1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:03,324 If you’ve got a dishwasher that you think kinda sucks, 2 00:00:03,324 --> 00:00:10,395 there’s a good chance that with just a few tweaks to how you use it you can get truly clean dishes with very little effort. 3 00:00:10,395 --> 00:00:11,128 Hi. 4 00:00:11,128 --> 00:00:13,843 I’m apparently the internet’s weird appliance guy, 5 00:00:13,843 --> 00:00:19,603 and a few years ago I made two videos on dishwashers and more specifically dishwasher detergent. 6 00:00:19,603 --> 00:00:22,834 Together, they’re the length of a feature film! 7 00:00:22,834 --> 00:00:26,201 And you don’t have time for that, so I’ve created this new version. 8 00:00:26,201 --> 00:00:28,105 Which begins… now. 9 00:00:28,105 --> 00:00:35,058 First, I want you to know that you can absolutely  load a dishwasher with filthy stuff just covered in crap. 10 00:00:35,058 --> 00:00:36,856 I do it all the time! 11 00:00:36,856 --> 00:00:43,867 The only prep you should need to do when loading a dishwasher is scrape off large pieces of uneaten food. 12 00:00:43,867 --> 00:00:48,060 The machine can handle a lot on its own, even burnt-on stuff. 13 00:00:48,060 --> 00:00:55,085 But it’s important to understand that dishwashers are actually very simple machines doing a very simple thing. 14 00:00:55,085 --> 00:01:01,288 If you ever looked in there at the spray arms and thought “that looks an awful lot like one of those twirly lawn sprinklers” 15 00:01:01,288 --> 00:01:03,393 you were having a correct thought! 16 00:01:03,393 --> 00:01:09,260 This machine could sincerely be described as a couple of those sprinklers inside a waterproof box. 17 00:01:09,260 --> 00:01:16,289 The box has racks which allow you to conveniently position stuff you want to clean like plates and bowls and flatware above those sprinklers 18 00:01:16,289 --> 00:01:21,593 so that they spray all that stuff with lots and lots of water to get it squeaky clean. 19 00:01:21,593 --> 00:01:24,564 But dishwashers don’t use lots and lots of water. 20 00:01:24,564 --> 00:01:29,148 In fact they use very little because the water inside is recirculated. 21 00:01:29,148 --> 00:01:32,317 The bottom of your dishwasher is actually a false bottom: 22 00:01:32,317 --> 00:01:37,934 below the mesh surface is a sump which holds somewhere on the order of a gallon of water. 23 00:01:37,934 --> 00:01:43,877 That’s 3.8 liters, though I’m not being that precise because  the amount varies from machine to machine. 24 00:01:43,877 --> 00:01:51,641 When the cleaning cycle begins, an inlet valve opens to allow clean water to fill the sump, usually through a hole in the side wall. 25 00:01:51,641 --> 00:01:57,786 Once full, the valve closes and a powerful pump driven by an electric motor starts running. 26 00:01:57,786 --> 00:02:02,474 That pump forces the water through the spray arms and… that’s it. 27 00:02:02,474 --> 00:02:05,658 That spraying action is what cleans your dishes. 28 00:02:05,658 --> 00:02:10,499 It just has to go on for a while to be effective,  hence the recirculation of water. 29 00:02:10,499 --> 00:02:15,943 In some machines, the water is screened through a  washable mesh filter before it reaches the pump. 30 00:02:15,943 --> 00:02:18,286 Which brings me to Tip Number 1: 31 00:02:18,286 --> 00:02:23,120 check your dishwasher’s bottom for a removable filter and clean it. 32 00:02:23,120 --> 00:02:26,319 If you’ve never done this and you have a filter, 33 00:02:26,319 --> 00:02:29,233 I’m very sorry for what you are about to find. 34 00:02:29,233 --> 00:02:30,575 It will be unpleasant. 35 00:02:30,575 --> 00:02:33,467 You should be cleaning that filter regularly. 36 00:02:33,467 --> 00:02:36,569 In other machines, the pump doubles as a macerator: 37 00:02:36,569 --> 00:02:41,872 small blades at its intake break down bits of food like a mini garbage disposal. 38 00:02:41,872 --> 00:02:48,206 Those machines usually don’t have a filter, just a grid to catch stuff that’s too big for the macerator to chew up. 39 00:02:48,206 --> 00:02:55,447 And, for the record, those are the only kind of dishwasher that I will ever purchase because cleaning those filters is gross. 40 00:02:55,447 --> 00:02:59,755 Now, you might very well have realized that if it's the  same water being recirculated 41 00:02:59,755 --> 00:03:07,492 then as the dishwasher runs the water inside of it is going to get yucky from all the food residue it's knockin' off the plates and whatnot. 42 00:03:07,492 --> 00:03:11,518 And yep! That water gets real nasty real quick. 43 00:03:11,518 --> 00:03:19,971 So the machine periodically stops the main pump and starts up a second pump which pushes the dirty water out of the machine through a drain hose. 44 00:03:19,971 --> 00:03:23,021 and it may also add some clean water at the same time 45 00:03:23,021 --> 00:03:27,819 to help purge that drain hose and the sump of all the nasty water. 