WEBVTT Kind: captions Language: en 00:00:00.120 --> 00:00:03.324 If you’ve got a dishwasher that you think kinda sucks, 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. 00:00:10.395 --> 00:00:11.128 Hi. 00:00:11.128 --> 00:00:13.843 I’m apparently the internet’s weird appliance guy, 00:00:13.843 --> 00:00:19.603 and a few years ago I made two videos on dishwashers and more specifically dishwasher detergent. 00:00:19.603 --> 00:00:22.834 Together, they’re the length of a feature film! 00:00:22.834 --> 00:00:26.201 And you don’t have time for that, so I’ve created this new version. 00:00:26.201 --> 00:00:28.105 Which begins… now. 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. 00:00:35.058 --> 00:00:36.856 I do it all the time! 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. 00:00:43.867 --> 00:00:48.060 The machine can handle a lot on its own, even burnt-on stuff. 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. 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” 00:01:01.288 --> 00:01:03.393 you were having a correct thought! 00:01:03.393 --> 00:01:09.260 This machine could sincerely be described as a couple of those sprinklers inside a waterproof box. 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 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. 00:01:21.593 --> 00:01:24.564 But dishwashers don’t use lots and lots of water. 00:01:24.564 --> 00:01:29.148 In fact they use very little because the water inside is recirculated. 00:01:29.148 --> 00:01:32.317 The bottom of your dishwasher is actually a false bottom: 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. 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. 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. 00:01:51.641 --> 00:01:57.786 Once full, the valve closes and a powerful pump driven by an electric motor starts running. 00:01:57.786 --> 00:02:02.474 That pump forces the water through the spray arms and… that’s it. 00:02:02.474 --> 00:02:05.658 That spraying action is what cleans your dishes. 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. 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. 00:02:15.943 --> 00:02:18.286 Which brings me to Tip Number 1: 00:02:18.286 --> 00:02:23.120 check your dishwasher’s bottom for a removable filter and clean it. 00:02:23.120 --> 00:02:26.319 If you’ve never done this and you have a filter, 00:02:26.319 --> 00:02:29.233 I’m very sorry for what you are about to find. 00:02:29.233 --> 00:02:30.575 It will be unpleasant. 00:02:30.575 --> 00:02:33.467 You should be cleaning that filter regularly. 00:02:33.467 --> 00:02:36.569 In other machines, the pump doubles as a macerator: 00:02:36.569 --> 00:02:41.872 small blades at its intake break down bits of food like a mini garbage disposal. 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. 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. 00:02:55.447 --> 00:02:59.755 Now, you might very well have realized that if it's the  same water being recirculated 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. 00:03:07.492 --> 00:03:11.518 And yep! That water gets real nasty real quick. 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. 00:03:19.971 --> 00:03:23.021 and it may also add some clean water at the same time 00:03:23.021 --> 00:03:27.819 to help purge that drain hose and the sump of all the nasty water. 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. 00:03:35.873 --> 00:03:40.947 This fill, pump for a while, then drain sequence is going to repeat a few times 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 00:03:47.640 --> 00:03:49.982 and the water in the sump is clean. 00:03:49.982 --> 00:03:53.247 On the last fill the stuff inside is simply getting rinsed, 00:03:53.247 --> 00:03:57.119 and after one last draining, the cycle will end and your dishes are clean - 00:03:57.119 --> 00:04:00.093 all while using only a few gallons of water. 00:04:00.093 --> 00:04:03.675 In this case, 4.2 gallons or 16 liters. 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: 00:04:09.779 --> 00:04:11.981 heat and chemicals. 00:04:11.981 --> 00:04:13.653 Let’s start with heat. 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. 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 00:04:28.711 --> 00:04:31.859 and the more easily it will come off whatever it’s stuck to. 00:04:31.859 --> 00:04:36.200 So, a dishwasher has a heating element to heat the water inside. 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 - 00:04:43.469 --> 00:04:45.750 you might try turning that off. 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, 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, 00:04:58.160 --> 00:05:01.955 that water will evaporate quickly unless you live in a swamp. 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 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. 