Posted on 04/28/2013 5:06:58 PM PDT by Chickensoup
It is time for a dishwasher. My last dishwasher was replaced three times by the manufacturer before I ripped it out and started handwashing. time to go back to dishwashers and I cannot find a timed dishwasher, just ones that are ENERGY EFFIEICENT with sensors.
The biggest problem I had with the newer untimed dishwashers is that I would have to rinse the dishes instead of scraping them.
the second problem is that because I did not rinse them, they ran for six to eight hours becaus there was debris that the sensors picked up.
Lousy design.
I am looking for a good dishwasher, that can actually be effective and clean the dishes now that the EPA doesnt permit us to have phosphates. Or timed washes.
Any war stories? Most of the dishwasher reviews out there aree actually paid ad reviews placed by an agent of the manufacturer.
Forget consomer reports.
Try a litre size bottle of Coke. Pour it in and let it sit a bit then flush. My grandad used brake fluid. Toilet came out spotless white. Not sure if EPA will bust ya for using that.
There've been threads here in the past regarding TSP -- amazingly, it's still legal in Kalifornia, so we bought a many years' supply last year.
Consensus on those threads averaged out to 1/4 teaspoon per load -- glasses shine, and our formerly dullish flatware now sparkles.
Just be sure to get 'real' TSP!
By all means take them, but don’t tell anyone else the story. I’ve heard that you can get in trouble with bootleg toilets. Seriously. I considered doing the same thing, making a trip to Canada and hauling back toilets, but was told I’d get in trouble with customs!
beware of the orange and blue box labeled TSP that isn’t Tri Sodium Phosphate, get genuine Tri Sodium Phosphate.
You may not be using enough detergent. Check, also, your water temp.
I add a tablespoon of white vinegar to the wash cycle and use it in the rinse.
My dishwasher was leaving residue, but that turned out to be my fault — I wasn’t using enough detergent. When I actually filled up the detergent cup, and added the vinegar, my dishes come out clean and shiny.
I think that someone told me that the big box dishwashers were differently spec-ed out than the appliance store dishwashers.
True?
I find using half the amount recommended by the dishwasher manufacturer does the best job.
The male of the species usually phrases that question almost precisely in the reverse.
Well, look at me using gallons of water from a shower hose to clean a toilet! Other people flush over and over again, but you have to wait for the water to fill the tank. Al Gore never cared about the environment, it’s a kind of snake oil religion that makes them money. Before he dies, he’ll probably have a net worth of a billion dollars just for making middle-class housewives miserable and their houses dirty.
You really think only housewives deal with toilets?
After reviewing many brands and models and being dismayed by the almost uniformly negative reviews, I bought a Bosch SHE55M15UC in Jan 2009 and am very happy with it.
I use Finish PowerBall tabs with it, as recommended, and it cleans very well. You scrape the dishes rather than rinsing them; you want a little food left on them for the detergent enzymes to eat. The cycles are long, as with most low-water, low-energy dishwashers today, and it takes a while for the dishes to dry. Not a dishwasher for a busy mom, perhaps, who runs it twice a day and doesn’t have time to wait. The dishwasher is VERY quiet and slightly smaller than most American brands due to the thick insulation. However, I find it roomy enough and really like the amount of vertical space available on upper and lower racks.
I’ve had it for four years now and haven’t had any maintenance problems. I run it 3-4 times per week. One tip: before you start a cycle, run the water from your kitchen tap just until it’s hot. The dishwasher heats the water, but not enough to get cold water hot. A benefit from the slightly less hot washing and drying temperatures is that you can put any plastic item on either shelf and it won’t be warped or melted.
This is my own personal experience, but my sister bought one after I told her about mine, and she’s really happy with it, too.
In case you’re wondering, I don’t work for any dishwasher manufacturer, nor am I compensated for my opinion in any way! I just know how hard it is to find a good dishwasher any more, and want my fellow FReepers to benefit from my own experience.
Best is Miele and second best is Bosch.
All Bosch but top of the line 800 Plus are made in North Carolina.
You must scrape but should not pre-rinse.
Takes 45min to 2.5hr depending on soil level and cycle selected but even starch burnt casserole dishes come out clean on my Miele.
Short 20 min cycles are to disinfect but don’t really clean.
TSP will have sand type residue once in dishwasher and cause premature wear and tear of dishwasher.
If you want to go that route STPP is the chemical you want. Sodium Trypolyphosphate.
Finish Quantom
Method Smarty Tabs
Miele Dishwasher Tabs
Somat Dishwasher Tabs also good.
“Sometimes I like to stand there, rinsing the toilet with what amounts to a lawn hose...”
Yep. The guy in me claims I do that too...
_____________________________
Took me a second...
The MAIN thing they did to ruin dishwashers was to reduce the size of the pump motor from football size to tennis ball size. They can’t pump with enough pressure to blast the crap off the dishes.
I wonder if we can EVER reverse some of the stuff they have foisted upon us. It seems as if everyone complains about it and no on knows what do do, so it must be the Republicans’ fault.
This one is like the one that finally wore out (2 buttons).
The "new" one has three buttons but is the same sunny color ;-)
(The old one was white and could have been installed in the house as early as 1958 when the owner-at-the-time then upgraded the furnace, kitchen and electrical system.
Folks, remember way back when, when Eastern-Bloc appliances and cars (the "Hugo") were crap... and we in the west were envied? Well, guess what. We've now gone full circle, and the EPA has created a situation where our products are every bit the equal of those Eastern-Bloc products.
Thank you.
Well, I don’t shrink from the term. It’s an honorable occupation. If you want to be a housewife, go for it. I like the old-fashioned sound of the term. “Homemaker” sounds all panty waist, like I’m afraid for people to know that I like things confortable...
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