Soooo… I decided I wasn’t nuts, after all, about the TSP that I ordered up by way of making the dishwasher work in the absence of effective dishwash detergent. After a few washes, the stuff was leaving a white, powdery residue on all the dishes. It could be wiped off with a towel, but…eeeewwww! Who wants to ingest whatever that is?
Tried to get my hands on some commercial-grade Cascade through Restockit.com but that little deal fell through with a frustrating runaround.
Then remembered that the last time the dishwasher was stumbling, a repairman advised using a product called Dishwasher Magic. So, tiring of washing all the dishes by hand and using the washer as a giant dish drying rack, I picked some up at the local Ace Hardware and, following the instructions, ran it through an empty wash cycle.
Wow!
This stuff is fantastic! Last night’s glasses came out perfectly clean and clear — no spots, no sticky white film — with just the usual weak-sister detergent and a cup or so of vinegar. The problem must have been that the washer was just dirty.
Dishwasher Magic comes in a container with a wax lid. You remove the plastic cover, then turn the bottle upside down and place it in the utensil rack. Before hitting the “On” button, turn the washer to its hottest cycle, and also run hot water through tap into the kitchen sink until the tap does run hot.
The wax plug then melts and the toxic contents are released into the washer, where they evidently dissolve everything that even faintly resembles dirt or grease. If your washer has a stainless steel tub, as mine does, the thing glows in the dark by the time you’re done.
The repairman who recommended the product suggested getting a couple of bottles, since a really dirty washer may require more than one effort.
Pay attention to what the store is selling. The guys at the nearby TruValue tried to sell me a product for cleaning and deodorizing stinky front-loading clothes washers — they didn’t understand that there’s a difference. Then I found the product locally at the Ace and got the last bottle on the shelf. Amazon carries it in gay abandon, though.
Buy Local First.
🙂
Might also check your local grocery stores, too. Ours carries it near the jet dry type stuff. We now run it through the rental dishwasher to sanitize in between renters after one left it particularly gross.
Good thing about it in the grocery – it always seems to have coupons or rebate offers attached to it, and the sister product disposer care is awesome and insanely cheap.
Thanks! I’ll look for it!
LOL! Now I see why so many rental units don’t have dishwashers… 😉
I’ll look into that, too. I visited their website and they have a 75-cent coupon right there, too!
I wonder why my manufacturer instructions for cleaning the dishwasher don’t do enough. I regularly cleaned the dishwasher following those instructions, but still had the grungiest dishes over the past few months until I started using the professional Cascade.
Sorry that you had such problems getting the dishwasher detergent when you tried. If you still think you want some, drop me a line and maybe I can mail a box. It was easy to pick up at the GFS.
Thanks for the tips! I’ll be taking note of that!