I have been having issues with my dishwasher not cleaning well and was thinking maybe I needed a new one, but decided to do a little research and see if I could determine what might be the problem. I tried running vinegar through it to clean out hard water deposits, I inspected the arm for any cracks, I tried not overloading it, and since I don't have a dishlicker like the one in the picture, I was running out of solutions. I finally ran across some info on the internet about gel dishwashing detergents clogging things up. I switched back to powder detergent and low and behold my dishes are clean again.
I'm so glad I don't need a new dishwasher after all, and felt it was my duty to warn everyone that gels are not recommended for dishwashers for the following reasons.
Gels contain chlorine bleach (dissolves rubber seals).
Gels tend to cloud glassware, leaving a whitish film.
Gels never really rinse off interior tub or from sump area.
Gels clog the detergent dispenser, making it release late or not at all. This causes door streaking by the chemicals.
Gels don't work well in hard water, they leave spots.
Always use powdered detergent or tablets.
6 comments:
I was having the same problem a few months back. Tried the vinegar, got rid of the gel paks and even tried running a load with Lemonade Kool-aid as suggested on the internet. The build up is so bad that it just isn't working. In fact this last week it was really bad. Now I resorted to having to wash the dishes the old fashioned way in the sink. Owning a house is so frustrating. Now I just found that I have a link under my sink. I am so over trying to fix things on my own, that I think I will hire a plumber to fix that as well as a few other problems.
I didn't know you were having problems and I didn't even know they made a gel. So, thanks for the warning. I won't switch. So glad you are on top of things....
I just got a new dishwasher so thanks for the info, now I wont ruin that one.
Oh someday we will have a dishwasher!! But for future reference I will keep your advice!
Good to know. I tried one bottle of gel quite some time back and didn't think it was worth the price. Now I know why!
I recommend Costco's dishwasher soap. It's cheap and it works great.
I bought a box of gel packs a couple of months ago and immediately noticed a difference so I switched back to powder.
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