46 00:03:27,819 --> 00:03:35,873 Once empty, the dishwasher fills itself up again with another gallon-ish of clean water and the main pump starts back up to continue cleaning. 47 00:03:35,873 --> 00:03:40,947 This fill, pump for a while, then drain sequence is going to repeat a few times 48 00:03:40,947 --> 00:03:47,640 and by the end of the fourth or fifth fill and dump, all the food residue will have been removed from the items inside the dishwasher 49 00:03:47,640 --> 00:03:49,982 and the water in the sump is clean. 50 00:03:49,982 --> 00:03:53,247 On the last fill the stuff inside is simply getting rinsed, 51 00:03:53,247 --> 00:03:57,119 and after one last draining, the cycle will end and your dishes are clean - 52 00:03:57,119 --> 00:04:00,093 all while using only a few gallons of water. 53 00:04:00,093 --> 00:04:03,675 In this case, 4.2 gallons or 16 liters. 54 00:04:03,675 --> 00:04:09,779 I’ve described the basics of what the machine does to clean your dishes but I’ve skipped two important helpers: 55 00:04:09,779 --> 00:04:11,981 heat and chemicals. 56 00:04:11,981 --> 00:04:13,653 Let’s start with heat. 57 00:04:13,653 --> 00:04:22,464 If you’ve ever hand-washed a dirty kitchen or food thing then you’ve probably discovered that the process is a lot easier if the water you’re using is hot. 58 00:04:22,464 --> 00:04:28,711 This is especially true if what you’re trying to clean is at all greasy - the hotter the water, the more that grease softens 59 00:04:28,711 --> 00:04:31,859 and the more easily it will come off whatever it’s stuck to. 60 00:04:31,859 --> 00:04:36,200 So, a dishwasher has a heating element to heat the water inside. 61 00:04:36,200 --> 00:04:43,469 In many North American dishwashers that heating element is exposed at the bottom and used for a heated dry option, but top tip - 62 00:04:43,469 --> 00:04:45,750 you might try turning that off. 63 00:04:45,750 --> 00:04:52,271 I never use the heated dry because it feels like a waste of energy,  it can damage items especially on the bottom rack, 64 00:04:52,271 --> 00:04:57,891 and the final rinse is quite hot anyway  so if you empty the dishwasher right after it finishes, 65 00:04:58,160 --> 00:05:01,955 that water will evaporate quickly unless you live in a swamp. 66 00:05:01,955 --> 00:05:06,300 Even if I don’t get to it until the next morning most stuff inside is dry 67 00:05:06,300 --> 00:05:10,656 and I just use a dish towel for what few things might still have a bit of water on them. 68 00:05:10,656 --> 00:05:13,954 But that’s just, like, my opinion. 69 00:05:13,954 --> 00:05:21,054 What isn't my opinion though is that it takes a while to heat up a gallon of water with the power output of that heating element. 70 00:05:21,054 --> 00:05:26,831 My dishwasher at home has an 800W element and because energy is energy and water is water, 71 00:05:26,831 --> 00:05:32,912 we know that it can only elevate the temperature of the water inside by about 3 degrees Celsius per minute - 72 00:05:32,912 --> 00:05:36,888 and that’s assuming absolutely no heat losses. 73 00:05:36,888 --> 00:05:45,510 That’s a pretty leisurely temperature rise so, in North America, dishwashers are hooked up to the hot water supply at the sink. 74 00:05:45,510 --> 00:05:51,599 That way the water they fill with is already hot and the heating  element only has to raise the temperature a little bit 75 00:05:51,599 --> 00:05:56,392 (though it may raise it a lot in the final rinse if you have a sanitize option). 76 00:05:56,392 --> 00:06:00,296 Except - well, you know what your kitchen sink is like. 77 00:06:00,296 --> 00:06:09,129 Unless you’ve got a booster heater under there or a hot water recirculation pump, it takes a while for the water to actually get hot when you open the tap. 78 00:06:09,129 --> 00:06:13,848 The cold water in the pipes between your water heater and the sink needs to be purged 79 00:06:13,848 --> 00:06:22,009 and because dishwashers fill with so little water, if it takes more than just a few seconds to get hot water at your kitchen sink 80 00:06:22,009 --> 00:06:28,665 your dishwasher will begin washing with lukewarm water at best and stone cold water at worst. 81 00:06:29,449 --> 00:06:36,107 And that’s bad, especially because the dishes are at their very dirtiest and could really use the help of heat. 82 00:06:36,107 --> 00:06:43,280 Think about how much harder it is to get butter or cheese out of a pan when the water is cold and thus isn’t softening it. 83 00:06:43,280 --> 00:06:45,536 So - here’s Tip Number 2: 84 00:06:45,536 --> 00:06:52,178 right before you start the dishwasher, run the hot water in your kitchen sink until it’s properly hot. 85 00:06:52,178 --> 00:06:56,478 That way you ensure the dishwasher will actually fill with hot water. 