00:05:10.656 --> 00:05:13.954 But that’s just, like, my opinion. 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. 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, 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 - 00:05:32.912 --> 00:05:36.888 and that’s assuming absolutely no heat losses. 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. 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 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). 00:05:56.392 --> 00:06:00.296 Except - well, you know what your kitchen sink is like. 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. 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 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 00:06:22.009 --> 00:06:28.665 your dishwasher will begin washing with lukewarm water at best and stone cold water at worst. 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. 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. 00:06:43.280 --> 00:06:45.536 So - here’s Tip Number 2: 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. 00:06:52.178 --> 00:06:56.478 That way you ensure the dishwasher will actually fill with hot water. 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.   00:07:04.720 --> 00:07:08.514 So that water will only be as hot as it was when it entered. 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. 00:07:16.210 --> 00:07:20.161 Again, though, this advice is for North Americans specifically. 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. 00:07:26.756 --> 00:07:32.772 But here they are designed to fill with (and thus expect) hot water. 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 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. 00:07:47.493 --> 00:07:50.532 That alone can make a huge difference. 00:07:50.532 --> 00:07:54.032 And by the way - if you try this and it doesn’t seem to be helping, 00:07:54.032 --> 00:07:59.475 you might wanna double check that your dishwasher is actually hooked into the hot water line. 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. 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. 00:08:12.472 --> 00:08:15.153 But you don’t just wash dishes with hot water. 00:08:15.153 --> 00:08:16.788 You’re gonna need some soap. 00:08:16.788 --> 00:08:20.542 And that’s why you have to buy detergent for your dishwasher! 00:08:20.542 --> 00:08:28.403 These chemical products contain a non-sudsing cocktail of dispersants, surfactants, emulsifiers, and enzymes. 00:08:28.403 --> 00:08:32.166 The enzymes help to break down proteins and starches in food, 00:08:32.166 --> 00:08:36.766 and by the way those enzymes work best when the wash water is up to temperature. 00:08:36.766 --> 00:08:39.505 So if you don’t run the tap until it’s hot, 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. 00:08:45.014 --> 00:08:47.885 It may seem like I’m hammering that point kinda hard but I am! 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. 00:08:53.976 --> 00:08:57.740 Anyway the other components in the detergent are also important: 00:08:57.740 --> 00:09:01.766 surfactants lower the surface tension of the water which helps it clean. 00:09:01.766 --> 00:09:07.518 Emulsifiers encapsulate fats and oils which allows them to mix with the wash water. 00:09:07.518 --> 00:09:11.842 And the dispersants keep all that washed-off gunk suspended in the water 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. 00:09:19.094 --> 00:09:23.146 There are usually a few other helper components depending on the detergent product, 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. 00:09:27.591 --> 00:09:30.928 Spoiler alert, it’s the cheapest kind! 00:09:30.928 --> 00:09:36.088 But first I need to draw your attention to the machine’s detergent dispenser. 00:09:36.088 --> 00:09:41.325 This little dispenser is critically important to the proper operation of your dishwasher. 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 00:09:48.267 --> 00:09:50.622 and I cannot stress that enough. 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, 00:09:56.443 --> 00:09:59.320 It also gets rid of any detergent that was in the water! 00:10:00.040 --> 00:10:03.019 And we need that detergent to clean the dishes! 00:10:03.019 --> 00:10:06.086 But - we don’t want it right away. 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. 00:10:12.352 --> 00:10:15.998 Those plates are filthy and covered in red sauce. 00:10:15.998 --> 00:10:19.120 Or maybe Alfredo, doesn’t matter take your pick. 00:10:19.120 --> 00:10:21.409 When the machine starts spraying them with water, 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. 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. 00:10:36.666 --> 00:10:39.812 My dishwasher only spends 10 minutes in the pre-wash 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. 