Why I Don't Use DISHWASHER PACKS in My Dishwasher!!! (THE TRUTH) | Andrea Jean

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I use the Cascade pods. A repairman, who was not in my house for the dishwasher, saw that I was using the pods. He told me to put them in the utensil basket, rather than the detergent drawer. This way, they start getting wet right away and the outer seal melts by the time the wash cycle starts. If it goes in the drawer, they are not release until the wash cycle starts and by the time the outer seal melts, half the wash cycle is over with, so you're not getting detergent in the wash cycle for the full time. Since this advice, I've been putting the pods in the basket and I noticed that my dishes and glasses were cleaner and better rinse than when I was putting the pods in the draw.

I didn't grow up with a dishwasher so when I first got married I didn't know there was a difference between liquid detergent and dish soap. I had the cleanest floor I've ever had in our 17 years of marriage. I could have eaten off of the tile! 😅

I have to tell you, I’m up at 2 am watching this! I have just pulled my dishwasher apart. I never new there was a thingy in your dishwasher that needs to be cleaned! You are so inspirational!

We live in an area with hard water. The rinse aid definitely helps rinse the dishes well, especially glassware. 2 tablespoons baking soda helps detergent work better, and helps to deodorize the DW. I leave the empty DW door slightly open to air dry. This drying process cuts down on funky odors in the DW. Lemon juice or vinegar cleaning the interior of the DW once a month helps remove odors and film on the interior of the DW.

Andrea thank you for all the tests you try and practice in order to help us save money , time , and thinking of the safety of procedures. I have a helpful hint that most people don't know. And that is a lot of food is easier to clean off dishes in cold water. First thing is eggs. If you use hot water to try and clean off eggs , even warm water cooks the eggs harder to the surface. Using cold water the eggs come off so easily and with cold water the grease is in a more solid form which helps it run through drains better. When you use hot water with grease it cools as it goes down drain and sticks to more solidified grease in drains. If it is already in a solid form it runs through. These are my opinions from practices I have always used. They work for me. Another thing that can help if you have clogged drains. This was shown to me by a plumber. Was to put a very very large pot on stove. On high till it's at a rolling boil. This can be dangerous if you are not strong enough to lift and pour the pot. But pouring it down a clogged drain will most times clear the mass. You don't have to worry about caustic chemicals eating up your pipes. As I said. My opinion. Hope this is helpful to you.

As a highly experienced Appliance Tech Andrea almost gives you everything you need to know about dishwashers except for the most important thing I'm about to tell you now NEVER use gel soap which Andrea uses on a regular basis gel soap out of those green bottles that she uses will spell a quick death to any dishwasher within two to three years I always recommend pods but more than likely if you're trying to save money use powdered detergent. Gel soap almost never completely dissolve in a dishwasher gel soap will leave lots of soap scum in the tub and worse it will with regular use clog your filter screens and eventually clog your sensors and sump/motor assembly. She is correct which is something I tell all my customers always turn on the hot water before you turn on the dishwasher which will help dissolve the detergent and always wins your dishes the dishwasher is not a garbage disposal

On vacation last year the condo had the Great Value brand of dishwasher tabs. They worked just fine in that older model dishwasher so that's what I started using when we got back home. They work just as well in my dishwasher as the name brand. I also use the Great Value rinse aid. It's the same thing just less expensive.

I was a service tech for 43 yrs. This is my advice. Never use anything pre measured. In your dishwasher or washer. The problem is every load is different. It could be too much or too little depending on the load and hardness of your water. I also found these things don't dissolve, clogging your dishwasher. This is what I suggest. Add detergent to the small cup, and lemi shine to your large cup. Fill your rinse aid reservoir with blue jet dry only because you can see when it's empty. Now, if you have soft water, you'll only need a teaspoon maybe a half of teaspoon of detergant in your small cup. And yes your rinse aid does help your dishes remove spots and dry. Always get water hot before you start your diswasher.

Good advice. We built a house four years ago and we got all new appliances. We ordered our own appliances from a local appliance store. I got such an education on all the items we purchased. He was the one to tell me to “prime the pump” by running the hot water for a full minute before starting the dishwasher. We have extremely hard water. After having mixed results with using the manufacturer recommended dish tab (the one with the red ball in the middle), he suggested trying a plain dish tab without the additives and using rinse aid. Wow, what a difference and significantly cheaper. I swear by the Costco brand of dish tabs which are roughly 9 cents each and I use generic rinse aid. My cost went from around 40 - 50 cents per load to around 13 cents a load. The liquid and powder dishwasher detergent are very hard to find as the dish tabs seem to have cornered the market. A huge portion of the laundry aisle now is the laundry tabs. The liquid and powder detergent are much cheaper to use per load than the pods.

The Finish rinse works well for me especially when using powder. My light load setting never rinsed the glasses properly until I started to use the rinse.

I have never taken that thing out of my dishwasher. I’ve had the machine for two years. I also didn’t know about the one hour cycle. Thanks so much!

I use the Cascade pods. Love them. I always do Express wash and I lightly rinse any "chunky" stuff from my dishes as I run the tap to make sure the water is hot before I start the cycle. I don't use Finish.

Oh geeze!!!! I’ve never cleaned the trap to my dishwasher and it’s probably at least 10 years old. I never knew!! Now I’m very afraid lol. Thank you the lesson!! And what’s really bad is that I clean houses. But, I do not clean out the dishwashers. You have given me many useful easy and new tips!!

Yes, rinse agent does work. It removes streaks that occurs on my glasses when I take them out of the dishwasher. Dont know about drying faster, but I definitely see a difference with permanent spots and streaks on my clear dishes.

I used to use rinse aid in my machine until the repair man told me not to and that this was the reason my glasses were going milky looking. I stopped using it and noticed no difference except clearer glasses. I live in the UK with very hard water. Keep up the great work Andrea Jean.

Here in the UK all dishwashers are cold water fill with integrated water heater. They did the same with washing machines quite a few years back which used to have hot and cold supply, but now only cold! I have a Kenwood £180 dishwasher and use Tesco lemon tablets. I do not use rinse aid. (Soft water) Run it on a 30 minute fast wash every time and it's fine. I rinse off excess food with cold water before washing. Soak baked on stuff in cold water before washing. Make sure not to block the spray direction with poorly placed dishes or pans. Tall cutlery or large trays can stop the tab dispenser from opening if they impede it !!! This can also result in poor wash and undissolved tabs or partially dissolved ones. When 30 minute cycle is finished I remove all plastics and cutlery tray as they dry better out. Leave the rest until morning with the door ajar when they're all dry. What's the mad rush about wanting your dishes washed and dried in a couple of hours! Just buy some more plates, which works out cheaper than running long washes with drying cycles. We have an 18 place setting and a 12 place setting! Table seats 10 when grandchildren visit. Remove filters etc once a month and soak in bleach solution. Scrub with large nail brush ( quicker than small toothbrush) Wipe out inside dishwasher and don't forget to remove all old water and gunk from filter hole. Grandad's role, granny not allowed near the dishwasher!

My repair man said those pod plastic coverings don’t dissolve enough and can plug your machine so I no longer use.

I have never read this on the back and never thought of using liquid before. You have definitely changed my mind

Yes the rinse aid has definitely helped for me. I’ve noticed my dishes are never fully dry without it, that’s how I know I’m running low 🤷‍♀️