86 00:06:56,478 --> 00:07:04,720 Many dishwashers - like the one you’re looking at now - don’t even bother turning their heating element on at all during the first fill of water.   87 00:07:04,720 --> 00:07:08,514 So that water will only be as hot as it was when it entered. 88 00:07:08,514 --> 00:07:16,210 Running the tap until it’s actually hot may be the most important tip in this video  depending on your dishwasher’s programming. 89 00:07:16,210 --> 00:07:20,161 Again, though, this advice is for North Americans specifically. 90 00:07:20,161 --> 00:07:26,756 Many other parts of the world hook the dishwasher up to cold water and the cycle programming is adjusted accordingly. 91 00:07:26,756 --> 00:07:32,772 But here they are designed to fill with (and thus expect) hot water. 92 00:07:32,772 --> 00:07:40,586 If you have a delay start option that might change up the programming to account for that but... it also might not 93 00:07:40,586 --> 00:07:47,493 so again, if you're not happy with your dishwasher, try running the tap until it’s steamy hot and then start it. 94 00:07:47,493 --> 00:07:50,532 That alone can make a huge difference. 95 00:07:50,532 --> 00:07:54,032 And by the way - if you try this and it doesn’t seem to be helping, 96 00:07:54,032 --> 00:07:59,475 you might wanna double check that your dishwasher is actually hooked into the hot water line. 97 00:07:59,475 --> 00:08:04,944 You should see a water line under your sink with a flexible hose heading towards the dishwasher. 98 00:08:04,944 --> 00:08:12,472 If that hose is hooked up to the cold water supply by mistake, the machine’s performance will suffer tremendously. 99 00:08:12,472 --> 00:08:15,153 But you don’t just wash dishes with hot water. 100 00:08:15,153 --> 00:08:16,788 You’re gonna need some soap. 101 00:08:16,788 --> 00:08:20,542 And that’s why you have to buy detergent for your dishwasher! 102 00:08:20,542 --> 00:08:28,403 These chemical products contain a non-sudsing cocktail of dispersants, surfactants, emulsifiers, and enzymes. 103 00:08:28,403 --> 00:08:32,166 The enzymes help to break down proteins and starches in food, 104 00:08:32,166 --> 00:08:36,766 and by the way those enzymes work best when the wash water is up to temperature. 105 00:08:36,766 --> 00:08:39,505 So if you don’t run the tap until it’s hot, 106 00:08:39,505 --> 00:08:45,014 you can shorten the time in the wash cycle that the enzymes are effective which hurts washing performance. 107 00:08:45,014 --> 00:08:47,885 It may seem like I’m hammering that point kinda hard but I am! 108 00:08:47,885 --> 00:08:53,976 Because it’s important and I really want you to try running the tap until it’s hot when you start the dishwasher. 109 00:08:53,976 --> 00:08:57,740 Anyway the other components in the detergent are also important: 110 00:08:57,740 --> 00:09:01,766 surfactants lower the surface tension of the water which helps it clean. 111 00:09:01,766 --> 00:09:07,518 Emulsifiers encapsulate fats and oils which allows them to mix with the wash water. 112 00:09:07,518 --> 00:09:11,842 And the dispersants keep all that washed-off gunk suspended in the water 113 00:09:11,842 --> 00:09:19,094 so that it doesn’t create residue deposits inside the dishwasher or indeed end up back on the stuff it’s trying to clean. 114 00:09:19,094 --> 00:09:23,146 There are usually a few other helper components depending on the detergent product, 115 00:09:23,146 --> 00:09:27,591 and in a moment I’ll tell you the kind of dishwasher detergent I use and recommend. 116 00:09:27,591 --> 00:09:30,928 Spoiler alert, it’s the cheapest kind! 117 00:09:30,928 --> 00:09:36,088 But first I need to draw your attention to the machine’s detergent dispenser. 118 00:09:36,088 --> 00:09:41,325 This little dispenser is critically important to the proper operation of your dishwasher. 119 00:09:41,325 --> 00:09:48,267 If you don’t put your detergent in here and close that door, you may very well be wrecking your machine’s cleaning performance 120 00:09:48,267 --> 00:09:50,622 and I cannot stress that enough. 121 00:09:50,622 --> 00:09:56,443 The reason this is here is because  every time the machine gets rid of the dirty water inside of it, 122 00:09:56,443 --> 00:09:59,320 It also gets rid of any detergent that was in the water! 123 00:10:00,040 --> 00:10:03,019 And we need that detergent to clean the dishes! 124 00:10:03,019 --> 00:10:06,086 But - we don’t want it right away. 125 00:10:06,086 --> 00:10:12,352 Think about what happens when you load it up with dirty dishes - say a bunch of plates after a big pasta dinner. 126 00:10:12,352 --> 00:10:15,998 Those plates are filthy and covered in red sauce. 127 00:10:15,998 --> 00:10:19,120 Or maybe Alfredo, doesn’t matter take your pick. 128 00:10:19,120 --> 00:10:21,409 When the machine starts spraying them with water, 129 00:10:21,840 --> 00:10:28,183 a bunch of that sauce is going to dissolve quickly, fall off and end up in the wash water. 