Dishwasher virgin! Advice appreciated!

Spray arms. No-one's mentioned blocked spray arms, so it might just be me that this happens to.

I discovered that even if one or two of the holes in the spray arms is blocked it drastically affects their cleaning ability. Things come out with little gritty bits of dried on food debris on them! So, make sure that there aren't any little bits of food left on dishes/plates that could block the spray arm holes. Oats (from meusli), tiny bits of nuts, seeds, rice, peas & sweetcorn are our worst offenders.

I'm quite good at making sure there's nothing like that on the crockery before it goes in but Mr Maizie slips one in every now and then. Unblocking those little holes and shaking out the debris is a real pain..

Am I missing a trick or onto a good thing? I try to use Sainsbury's own brand DW powder - salt and rinse aid too. It works fine and I believe it's cheaper than 'ish.

I had an excellent dishwasher but unfortunately he died! I now have one who comes in every morning!

Fairy platinium tabs. Brilliant. You won't need anything else. Keeps the dishwasher clear and fresh. Recommended by engineer. Expensive but not in the long run, also often on offer. Enjoy!

Soft water here and only use tablets. The cheapest ones are as good as the expensive. Occasionally I use one of the dishwasher cleaners. Used dishwashers for over 30 years so this regime seems to work.

4 cups washing soda crystals, 1 cup citric acid powder and 1 cup salt, mixed together - makes an excellent dishwasher powder. One large spoonful goes in the powder/tablet thingy.

I do fill up the salt section regularly as I'm in a hard water area.

I never use rinse aid, no need, but sometimes use white vinegar as a substitute when I'm washing lots of glasses.

I live in a hard water area so salt and rinse aid are vital. My John Lewis dishwasher has lights which come on when these need topping up. I use a liquid detergent, usually Sainsbury’s own make. It’s good to use a cleaner occasionally on a hot cycle. Again Sainsbury’s own make is fine. Stock up on all the products when you see special offers. Good luck!

Don't put any crockery with a gold or silver trim in our dishwasher as they are not dishwasher proof. (I made the mistake of buying a lovely dinner service used for high days and holidays with a gold trim. It was a big mistake!) I find wooden spoons are no problem but they are not perfectly dry when the come out and also any plastic storage boxes with lids never come out completely dry so they have to go on my kitchen dish drainer to finish off. Stainless steel pans come up lovely and shiny but don't put non stick pans in your dishwasher. I put the bottom and the basket from my airfryer and the inner pan, paddle and and detachable lid of my acti fry in mine. I have a Bosch and can take the top tray out and attach a spray cap which lets me put large items like the pan supports from my range cooker. I don't put crystal glasses in but we live in a very hard water area and have found with cheaper glasses they eventually go cloudy. Make sure you have enough crockery to have some available for use if the dishwasher is in the middle of being loaded or on. Some one mentioned cups and mugs retaining water in the lip when upturned. I have a system of laying a tea towel on the kitchen bench and put the cups and mugs upright onto the tea towel before I put them away. Those mugs with a sort of raised area underneath I imagine are worse and for that reason I don't buy them. The cutlery basket of my Bosch has two sections that are raised to accommodate pointed knives and fork prongs so they don't stick down and catch the spinner underneath.

Or - pay a vastly inflated price for exactly the same ingredients squashed into tablets, packaged, transported and making a profit for retailers - your choice!

I wouldn’t be without a dishwasher. I think it’s worth buying best quality tablets, as many have said, one brand or another are usually half price. I do use salt in our hard water area even though we have a water softener, it doesn’t come into the kitchen water supply as it’s not suitable for drinking. I also think you get a better result with rinse aid. As it’s just the two of us it’s not put on every day, and even though I rinse the plates it can get a bit smelly, so I use the rinse cycle on the days it’s not full. Enjoy! You’ll never be without one again. I’d happily sacrifice a cupboard for a dishwasher if necessary.