00:10:46.092 --> 00:10:49.704 If that dispenser weren’t there and holding the detergent back, 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! 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 00:11:03.429 --> 00:11:08.164 does the dispenser door open and allow the detergent into the water. 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. 00:11:13.799 --> 00:11:20.880 So actually having detergent added at the correct time is crucial to a good cleaning performance. 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. 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, 00:11:38.155 --> 00:11:42.456 but if you're curious what I'm talking about - that second channel video will explain. 00:11:42.456 --> 00:11:43.964 So Tip Number 3: 00:11:43.964 --> 00:11:47.782 Be sure to use the detergent dispenser and close it. 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. 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 - 00:12:04.423 --> 00:12:09.035 though there may be workarounds depending  on your machine which I’ll discuss later. 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. 00:12:16.230 --> 00:12:19.061 You need an emulsifier to make them mix. 00:12:19.061 --> 00:12:21.138 Which is in the detergent... 00:12:21.138 --> 00:12:25.761 but the machine doesn’t let the detergent into the water until the second fill. 00:12:25.761 --> 00:12:30.388 So you might think that first fill is going to struggle with fats and oils. 00:12:30.388 --> 00:12:31.658 And yes it will! 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. 00:12:38.783 --> 00:12:43.881 One is sealed by the gasket in the detergent dispenser door and labeled Main Wash. 00:12:43.881 --> 00:12:47.983 But the pre-wash compartment right next to it isn’t sealed at all: 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. 00:12:53.767 --> 00:12:58.543 Ya see, before grocery stores were filled with these infernal pod and pack things, 00:12:58.543 --> 00:13:01.875 dishwasher detergent came in a box like this. 00:13:01.875 --> 00:13:06.092 It was a box of powder, and you were expected to open this little spout 00:13:06.092 --> 00:13:09.376 and pour that powder into the dispenser. 00:13:09.376 --> 00:13:13.187 And if you put some of this powder in both of those cups, 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! 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. 00:13:26.921 --> 00:13:31.076 Then, when it drained out that nasty water and filled again for the main wash, 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. 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. 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. 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. 00:13:58.932 --> 00:14:03.088 Detergent pods and tablets, while they are a convenient concept, 00:14:03.088 --> 00:14:05.001 break this pattern. 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, 00:14:11.044 --> 00:14:14.806 those products can, frankly, suck. 00:14:14.806 --> 00:14:19.248 Now, I know many of you out there are having a fine experience using those products 00:14:19.320 --> 00:14:22.242 and by all means you should keep using ‘em if you’re happy. 00:14:22.242 --> 00:14:24.666 But if you’re not happy with your dishwasher, 00:14:24.666 --> 00:14:27.722 or you’re a value-obsessed Midwesterner like I am, 00:14:27.722 --> 00:14:29.040 here’s Tip Number 4: 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. 00:14:36.872 --> 00:14:41.095 If your dishwasher doesn’t have  a dedicated spot to put pre-wash detergent, 00:14:41.095 --> 00:14:44.845 just add a little extra along the door or directly into the wash tub. 00:14:44.845 --> 00:14:47.361 Something like a tablespoon will be fine. 00:14:47.361 --> 00:14:50.168 And if you’re skeptical that this will actually do anything, 00:14:50.168 --> 00:14:53.230 well your dishwasher still has that dispenser, right? 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. 00:14:58.695 --> 00:15:01.368 So give it a try. It can’t hurt. 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 00:15:06.993 --> 00:15:09.962 this time touting CycleSync™ technology: 00:15:09.962 --> 00:15:11.016 Right Ingredient ‡ 00:15:11.016 --> 00:15:11.780 ASTERISK 00:15:11.780 --> 00:15:13.171 right time! 00:15:13.171 --> 00:15:14.815 What does that mean? 00:15:14.815 --> 00:15:15.984 [clears throat] 00:15:15.984 --> 00:15:22.261 “Finish® Ultimate is our first ever tablet with CycleSync™ technology that releases the right ingredient ‡ 00:15:22.261 --> 00:15:22.923 ASTERISK 00:15:22.923 --> 00:15:25.795 to act at the right time.” 00:15:25.795 --> 00:15:30.994 That sure implies that these will align their vibes with my machine or something. 00:15:30.994 --> 00:15:33.646 But is there anything to that implication? 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. 