130 00:10:28,183 --> 00:10:36,666 That first fill of water is known as the pre-wash, and since it gets dirty so quickly, the machine doesn’t spend a lot of time with it. 131 00:10:36,666 --> 00:10:39,812 My dishwasher only spends 10 minutes in the pre-wash 132 00:10:39,812 --> 00:10:46,092 before it drains that water out and fills again for the next part of the cycle known as the main wash. 133 00:10:46,092 --> 00:10:49,704 If that dispenser weren’t there and holding the detergent back, 134 00:10:49,704 --> 00:10:55,710 then my dishwasher would only have 10 minutes with soap in the water and then it would all be gone! 135 00:10:55,710 --> 00:11:03,429 So only after it has drained the nasty pre-wash water out and replaced it with clean water for the main wash 136 00:11:03,429 --> 00:11:08,164 does the dispenser door open and allow the detergent into the water. 137 00:11:08,164 --> 00:11:13,799 The dishwasher will then spend a long time with that fill of water, sometimes more than an hour. 138 00:11:13,799 --> 00:11:20,880 So actually having detergent added at the correct time is crucial to a good cleaning performance. 139 00:11:20,880 --> 00:11:29,513 Although I just discovered that my fancy dishwasher is able to tell how dirty the pre-wash water is and may switch up its programming. 140 00:11:29,513 --> 00:11:38,155 That is not at all a universal thing and depends on having fancy sensors - most machines just run predefined programs so I’m not getting into this here, 141 00:11:38,155 --> 00:11:42,456 but if you're curious what I'm talking about - that second channel video will explain. 142 00:11:42,456 --> 00:11:43,964 So Tip Number 3: 143 00:11:43,964 --> 00:11:47,782 Be sure to use the detergent dispenser and close it. 144 00:11:47,782 --> 00:11:54,920 Most of you probably already are, but I know there are some folks out there who skip it and just throw the detergent in the tub. 145 00:11:54,920 --> 00:12:04,423 If your dishwasher’s detergent dispenser is broken and that’s why you aren't using it, that’s going to really hurt your machine’s performance and ideally it should be fixed - 146 00:12:04,423 --> 00:12:09,035 though there may be workarounds depending  on your machine which I’ll discuss later. 147 00:12:09,035 --> 00:12:16,230 But you may also remember from your previous life experience that fats and oils don’t mix with plain water. 148 00:12:16,230 --> 00:12:19,061 You need an emulsifier to make them mix. 149 00:12:19,061 --> 00:12:21,138 Which is in the detergent... 150 00:12:21,138 --> 00:12:25,761 but the machine doesn’t let the detergent into the water until the second fill. 151 00:12:25,761 --> 00:12:30,388 So you might think that first fill is going to struggle with fats and oils. 152 00:12:30,388 --> 00:12:31,658 And yes it will! 153 00:12:31,658 --> 00:12:38,783 And that’s why many, many dishwashers have detergent dispensers like this one - where there are two compartments. 154 00:12:38,783 --> 00:12:43,881 One is sealed by the gasket in the detergent dispenser door and labeled Main Wash. 155 00:12:43,881 --> 00:12:47,983 But the pre-wash compartment right next to it isn’t sealed at all: 156 00:12:47,983 --> 00:12:53,767 there are holes in the door to allow any detergent you put in there to spill right out. 157 00:12:53,767 --> 00:12:58,543 Ya see, before grocery stores were filled with these infernal pod and pack things, 158 00:12:58,543 --> 00:13:01,875 dishwasher detergent came in a box like this. 159 00:13:01,875 --> 00:13:06,092 It was a box of powder, and you were expected to open this little spout 160 00:13:06,092 --> 00:13:09,376 and pour that powder into the dispenser. 161 00:13:09,376 --> 00:13:13,187 And if you put some of this powder in both of those cups, 162 00:13:13,187 --> 00:13:21,273 then the one with holes in the lid would just spill its contents out and so the dishwasher would begin its cycle with some detergent! 163 00:13:21,273 --> 00:13:26,921 That meant it could tackle fats and oils immediately, so the pre-wash was much more effective. 164 00:13:26,921 --> 00:13:31,076 Then, when it drained out that nasty water and filled again for the main wash, 165 00:13:31,076 --> 00:13:37,802 it would open the dispenser and let out a second round of detergent to replace what just got pumped out. 166 00:13:37,802 --> 00:13:44,511 That second fill would have a head-start  thanks to the pre-wash detergent getting rid of at least some fats and oils already. 167 00:13:44,511 --> 00:13:51,981 And in case you’re thinking this is some lost art, my much newer dishwasher - a model still on sale - works the same way. 168 00:13:51,981 --> 00:13:58,932 The lid of the dispenser has a divot labeled pre-wash, and if ya put a little detergent there, it cleans much better. 