Dishwasher virgin! Advice appreciated!

Be careful it is not a lovely hidey hole for your cats!

Neighbours were persuaded to have a small dishwashers big enough for two people Big mi stake, as they discovered whenever they had visitors and were confronted by a sinkful of dirty dishes!

I have a Miele dishwasher which is brilliantm but I usually us Lidl all-in-one tablets which came out joint best in a Good Housekeeping test and I find them quite satisfactory

Thank you all so much for the responses, they really are appreciated!

Lots of good advice, but still a tad confused on the salt issue! Some day they use it because they are in a hard water area, some because it's soft?

Even though it won't be arriving for a couple of weeks, I have spent the morning clearing and reorganizing the cupboards, as we will be losing the one that currently houses the saucepans , colanders, and stainless steel roasting tins.

They will fit in the cupboard I've assigned for them, (even though it's a bit smaller) but I will need to be quite strict with myself about stacking tidily!

Say, not day!

I know it's a daft question, phoenix, but do you have the requisite plumbing in that 'cupboard'?
re. the salt issue: it's not necessary if you have soft water, as I'm fortunate enough to have. If you're in any doubt, better have a word with your local plumber, or have a look in your kettle to see if there's any lime scale.

Hello anno, not a fact quest at all!

Mr P has ordered a junction thingy (sorry if I'm being too technical!) The dishwasher will be sited in the cupboard immediately adjacent to the sink, the washing machine is on the other side of the sink, so basically it couldn't be any nearer.

No sign of timescale in the kettle, pretty sure it's a soft water area!

Daft, not fact! Damn auto correct on the tablet!

Oh bum, not quest, question, obvs.

phoenix

I don't believe it! Limescale, not timescale.

Himself is commanding the desktop pc (working from home) I've only got the tablet.

Commandering! Arrgh!

I got my first dishwasher just a couple of years ago and had the same problem with plates being too big. Then had another look at the instructions and the height of the top shelf could be adjusted. Made all the difference. Love my dishwasher.

I had my first dishwasher when I moved to this house and I use tablets, rinse aid and salt. My machine lights up to tell me when each is needed and whilst the tablets apparently have a rinse aid in, for the price of a bottle I take the belt and braces approach. I reckon it’s absolutely brilliant, when I think about the amount of time I’ve spent standing at the sink washing up, I wish I’d had one years ago.. Also, if you google, you’ll see that it saves gallons of water in comparison to doing the pots by hand.

If your dishwasher has a drying cycle, don't use it. Just open door a little to let steam out.
You'll save electricity - this tip was given to me years ago by assistant in Scottish Electric.
Enjoy your new assistant! You may find a dishwasher sorts the men from the women.Funnily my other half always lifts and fills cutlery box the other way round.
Men ARE hardwired differently!

My recommendations are:
Good quality detergent (does make a difference!);
Use white vinegar for rinse aid - much cheaper;
Use a bowl of white vinegar for cleaning/ rescaling (put into the top rack and run the hottest cycle) - much cheaper than brands;
Clean the filter at least twice a week.

Hi there .ive had dishwasher and travelled most of the world. Living in different .continents...in Europe...any how ..back into the uk. And I’ve found dishwasher granules. Tesco stock them they are called no advertising. But I use these and salt once in am while to top up.....there called finish classic power powder with ore stacking action . 1kg lemon sparkle..I’ve used these for a couple of years now and stock up.....I understand personal choice. And water conditions...so please trial and error. Gosh I even do pots now adays a thing I never done. All in the same dishwasher cycle....good luck and ? enjoy..trail and error. .ask neighbours what they use. ..it’s usually a good indication. To get started with. Best of luck.

diygran I'm still trying to work out exactly how Mr P has been wired! Please see previous post about laundry.

Perhaps the"other way around" thing could apply to me with regard to some things, I put it down to being left handed

Would mention you may need to invest in extra crockery and cutlery as you will be storing up dishes until dishwasher is full. I use liquid a well known platinum capsule at the moment as I got them at a bargain price but generally use one from Aldi. Live in a soft water so no need for salt/rinse aid stuff.

I'm on my 3rd dishwasher in 36 years - the first one lasted the longest out of the previous 2 and the current one, a Bosch like the others, was new last year. We have very hard water so I use salt plus rinse aid & I tend to buy Finish or Fairy either at Home Bargains when they're on offer - I got 220 last June for a ridiculously low price & have just finished them - or from Amazon. I've got a half hour quick wash programme which gets used most days as I put everything in except my Le Creuset saucepans! I've got an "extra dry" button which is great for plastic mixing bowls & the like. I never rinse anything & I put all types of glasses in there & they come out spotless. I clean it out once a month & run a long hot wash with a dishwasher cleaner in it. I wouldn't be without a dishwasher for anything, it's my favourite piece of equipment.
PS - why can't men just open the door & put dirty crockery in instead of leaving it on the worktop immediately above? It seems a common problem...!!

diygran thats what I do but I pat the top of the upside down mugs with a teatowel as water gathers there. Then leave to dry. There's no need to use the dryer.

Phoenix predictive texts

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

And another thing! Don’t think anyone has mentioned how useful they are if you’re doing a lot of cooking/baking. All those messy basins and spoons just get cleaned by the dishwasher fairy.
Crystal glasses can’t go in without getting very cloudy quickly. Cheapie everyday ones do get cloudy but then recycled and replaced. ?

I have had a dishwasher since the 1960's. I think the first one sat on the counter and a man came to visit to advise me what not to put in it for example the coloured anodised lids to my saucepans.

I would not be without one. I buy my diswasher tablets on Amazon as then I can be sure of my supply.

Finish Quantum Ultimate Dishwasher Lemon Scent, Pack of 85 Tablets
RRP:£28.00
Price:£18.21 (£0.21 / count) & FREE Delivery on orders dispatched by Amazon over £20.00 . Delivery Details

I also buy from a supermarket the dishwasher powder but that is to use to rescue burnt saucepans. Shake the powder over the bottom of the burned saucepan pour on a little boiling water to cover the black bits. Leave overnight and then scrub off.

My mother aged 70 plus got rid of her dishwasher when it broke down with the result that when her eyesight failed we had to keep rewashing everything. She could have continued to stack a new dishwasher and been fine.

There is an art to stacking dishwashers effectively but you can look that up on U Tube. Hope you get long and good service from it.

I've had a dishwasher for around 35 years amd wouldmt be without. I use either finish or persil tablets because i can get them from our £1 shop 12 for £1. Ive used aldis own and they work just as well as any others. I dont use salt or rinse aid! I use a dishwasher cleaner around on, ce every 3 months. I rinse the dishes under the tap before loading and clean the easily removable filter every 3 days.