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 00:15:42.399 --> 00:15:45.208 (which the instructions explicitly tell me to do) 00:15:45.208 --> 00:15:47.848 all of it would have drained out after 10 minutes. 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. 00:15:53.034 --> 00:15:55.364 They’re just making this prettier. 00:15:55.364 --> 00:15:58.036 Since my dishwasher doesn’t have a hole in its side, 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. 00:16:04.308 --> 00:16:08.716 Yeah it’s just… it’s just all oozing out once the membrane is breached. 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 - 00:16:14.142 --> 00:16:17.654 it completely dissolved in my dishwasher after 10 minutes. 00:16:17.654 --> 00:16:21.064 So what do they even mean by CycleSync? 00:16:21.064 --> 00:16:23.207 Let’s find where that asterisk leads. 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. 00:16:29.960 --> 00:16:32.377 It’s on the bottom - of course it is. 00:16:33.297 --> 00:16:34.540 Enzyme. 00:16:34.935 --> 00:16:37.555 That’s it? The word Enzyme? 00:16:37.555 --> 00:16:43.018 The protease and amylase enzymes that are also found in this Walmart brand powder? 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?” 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. 00:16:56.114 --> 00:16:58.644 The thing is, if it’s not clear already, 00:16:58.644 --> 00:17:03.560 these are just tablets of soap dressed up to seem important. 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. 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 00:17:15.280 --> 00:17:19.344 for a commodity product like dishwasher detergent. 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, 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 - 00:17:31.913 --> 00:17:34.901 and they’re a better value, to boot. 00:17:34.901 --> 00:17:39.412 I much prefer powder because it comes  in a paper box and not a plastic jug, 00:17:39.412 --> 00:17:43.075 but gels are much more readily available. 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, 00:17:49.170 --> 00:17:51.599 so powders are usually more effective. 00:17:51.599 --> 00:17:53.503 If you can find them. 00:17:53.503 --> 00:17:55.221 However - there’s a wrinkle. 00:17:55.221 --> 00:17:56.554 But it’s double-edged. 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. 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. 00:18:11.757 --> 00:18:14.996 But if you have hard water, you’ll need to use more. 00:18:14.996 --> 00:18:18.080 Also, how soiled your dishes are affects things, too, 00:18:18.080 --> 00:18:24.102 because the detergent gets “used up” and becomes less effective as it tackles food deposits. 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: 00:18:32.145 --> 00:18:37.039 you’re not expecting the detergent to do everything with a single fill of wash water. 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. 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. 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,   00:18:57.840 --> 00:18:59.292 but most people don’t. 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, 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. 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. 00:19:16.327 --> 00:19:19.206 You’d be surprised how little you actually need. 00:19:19.206 --> 00:19:21.751 I really appreciate being able to fiddle with this 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) 00:19:27.113 --> 00:19:29.200 but your brain may vary. 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, 00:19:36.036 --> 00:19:40.510 but it usually works and there are many people who would prefer that. 00:19:40.510 --> 00:19:41.771 Those four tips: 00:19:41.771 --> 00:19:43.645 look for filters and clean them, 00:19:43.645 --> 00:19:47.477 run the kitchen tap until the water's hot before you start the machine, 00:19:47.477 --> 00:19:50.288 use the detergent dispenser and close the lid, 00:19:50.288 --> 00:19:55.498 and finally consider using a basic detergent product  and add a little pre-wash detergent, 00:19:55.498 --> 00:19:58.703 are what I consider the most important things to try. 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 - 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. 00:20:10.961 --> 00:20:16.697 But it cleaned everything just fine and with Walmart brand detergent! 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 00:20:26.446 --> 00:20:31.548 and always running the kitchen tap until it's hot before I started the cycle. 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 00:20:36.480 --> 00:20:40.767 so I’ll finish up with a lightning round of other tips you might try. 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. 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, 00:20:52.694 --> 00:20:56.386 and many products are available which help to get rid of those deposits. 