169 00:13:58,932 --> 00:14:03,088 Detergent pods and tablets, while they are a convenient concept, 170 00:14:03,088 --> 00:14:05,001 break this pattern. 171 00:14:05,001 --> 00:14:11,044 And especially if you have an older dishwasher which wasn’t born in the time of pre-dosed detergent dominance, 172 00:14:11,044 --> 00:14:14,806 those products can, frankly, suck. 173 00:14:14,806 --> 00:14:19,248 Now, I know many of you out there are having a fine experience using those products 174 00:14:19,320 --> 00:14:22,242 and by all means you should keep using ‘em if you’re happy. 175 00:14:22,242 --> 00:14:24,666 But if you’re not happy with your dishwasher, 176 00:14:24,666 --> 00:14:27,722 or you’re a value-obsessed Midwesterner like I am, 177 00:14:27,722 --> 00:14:29,040 here’s Tip Number 4: 178 00:14:29,640 --> 00:14:36,872 try a more basic detergent product and place some in both spots your machine expects it to go. 179 00:14:36,872 --> 00:14:41,095 If your dishwasher doesn’t have  a dedicated spot to put pre-wash detergent, 180 00:14:41,095 --> 00:14:44,845 just add a little extra along the door or directly into the wash tub. 181 00:14:44,845 --> 00:14:47,361 Something like a tablespoon will be fine. 182 00:14:47,361 --> 00:14:50,168 And if you’re skeptical that this will actually do anything, 183 00:14:50,168 --> 00:14:53,230 well your dishwasher still has that dispenser, right? 184 00:14:53,230 --> 00:14:58,695 It’s still holding the detergent back until the second fill, otherwise the dispenser would be pointless. 185 00:14:58,695 --> 00:15:01,368 So give it a try. It can’t hurt. 186 00:15:01,368 --> 00:15:06,993 Speaking of giving things a try, there’s a brand of detergent which has come out with yet another new product 187 00:15:06,993 --> 00:15:09,962 this time touting CycleSync™ technology: 188 00:15:09,962 --> 00:15:11,016 Right Ingredient ‡ 189 00:15:11,016 --> 00:15:11,780 ASTERISK 190 00:15:11,780 --> 00:15:13,171 right time! 191 00:15:13,171 --> 00:15:14,815 What does that mean? 192 00:15:14,815 --> 00:15:15,984 [clears throat] 193 00:15:15,984 --> 00:15:22,261 “Finish® Ultimate is our first ever tablet with CycleSync™ technology that releases the right ingredient ‡ 194 00:15:22,261 --> 00:15:22,923 ASTERISK 195 00:15:22,923 --> 00:15:25,795 to act at the right time.” 196 00:15:25,795 --> 00:15:30,994 That sure implies that these will align their vibes with my machine or something. 197 00:15:30,994 --> 00:15:33,646 But is there anything to that implication? 198 00:15:33,646 --> 00:15:38,301 First, let’s put one of these tablets in my dishwasher and let it run for a bit. 199 00:15:38,301 --> 00:15:42,399 Yeah, it all dissolved in a matter of minutes so if I didn’t put this in the dispenser 200 00:15:42,399 --> 00:15:45,208 (which the instructions explicitly tell me to do) 201 00:15:45,208 --> 00:15:47,848 all of it would have drained out after 10 minutes. 202 00:15:47,848 --> 00:15:53,034 So it doesn’t appear to be anything to do with these three sections of seemingly different items. 203 00:15:53,034 --> 00:15:55,364 They’re just making this prettier. 204 00:15:55,364 --> 00:15:58,036 Since my dishwasher doesn’t have a hole in its side, 205 00:15:58,036 --> 00:16:04,308 I’ll pour hot water from the tap into this glass pan so we can see watch how the tablets dissolve. 206 00:16:04,308 --> 00:16:08,716 Yeah it’s just… it’s just all oozing out once the membrane is breached. 207 00:16:08,716 --> 00:16:14,142 I should note I tried this last time with their compressed tablet things and I had the same thing happen - 208 00:16:14,142 --> 00:16:17,654 it completely dissolved in my dishwasher after 10 minutes. 209 00:16:17,654 --> 00:16:21,064 So what do they even mean by CycleSync? 210 00:16:21,064 --> 00:16:23,207 Let’s find where that asterisk leads. 211 00:16:23,207 --> 00:16:28,850 Oh and by the way this is actually called a double dagger and not an asterisk, fun pedantic typography fact. 212 00:16:29,960 --> 00:16:32,377 It’s on the bottom - of course it is. 213 00:16:33,297 --> 00:16:34,540 Enzyme. 214 00:16:34,935 --> 00:16:37,555 That’s it? The word Enzyme? 215 00:16:37,555 --> 00:16:43,018 The protease and amylase enzymes that are also found in this Walmart brand powder? 216 00:16:43,018 --> 00:16:50,399 The Enzymes that work best at high temperatures so will indeed get more effective at “the right time?” 217 00:16:50,399 --> 00:16:56,114 I don’t know if you see how sneaky it is to put that mark  after the word “ingredient” but hopefully you do. 218 00:16:56,114 --> 00:16:58,644 The thing is, if it’s not clear already, 219 00:16:58,644 --> 00:17:03,560 these are just tablets of soap dressed up to seem important. 220 00:17:03,560 --> 00:17:08,862 Your dishwasher is the thing doing the work, and there’s nothing all that special about these. 