Dishwasher products

Our dishwasher only likes the Fairy pouches. If we use solid tabs it refuses to 'spit' them out into the machine. I also put in salt and rinse aid.

I think it's got something to do with mostly using the ' Eco' wash.

I sometimes to a longer hotter wash to clear the pipes! x

I recently found Lidl`s W5 all-in-one tabs are terrific - they are so much cheaper then the leading brands. I don`t need to use salt as we live in a soft water area and haven`t used rinse-aid for years. Hope this is helpful Teetime

I might have imagined this but I thought that the manufacturers recommend that you still use salt and rinse aid, even if using the 3in1 thingies - due to varying hardness of water.

I agree Riverwalk I have also read similar.

Aha!! not sure if we have very hard water but I think I will add salt and rinse aid. My dishwasher doesn't spit the hard tabs out either!!! Mystery solved. Thank you

Some of you will remember my Christmas dishwasher panic and the subsequent buying of a seemingly useless dishwasher. Every engineer we had said that there is no need to use either rinse aid or salt if one is using the all in one tablets. Since discovering that the filter basket in our new dishwasher worked so much better if it was actually screwed into place, and wondering why the engineers never spotted that it wasn't , it has been fine. I use the Platinum ones (Fairy?) and buy loads when they are on offer in Sainsbury's.

As J52 said, using the Eco programme might be the issue. I try to use the Eco alternately with the really hot programme but do the hot one on a reduced cycle.

Aldi do "Magnum" all in one. "Which! had it as a best buy. It works a treat and it is lots cheaper than the big brands.

Unless you would have to travel a long way to find one.

I use the Aldi magnum but have always used Rinse Aid and a clean through about every 8 weeks.

I've used Aldi Magnum in two dishwashers and never used salt or rinse aid. I had a free same of the Fairy pouches with my new dishwasher and didn't care for them.

I use Fairy platinum combined capsules but still need to use salt and rinse aid. Every three weeks or so the indicator lights come on to warn me to refill them. I have tried altering the settings for varying degrees of water hardness but it doesn't make any difference. My dishwasher is proving to be expensive to run using top of range products.

If you ignore the lights for long enough harri, they go off eventually! #voiceofexperience!

I find I need rinse aid even with Aldi Magnum tabs. If I forget to top up the rinse aid glass ware comes out slightly cloudy.

I have loaded the DW now with salt and rinse aid (I do use the v hot programme usually once a day after dinner) and the ECO or cups and saucers programme during the day (yes I put it on at least twice a day- not wasteful I just have painful hands that drop things a lot onto the ceramic tile floor where they rarely survive). When I've used all the cheapo dishwasher tabs I shall convert to the little pouches. thank you for all the tips. Happy dishwashing!

I recently tried the Co Op own brand power pods. Not the cheapo ones but much cheaper than Fairy or Finish. They were very good. I use salt as machine will scale up without it (I have tried) but only use rinse aid when I remember.

I have the odd time that something isn't properly clean or cloudy glass but this is due to overfilling or improperly stacking the machine.

Last nights dinner things were much cleaner and shinier this morning. the salt cost £1 and the Rinse Aid £1.69 (both Sainsbury).

I buy dishwasher tablets from Makro, Finish as a rule, But only when on Buy one get one free! Usually cost £14 incl. vat for 180. And usually get enough for year! Store in garage, good value! We have to use salt as we have very hard water, but not rinse aid!