00:20:56.386 --> 00:20:59.634 I’m partial to products like this which come in a bottle: 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. 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, 00:21:13.086 --> 00:21:18.336 and I use the machine’s tough setting with the high-temp wash option selected. 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. 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. 00:21:33.252 --> 00:21:38.382 You can also use a product like Lemishine which is just powdered citric acid. 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, 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. 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, 00:21:57.964 --> 00:22:01.732 first - you might try your hand at replacing it if you feel up to it. 00:22:01.732 --> 00:22:05.178 Replacement parts are often available, and this is YouTube! 00:22:05.178 --> 00:22:09.953 I’m sure there are many guides out there, possibly for your specific dishwasher. 00:22:09.953 --> 00:22:12.623 Though I won’t be endorsing any of them. 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. 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. 00:22:25.619 --> 00:22:31.230 Those are typically options for a faster wash with the trade-off of reduced effectiveness. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 00:23:06.230 --> 00:23:08.260 So give it a try. 00:23:08.260 --> 00:23:12.391 If you have a high-temperature wash option that might be good to try, too, 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. 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. 00:23:24.888 --> 00:23:27.200 Next - rinse aids. 00:23:27.200 --> 00:23:28.417 Use them. 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. 00:23:34.576 --> 00:23:37.420 It’ll squirt a little bit of this stuff out in the final rinse, 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. 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 - 00:23:54.062 --> 00:23:56.714 you’ll need more the harder your water is. 00:23:56.714 --> 00:23:59.215 This stuff is so simple there’s no need to go name-brand. 00:23:59.215 --> 00:24:00.638 Just get the cheap stuff. 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. 00:24:07.349 --> 00:24:11.481 So make sure ya got that on hand and fill it up if you need to. 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, 00:24:17.980 --> 00:24:24.007 I would recommend trying the cheapest store-brand dishwasher tablets or pods you can find. 00:24:24.007 --> 00:24:26.650 You may very well find they work great! 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. 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. 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. 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, 00:24:57.106 --> 00:24:59.265 but that feels like a useful option. 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. 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 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). 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, 00:25:22.369 --> 00:25:25.886 but make sure you’re loading the dishes correctly. 00:25:25.886 --> 00:25:30.709 The sprayers are below the racks so the dirty surfaces should be facing down. 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. 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. 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 - 00:25:52.217 --> 00:25:56.724 this is important - make sure those sprayer arms can spin freely. 00:25:56.724 --> 00:26:01.558 Tall items in the bottom rack can stop the top rack’s sprayer from spinning, 00:26:01.558 --> 00:26:03.061 and that’s not good. 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. 00:26:08.726 --> 00:26:12.978 The top rack is often adjustable and can be raised up to minimize this 00:26:12.978 --> 00:26:17.498 so if stuff on the top rack is often dirty for you, give that a try. 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, 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. 00:26:30.544 --> 00:26:32.835 And I think that’s it. 00:26:32.835 --> 00:26:36.726 I want to reiterate that if you’re not having problems with your dishwasher, 00:26:36.726 --> 00:26:40.739 you don’t have to change your habits (though you're probably not watching this). 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 00:27:19.329 --> 00:27:23.516 I’m reasonably sure you’ll see many comments like that below this video. 00:27:23.516 --> 00:27:27.453 Your dishwasher is responsible for 99% of the work. 00:27:27.453 --> 00:27:31.798 Detergents are necessary, of course, but it’s just soap. 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… 00:27:40.879 --> 00:27:42.899 are silly. 00:27:42.899 --> 00:27:46.120 Thanks for watching, and here’s to clean dishes!