221 00:17:08,862 --> 00:17:15,280 And not to get too tin foil hat on you,  but it does feel weird to me that there’s so much differentiation 222 00:17:15,280 --> 00:17:19,344 for a commodity product like dishwasher detergent. 223 00:17:19,344 --> 00:17:25,675 Powders and gels tend to live a sad life on the bottom shelf while the flashy pods get all the attention, 224 00:17:25,675 --> 00:17:31,913 but I sincerely think these are the better products because they jibe with the way dishwashers actually work - 225 00:17:31,913 --> 00:17:34,901 and they’re a better value, to boot. 226 00:17:34,901 --> 00:17:39,412 I much prefer powder because it comes  in a paper box and not a plastic jug, 227 00:17:39,412 --> 00:17:43,075 but gels are much more readily available. 228 00:17:43,075 --> 00:17:49,170 However, powder products can contain both bleach and enzymes which aren’t stable together in a liquid, 229 00:17:49,170 --> 00:17:51,599 so powders are usually more effective. 230 00:17:51,599 --> 00:17:53,503 If you can find them. 231 00:17:53,503 --> 00:17:55,221 However - there’s a wrinkle. 232 00:17:55,221 --> 00:17:56,554 But it’s double-edged. 233 00:17:57,365 --> 00:18:04,378 One of the reasons I like powder and gel is because how much detergent you actually need to use varies. 234 00:18:04,378 --> 00:18:11,757 If you have soft water, you likely need to use very little and you can stretch a box like this for months. 235 00:18:11,757 --> 00:18:14,996 But if you have hard water, you’ll need to use more. 236 00:18:14,996 --> 00:18:18,080 Also, how soiled your dishes are affects things, too, 237 00:18:18,080 --> 00:18:24,102 because the detergent gets “used up” and becomes less effective as it tackles food deposits. 238 00:18:24,102 --> 00:18:32,145 I strongly believe that the two-dose structure of traditional dishwasher programs means you can use much less detergent: 239 00:18:32,145 --> 00:18:37,039 you’re not expecting the detergent to do everything with a single fill of wash water. 240 00:18:37,039 --> 00:18:45,360 But the tabs and packs are, though, so they're extremely concentrated to get all the work done at once. 241 00:18:45,360 --> 00:18:51,360 The wrinkle in dosing it yourself, though, is that it’s pretty easy to use too much detergent. 242 00:18:51,360 --> 00:18:57,840 The cups in the dispenser are big for those of you who have  really hard water and need a lot of detergent,   243 00:18:57,840 --> 00:18:59,292 but most people don’t. 244 00:18:59,292 --> 00:19:05,604 So if you’re trying out a powder or gel product and find you’re left with a powdery residue on your stuff, 245 00:19:05,604 --> 00:19:09,865 you’re using too much detergent and the final rinse couldn’t get rid of it all. 246 00:19:09,865 --> 00:19:16,327 The boxes don’t explain that - they say to fill the cups completely which is almost always a terrible idea. 247 00:19:16,327 --> 00:19:19,206 You’d be surprised how little you actually need. 248 00:19:19,206 --> 00:19:21,751 I really appreciate being able to fiddle with this 249 00:19:21,751 --> 00:19:27,113 (and I’ve discovered I only need to fill the cup up about half-way pretty much no matter what I’m cleaning) 250 00:19:27,113 --> 00:19:29,200 but your brain may vary. 251 00:19:29,200 --> 00:19:36,036 Detergent packs force a one-size-fits-all  amount of detergent on you which very much rubs me the wrong way, 252 00:19:36,036 --> 00:19:40,510 but it usually works and there are many people who would prefer that. 253 00:19:40,510 --> 00:19:41,771 Those four tips: 254 00:19:41,771 --> 00:19:43,645 look for filters and clean them, 255 00:19:43,645 --> 00:19:47,477 run the kitchen tap until the water's hot before you start the machine, 256 00:19:47,477 --> 00:19:50,288 use the detergent dispenser and close the lid, 257 00:19:50,288 --> 00:19:55,498 and finally consider using a basic detergent product  and add a little pre-wash detergent, 258 00:19:55,498 --> 00:19:58,703 are what I consider the most important things to try. 259 00:19:59,160 --> 00:20:06,182 I have used some astoundingly cheap dishwashers in my time including the gnarliest landlord special I’ve ever encountered - 260 00:20:06,182 --> 00:20:10,961 that thing didn’t even have a sprayer for its top rack, and boy was it loud. 261 00:20:10,961 --> 00:20:16,697 But it cleaned everything just fine and with Walmart brand detergent! 262 00:20:16,697 --> 00:20:26,446 The only thing I can attribute my seemingly perfect dishwasher scorecard to is actually putting detergent in both places all those machines expected it to go 263 00:20:26,446 --> 00:20:31,548 and always running the kitchen tap until it's hot before I started the cycle. 