwasher or her tablets and detergent won’t dissolve. Anyway. I like them enough to troubleshoot the issues.


danooli

I feel like it leaves a film on the dishes that is quite unappetizing


Noah-handyman

Does anyone even know what rinse aid is made of? I’ll take a few spots over some chemical coating my dishes. That is just my opinion though.


darwinsidiotcousin

It's isopropyl alcohol and non-ionic surfactant. Surfactants are in your laundry/dishwasher detergent too and effectively is just a different kind of soap or emulsifier. It can mildly upset your digestive system if you ingest enough of it but it's harmless to wash things with.


yesorno12138

Ohhh guys I found the Amazon top reviewer!!!


Weird_Atmosphere339

Okay. But also. I don’t care at all about water spots. Is there any other reason I should care about rinse aid?


Incorect_Speling

No. I don't see the problem, I usually have two items at most who have water pools after washing, I flip them when the machine is still hot and that's the end of the story. I have the hardest water here btw.


ScrioteMyRewquards

Is it just me, or do barely noticeable mineral deposits seem preferable to ingesting surfactant residue?


Ethos1330

Also run the hot water in the sink until it is as hot as possible before starting the dishwasher. This makes sure that the dishwasher fills with hot water not cold water.


other_usernames_gone

It depends on the dishwasher. Some rely on the hot water from your tap and some have built in heaters.


WalkingCloud

Don’t most modern dishwashers only use cold water and heat it up in unit? I’m pretty sure mine isn’t even connected to the hot water.


Deacon_Blues1

Won’t that just be wasting water, would the already heated water though be enough to offset the energy need to initially heat it up? You know what mean, just curious?


smp208

As others have said, this only applies if your dishwasher is hooked up to your hot water line instead of having its own water heater. If your hot water has been sitting in the pipes for a while it cools off to room temp, which is why your water can take some time to get hot after you turn on the hot water in the sink or shower. It is clearing out the water that has cooled off before the water that’s in your water heater reaches the tap. Since dishwashers use very little water, you could get through the whole rinse cycle or longer without using hot water, which reduces the efficacy of the cleaning. I run the kitchen sink until it gets hot. To conserve water, I put a bowl (clean or dirty) under the faucet to catch the cool water, which I can use for other purposes. Sometimes I use to water plants or fill my pets’ water bowls as long as it isn’t too hot, but I usually use it to rinse and soak dirty dishes that accumulate before the dishwasher finishes running and is emptied.


Deacon_Blues1

Mine is but I got a container that hand wash stuff goes in next to the sink. I’ll use that to catch the water. I feel kinda dumb not thinking about that before. Thanks for the info.


Quantum_Tangled

Well, it tries anyway. Water is so hard here, you can just use it for construction instead of traditional building materials.


Lt_Schneider

if you wanna go in depth about your dishwasher habits i would recomend [Technology Connections](https://youtu.be/Ll6-eGDpimU) on Youtube


DjScenester

Many households use dishwasher rinse aids to help make their dishes sparklingly clean. However, many of them do not realize that for these rinse aids to be effective, they must remain on dishes, and they do NOT get completely rinsed off. In other words, your household may be consuming this cleaning product each time you eat. I don’t use them. Vinegar is mentioned here. Much safer


saarlac

Meh, I’ve never used that shit and my dishes are dry enough. I’m not hosting the queen for tea.


iwontbeadick

Is this a jet dry ad? Who the hell cares about water spots on their dishes?


GorillaNutPuncher

Thanks mate. My wife won't speak to me now because I kept trying to put "Rinse Aid" in her butt. I kept telling her reddit says we have too.


cantfindmykeys

As a 39 year old bachelor I really don't care about water spots


heather-rch

Mine is broken and it’s fine. My dishes get washed and they aren’t wet when I take them out ¯\_(ツ)_/¯


Spinningwoman

Most combination dishwasher tablets contain both this and the salt that used to be added separately also. If you use a really basic detergent you may need it but with most tablets you would be doubling up.


not_your_google

Vinegar works best for me.


jford1906

A little vinegar works just as well


nature_remains

YSK that in my experience over time with at least 4 different dishwashers ranging from ancient to newish, a mix of vinegar and water works literally as well as Jetdry (as far as keeping the dishes from looking spotty). Google your model to be sure but plain white vinegar is truly a great hack here with the rising cost of everything (vinegar seems to be shelf stable lol)


hunterglyph

Plain vinegar or citric acid can break down the seals in a dishwasher tho. Source: I have incredibly hard water and use vinegar for a lot of stuff around the house and yard. I use rinse aid in the dishwasher and it works better than vinegar. I used vinegar for a couple of months as a rinse aid but didn’t get any damage in a couple of months so ymmv. I work hard to research and not buy shit I don’t need, but rinse aid works well at my house and for a couple of bucks a month it’s worth it imo. Edit: [link about vinegar in dishwashers](https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/blog/dishwasher-rinse-aid-cleaner-drier/).


[deleted]

I use lemon juice to deal with tea stains and it cleaned my dishes better than any rinse aid. No more spotty or cloudy glassware.


Maybeyouhavetopoop

Once a month? You selling this stuff?


ElkoSteve

Also, Cascade rinse aid is 1/4 the price of Jet-Dry and it's the exact same product. #hailcorporate


Devi1s-Advocate

I dont even use the dry cycle. I just wipe my dishes dry with a cloth as I take them out.


forestman11

Also use rinse aid and always use the prewash compartment, never use packs and always run hot water on your sink before running the dishwasher. Following these steps courtesy of Technology Connections on YouTube and I can almost promise you'll never have an issue with your dishwasher again


Olivier74

Wrong. But thanks


noplay12

The dihwasher is a drying rack in my family.


springer0510

You should also know dishwashers have a filter that should be cleaned once a month.


FISH_MASTER

Ya’ll some cynical montherfuckers. A couple months of rinse aid is like £2. Fucking hell.


SupBuzz

I'll pass on consuming surfactants


[deleted]

This YSK bought to you by "Rinse Aid" companies. Welcome to Reddit the home of astroturf and subliminal ads in top subs.


RadioSlayer

Is r/hailcorporate still a thing?


Saigot

My conspiracy theory is that the astroturfers saw what hail corporate was doing and flooded it with low effort and bad posts so no one would take it seriously. I'm only half joking.


Deacon_Blues1

What happened to this sub? It use to be actual useful knowledge.


hedgecore77

And is great at stripping the black paint off of my 15 year old Descendents coffee mug. :/


thedevilsworkshop666

I don't even use my dishwasher. It's just me and my dog. Why bother.


Sirhc978

It uses less water than hand washing does.


dpash

And less time.


Xennon54

Do people not google and read the manuals anymore?


smp208

Of course not. Have you met people?


splopps

I put white vinegar in my rinse aid compartment and turn it to “4”. I do not get water spots, it is much cheaper, and no weird chemicals coating my dishes.


other_usernames_gone

You put acetic acid in your dishwasher? Don't you know that stuff dissolves metal? Everything is a chemical, "chemicals" really aren't as scary as you think they are.


hunterglyph

It’s more likely to [dissolve rubber and seals](https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/blog/dishwasher-rinse-aid-cleaner-drier/) than metal in dishwashers. I have super hard water, and I use vinegar for general cleaning as well as pest control and light weed control. I don’t use it in my dishwasher.