Dishwasher virgin! Advice appreciated!

I prefer tablets, some have liquid in them as well. Down to personal choice. Rinse aid prevents water marks. Salt softens the water. I also run a cycle once a month with a dishwasher cleaner. All are necessary, so fill it up and enjoy.

Oh phoenix, have never yearned for a dishwasher, will stick to the marigolds and fairy, cannot advise you sorry!

I hope you have better luck than I did with my first dishwasher, bought when I went back to full time teaching. I saved up all our dishes for at least three days, John Lewis delivered and installed the machine, I filled the machine, switched it on and it went “Whirr, clunk” and stopped.
Dead
So I had to take all the dirty dishes out of it, wash and dry them by hand ?? and wait for John Lewis to try a second time. That was about 34 years ago and I am on to my third or possibly fourth machine since then.
Always Bosch and they have varied although not always in direct proportion to their price.

Wonderful invention! You will never look back. I use Aldi dishwasher tablets. Look for tablets with dissolvable wrappers to save faff. Although most claim not to need extra salt, it is advisable in hard water areas. Enjoy! ?

Oh didn’t answer your questions!
Don’t skimp on your tablets/blobs but try to buy them when they are on offer - one brand is always half price.
Do use rinse aid, it helps things not to dry streaky and do use dishwasher salt unless you live in a very soft water area - if it all calcifies the whole thing can grind to a halt.

I use Asda's Smart Price dishwasher tablets - they work fine. I've never used the salts, never had a problem. I use the quick wash cycle.

I bought a dinner set from Asda, the dinner plates are too big for the machine!

Well, lucky old you with loadsa money ! ? No more dragging dishes to and from the riverbank in all weathers, eh?
Seriously pleased for you, Phoenix. You’ll get loads of your life back now!

Random things? Don’t buy a small one. Make sure you’ve enough crocks to fill the machine so it’s full when you switch it on. Or you’ll defeat the object! Choose one that is the quietest you can get - check out the decibels....you’ll be glad you did.

D/washer salt softens the water. Rinse aid gets rid of water spots and streaks. My wash preference is Quantum pods, or a Gel rather than tablets or powder. But you can test stuff out for yourself. A modern machine will remind you when you need more salt or rinse aid - before the dishes do! Clean the empty machine once a month with a cleaner from the supermarket d/washer section, to stop build up of grease or grubbiness.

Enjoy it all.

I love my dishwasher. I'd keep it over the washer everytime!

I use quantum tablets, usually fairy and but a vast packet when they are on offer. I don't add salt as they claim you shouldnt need to. I do add rinse aid as I think it helps with drying.

I don't put 'good' glasses in, or wood, but everything else goes in.

I've tried Aldi tablets and sont thjnk they are any good!

phoenix my latest is so quiet I hardly know if it is running. Dishwasher tablets cost so much I stock up when they are being sold at half price.

As everybody has said, you need salt and rinse aid.

Do not run it when you are out or asleep. There is always the risk of floods or fire.

You will wonder how you ever managed without one.

I use a good quality dishwasher tablet/capsule, eg Finish, but buy it on offer. I have found over the years it's better than the cheaper brands.
I also use rinse aid and salt as we are in a very hard water area. If you're not you might not not need them.

Years ago our dishwasher broke down. I thought I might do without it and have an extra cupboard instead.
After three weeks my children (who now had to wash up!) were begging me to "Just buy another dishwasher, mum, please" ?

We run ours once a day. Mum and Dad used to run theirs every other day. You may need a few extra kitchen items to do that.
Mum said once hers wasn't drying things as well as it used to, turned out she needed to top the rinse aid up then it was fine.

You wont regret this, once you have had one you will never want to be without.
Use salt and rinse aid as instructed and i use cheap/ own brand washing tablets, they are fine. I dont pre- rinse plates prior to washing but its an idea to run the dishwasher on hot every now and again to clean it out. Enjoy!