264 00:20:31,548 --> 00:20:36,480 Now we've blown past the 20 minute mark  and this video is supposed to be more shareable than the others 265 00:20:36,480 --> 00:20:40,767 so I’ll finish up with a lightning round of other tips you might try. 266 00:20:40,767 --> 00:20:47,191 If none of what I’ve gone over seems to be helping, try a dishwasher cleaning product before you give up. 267 00:20:47,191 --> 00:20:52,694 Limescale and other forms of buildup can clog the sprayer nozzles or make the pump less effective, 268 00:20:52,694 --> 00:20:56,386 and many products are available which help to get rid of those deposits. 269 00:20:56,386 --> 00:20:59,634 I’m partial to products like this which come in a bottle: 270 00:20:59,634 --> 00:21:06,600 you insert them upside-down and a wax plug holds the product back until the water is hot enough to melt it. 271 00:21:06,600 --> 00:21:13,086 When I use these, I actually don’t run the water hot first to make sure the plug doesn’t melt during the pre-wash, 272 00:21:13,086 --> 00:21:18,336 and I use the machine’s tough setting with the high-temp wash option selected. 273 00:21:18,336 --> 00:21:24,427 I’ve used both this Glisten product and Finish’s version of a similar thing and find them to be great. 274 00:21:24,427 --> 00:21:33,252 Note the Finish product has a heavy perfume which lingers through several washes. I like that but it may bother others so be aware of that. 275 00:21:33,252 --> 00:21:38,382 You can also use a product like Lemishine which is just powdered citric acid. 276 00:21:38,382 --> 00:21:46,846 If a deep cleaning of your dishwasher still doesn’t fix things, your dishwasher likely has a worn out pump impeller or something else is mechanically wrong, 277 00:21:46,846 --> 00:21:53,209 or, you may have the rare actually-bad dishwasher model, and might just have to replace it. 278 00:21:53,209 --> 00:21:57,964 If your dishwasher’s detergent dispenser is broken  and that’s why you aren’t using it, 279 00:21:57,964 --> 00:22:01,732 first - you might try your hand at replacing it if you feel up to it. 280 00:22:01,732 --> 00:22:05,178 Replacement parts are often available, and this is YouTube! 281 00:22:05,178 --> 00:22:09,953 I’m sure there are many guides out there, possibly for your specific dishwasher. 282 00:22:09,953 --> 00:22:12,623 Though I won’t be endorsing any of them. 283 00:22:12,623 --> 00:22:19,272 But even without a functional dispenser, your dishwasher may be able to work with a different cycle. 284 00:22:19,272 --> 00:22:25,619 Express or Eco cycles often don’t do a pre-wash fill and open the dispenser right away. 285 00:22:25,619 --> 00:22:31,230 Those are typically options for a faster wash with the trade-off of reduced effectiveness. 286 00:22:31,230 --> 00:22:38,881 I don’t know what dishwasher you have, but you can listen out for it draining and determine how long it spends with each fill. 287 00:22:38,881 --> 00:22:45,874 If some cycles begin with it spending 30 or 40 minutes with the same water, those will be what you want. 288 00:22:45,874 --> 00:22:52,585 But if your dispenser works, the normal cycle (or Auto cycle) is probably what you want to use day to day. 289 00:22:52,585 --> 00:22:59,191 Speaking of cycles, though, you shouldn’t be afraid to try the other cycles and options available to you. 290 00:22:59,191 --> 00:23:06,230 The tough settings don’t make the washing action stronger, they just make it go on longer and might get the water hotter. 291 00:23:06,230 --> 00:23:08,260 So give it a try. 292 00:23:08,260 --> 00:23:12,391 If you have a high-temperature wash option that might be good to try, too, 293 00:23:12,391 --> 00:23:18,592 though I will say that in my experience using it can exacerbate hard water deposits in some situations. 294 00:23:18,592 --> 00:23:24,888 Same goes with the sanitize option - I really only use that if there’s something in the dishwasher that I feel might need it. 295 00:23:24,888 --> 00:23:27,200 Next - rinse aids. 296 00:23:27,200 --> 00:23:28,417 Use them. 297 00:23:28,417 --> 00:23:34,576 This isn’t a scam, and most dishwashers have a rinse aid dispenser right next to the detergent dispenser. 298 00:23:34,576 --> 00:23:37,420 It’ll squirt a little bit of this stuff out in the final rinse, 299 00:23:37,420 --> 00:23:47,009 and all that it is is a very mild surfactant which reduces the surface tension of water, causing it to form a thin film which easily evaporates without leaving water spots. 300 00:23:47,009 --> 00:23:54,062 This is particularly helpful to use if you have hard water, and many machines allow you to vary how much rinse aid it dispenses - 301 00:23:54,062 --> 00:23:56,714 you’ll need more the harder your water is. 302 00:23:56,714 --> 00:23:59,215 This stuff is so simple there’s no need to go name-brand. 303 00:23:59,215 --> 00:24:00,638 Just get the cheap stuff. 