One of the most common complaints I get with any dishwasher is that it does not clean dishes like it did before or…it does not clean it at all! WHY?
There are two of the most important and most common things affecting a dishwashers performance (if it is not broken mechanically): water hardness and right detergent.
One of the most important parts of a detergent you are going to use is the amount of phosphorus. Phosphorus softens water and helps prevent water spots on dishes. It is always written somewhere on a box or a bottle of the detergent. Find out your water’s hardness by asking your local water department. If it is 8+ grains per gallon, you have very hard water and you have to use a detergent with at least 8.7% of phosphorus content. With 5 to 7 grains per gallon you can use a detergent with phosphorus content about 4% to 6%, and if it is 0 to 4 grains per gallon you have to use detergent with less than 2% of phosphorus. If you or a previous owner used detergent with the wrong amount of phosphorus, especially, if you see white film on the glasses and/or white staff inside your dishwasher (when it is dry inside) - you have calcium build up in your dishwasher. Do not panic. It does not mean you have to buy a new one. There are a lot of different dishwashers cleaning solutions out on the market. You can use Citric Acid, CLR, regular white vinegar and many others. I have learned from my experience, the best and most effiecient is the Dishwasher Magic.
How to improve dishwasher performance and save
December 13th, 2006 · 2 Comments
Tags: Dishwashers
2 responses so far ↓
I have hard water? It is now leaving spot and debris on my glassware in the dishwasher…? // Aug 28, 2007 at 11:51 am
[…] Hard water is one of the most common and the most serious non mechanical problem with all dishwashers. To fight it you have to use the right detergent and clean your dishwasher from built ups on regular basis. How to choose the right detergent and how to keep you dishwasher clean you can find on my web site in this article: http://www.askgene.com/2006/12/13/dishwa… Good luck, Gene. […]
Ku // Dec 13, 2009 at 10:47 pm
FANTASTIC. Thank you very much, this was the info I was looking for. No more crouching with my head under the top rack, trying to pick all the sprayer arm holes clean with a pipe cleaner.
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