I’d use tablets. You can’t knock them over and get a spillage to clean up.

Word of caution though. Do make doubly sure that you keep them out of sight and reach of children and anyone else who may be vulnerable. Resident in a care home I worked in years ago found a neatly wrapped dishwasher tablet that a care worker had momentarily left on the side, ready to be put into the machine. The Resident mistook it for a sweet, unwrapped it and popped it in her mouth. Trip to A & E ensued. Luckily no harm done, but they can cause chemical burns to the insides.

You'll never look back and just think how beautiful your hands and nails will be.

love the washing machine story Phoenix made me laugh.

Having used an own brand tablet for years I recently tried a branded sample from an online offer I applied for. I was amazed at the difference especially to some glassware. I shall be using the voucher that came with the sample and probably will use the more expensive ones at least alternately. If the price difference isn't too great I will change completely as there was a discernable difference in performance.
I don't use my dishwasher too often anyway as I live alone and most of my pans can't go in as they have wooden handles or are aluminium so I have to wash up by hand as well.
I wouldn't have wanted to be without a dishwasher when we were a family of four but it is less of a necessity these days. During the lockdown it has filled up much quicker though as I usually drink most of my coffee at work as well as having a canteen lunch. It is currently half full with mugs, many of which hadn't left the cupboard in years!
As I run the machine infrequently I always rinse everything before loading so I never have to use a dishwasher cleaner.

Daren’t put everyday glasses in mine - even when careful with rinse aid salt and cleaning they still usually come out cloudy. Any advise?

Advice!?

I buy cheap glasses for everyday use and bin when they get very cloudy. Wash good ones by hand.

Don’t skimp on the monthly machine wash. I use Tesco’s own brand which works well for me but have used others successfully.

And clean round the door frame regularly including drying the rubber seal. OK maybe I am a tad OCD!

Cronaca use vinegar as rinse aid and run the machine on hot with citric acid once a month - sparkling glasses.

I bought a small dishwasher, it was installed in a cupboard and it has changed my life. I have to use it more than once a day (Two meals worth so not actually twice a day) but it only uses 6.5 litres of water. I buy Aldi all in one tablets but I use salt. The dishes are always sparkling clean. I do rinse off the food debris first because my mother had one before she died, she would bung the plates in without rinsing first and it used to make the dishwasher smell.

Oh and meant to add I chuck the tablet in the cutlery basket, the first time I used it I used the tablet dispenser and it didn’t dissolve properly.

Your life will change - I love my dishwasher. First got one 30 years ago when second daughter born - for some reason thought I didn’t need one before that ....durr!! I use it almost every day especially in recent months - husband cooks and I clear up. My tip is use best quality tablets, really does make a difference. Also have a rule.... never put things on worktop or in sink if it can go straight into dishwasher - a rule my husband really struggles with for some reason ? Also make sure all solid bits on plates etc go in bin then no need to rinse them before stacking - which in my opinion is a waste of time. Happy dishwashing ?

I got a dishwasher with my last paycheque before 'retiring' for motherhood. Yes appreciate it but clothes washing machine more appreciated by me. I used to use powder I could once get in big bags that lasted for ages as I could vary the amount I put in to each washload. But now it seems we are forced to use tablets. I only ever use 'quickwash' of 29 minutes.

LOts of good comments there, yes dont forget to clean the filter at the bottom of machine expecially if you are going to be away for a bit.

I found the tablet did not dissolve fully when put in compartment in door so now it goes direct into bottom of machine. I hate handling it due to strength of chemicals and must find out about dissolving wrapper.

So no crystal glass, no silverware, no gilded china, and no wooden spoons but I do put in latter occasionally = no harm.

Rinse or not rinse? I hate the idea of the dishes being washed in a kind of soup and dw will get yukky. I either let things passively rinse in the sink while I’m cooking, and/or scrape well with rubber spatula. Rinse if necessary.

We have been asked not to rinse as it uses too much water!!