304 00:24:00,638 --> 00:24:07,349 And, to European viewers, many of your dishwashers have built-in water softeners and require dishwasher salt. 305 00:24:07,349 --> 00:24:11,481 So make sure ya got that on hand and fill it up if you need to. 306 00:24:11,481 --> 00:24:17,980 If you aren’t able to find powders or gels in your area, or they pose a challenge for you to use for whatever reason, 307 00:24:17,980 --> 00:24:24,007 I would recommend trying the cheapest store-brand dishwasher tablets or pods you can find. 308 00:24:24,007 --> 00:24:26,650 You may very well find they work great! 309 00:24:26,650 --> 00:24:35,873 And if they don’t, try mimicking what you can do with powder and gel by putting one in the dispenser and another directly into the tub. 310 00:24:35,873 --> 00:24:43,729 Pods are quite concentrated so that runs the risk of it leaving a residue, but it’s something to try if your dishwasher isn’t that great. 311 00:24:43,729 --> 00:24:51,053 I honestly wish detergent people would make a two-section pod with a removable baby pod for use in the pre-wash. 312 00:24:51,053 --> 00:24:57,106 I probably still wouldn’t use that because I find powder in a box with a spout to be plenty convenient already, 313 00:24:57,106 --> 00:24:59,265 but that feels like a useful option. 314 00:24:59,265 --> 00:25:06,640 Oh, and in case you might find using this box difficult, you might try emptying it into a storage container you can use a scoop with. 315 00:25:06,640 --> 00:25:11,563 That might also help if you live somewhere very  damp and powder will cake up on you 316 00:25:11,563 --> 00:25:17,034 (but, not for nothing, I never have that problem here in  the Midwest and I keep this under the sink). 317 00:25:17,034 --> 00:25:22,369 And lastly, I didn’t really want to go here  because it’s the source of strife for many a family, 318 00:25:22,369 --> 00:25:25,886 but make sure you’re loading the dishes correctly. 319 00:25:25,886 --> 00:25:30,709 The sprayers are below the racks so the dirty surfaces should be facing down. 320 00:25:30,709 --> 00:25:40,171 Additionally, since the sprayers rotate around the center of the machine, the dirty surfaces of vertical objects like plates should ideally face inward. 321 00:25:40,171 --> 00:25:46,037 When I’m loading it, the left-hand side looks like this, and right of the center-line it looks like that. 322 00:25:46,037 --> 00:25:52,217 Also be sure things aren’t bunching together and  blocking their neighbors from being hit by the sprayers, and - 323 00:25:52,217 --> 00:25:56,724 this is important - make sure those sprayer arms can spin freely. 324 00:25:56,724 --> 00:26:01,558 Tall items in the bottom rack can stop the top rack’s sprayer from spinning, 325 00:26:01,558 --> 00:26:03,061 and that’s not good. 326 00:26:03,061 --> 00:26:08,726 A whole lot of stuff will get hardly any water if it stays in one place throughout the cycle. 327 00:26:08,726 --> 00:26:12,978 The top rack is often adjustable and can be raised up to minimize this 328 00:26:12,978 --> 00:26:17,498 so if stuff on the top rack is often dirty for you, give that a try. 329 00:26:17,498 --> 00:26:25,312 And be mindful that on either rack, there’s less washing action at the corners because it’s a square on top of a circle, 330 00:26:25,312 --> 00:26:30,544 so if you’re washing something that’s really dirty,  you’ll want to keep it closer to the center. 331 00:26:30,544 --> 00:26:32,835 And I think that’s it. 332 00:26:32,835 --> 00:26:36,726 I want to reiterate that if you’re not having problems with your dishwasher, 333 00:26:36,726 --> 00:26:40,739 you don’t have to change your habits (though you're probably not watching this). 334 00:26:40,739 --> 00:26:48,214 But, gosh, I’d really like more people to just buy plain powder because it feels like this is an endangered species. 335 00:26:48,214 --> 00:26:54,193 My local Walmart keeps just a single slot of shelf space for this stuff and they’re often out. 336 00:26:54,193 --> 00:27:00,364 I'm to the point of checking for it every time I stop in for whatever random thing brings me to Walmart. 337 00:27:00,364 --> 00:27:09,176 And while I don’t want to say pods don’t work (clearly they do for many people) the feedback from the last videos was amazing. 338 00:27:09,176 --> 00:27:19,329 Many people reported that their dishwashers were cleaning like never before and all thanks to trying cheap detergent and using it as their machine expects. 339 00:27:19,329 --> 00:27:23,516 I’m reasonably sure you’ll see many comments like that below this video. 340 00:27:23,516 --> 00:27:27,453 Your dishwasher is responsible for 99% of the work. 341 00:27:27,453 --> 00:27:31,798 Detergents are necessary, of course, but it’s just soap. 342 00:27:31,798 --> 00:27:40,879 And I for one think that luxury soap products which go into a machine and don’t deliver any kind of unique experience but perhaps a vague hint of fragrance… 343 00:27:40,879 --> 00:27:42,899 are silly. 344 00:27:42,899 --> 00:27:46,120 Thanks for watching, and here’s to clean dishes!