I use finish too no need of salt or rinse aid. I only put it on every 3 days as it’s only me.
I bought my first dishwasher when we move to this house 23 yrs ago, I promised myself one as I hated having to cook and wash up late at night as my job meant my finish time was very variable I would not be without it now.

I have found the Fairy liqui pouches work best. Remember to empty the bottom first, so that any water collected on the top rack doesn’t drip on the clean lower rack.
As for salt and softener, the instruction booklet will advise you. Some machines have differing options. In ours if you use liqui tabs that contain softener you press a button to eliminate any from the machine.

We live in a soft water area and use the all in one tablets from Aldi and they are fine - I don't use additional salt or rinse aid. We have a Siemens integral dishwasher and its SO quiet that I thought it wasn't working when it was first installed. I cook a lot and love the way that the dishwasher swallows up all the dirty stuff and keeps the work surfaces clear. I've become a bit of pedant about the way its loaded. I confidently predict there will soon be one of your famous posts along the lines of Mr P and some shenanigans with the new white goods.

I use salt, as our water is very soft in the west of Scotland.

Mine broke a few months ago and I missed it so much, I ordered a new one straight away!
We bought a slimline one, as there are only two of us now.
The repairman, whom I have known since he was a wee boy, advised us not to buy a Bosch, (which I had been looking at) as the newer models are not lasting as long as previously and the parts are expensive.
He suggested a Beko instead, which I had initially dismissed as a cheap make. Apparently they are much cheaper to repair. It has been great and no complaints from me.
I wait until the dishwasher tablets are half price, but have been known to buy Lidl ones, which performed very well in blind testings.

I hope you are not even more confused now, Phoenix.

We - or I should really say dh, as he is the dishwasher monitor - use any all-in-one tablets. They all seem to do a decent job. He uses rinse aid but not salt as we have such soft water anyway.

Enjoy the freedom from washing up and imagine the money you’ll save on buying tea towels!

I use Fairy Platinum...I always buy on offer. I rinse particles off before putting in. and wash using economy wash. I never use the dryer. I just pat the tops of glasses and mugs and leave to dry. I put on once a day.
Enjoy!
I do a machine wash monthly. Never use salt or anything else. Not needed.

Thank you all!

I did loads of research to find what I hope is the right one at a reasonable price (marydoll actually finally went for a Beko!)

And, will admit, I did create a spreadsheet because to me it is a big purchase, and important to get it right.

So, this one has a half load option, very good reviews and has an option for washing oven trays!

We are in a soft water area, and Charleygirl the plan at present is to turn it on once we have eaten in the evening and go through to the sitting room.

The reviews also mention how quiet it is.

It's being delivered on 24th, so plenty of time to try to rearrange the cupboards to accommodate the things in the cupboard that we will lose.

Just to add the bit I am confused about, some of you say you need/don't need salt if your water is hard/soft!

Which is right?

If your water is soft, you don't need salt. Phoenix.

According to cleaning product manufacturers, all-in-one products for dishwashers make regenerating salt and rinse aid superfluous. ... In areas with hard water, regenerating salt is required in dishwashers in order to soften the water in the ion exchanger, thus preventing limescale from building up.

Stick with good quality tablets Phoenix cheaper ones are a false economy. With the all in one tablets there should be no need for other products. I do run a cleaning cycle every now and again. I am currently waiting for a replacement machine, I miss my dishwasher keeps my kitchen nice and tidy.

I'm on my third dishwasher, presently I have a Bosch, it's 10 years old an still performs brilliantly. I use the 'All in One' tablets (they have salt and rinse aid incorporated), usually from Aldi or Lidl and they are fine, never needed any extra salt (though we do live in a soft water area) or rinse aid. Apart from putting the usual dishes and cutlery in the washer, I put children's plastic toys in to give them a good wash and my gas hob pan rests which come up lovely and clean. I have never used a dish washer cleaner, but I do regularly clean the door seals and the lip where the door hinges (it gets full of gunk!).

We use all in one tablets (whatever is on offer) for our hotpoint dishwasher which probably goes on alternate days.

Mr P will soon put you right on the correct way to load the dishes!