Thread Number: 65588  /  Tag: Modern Dishwashers
How often do you run your dishwasher?
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Post# 881838   5/23/2016 at 19:14 (2,865 days old) by ilovewindex (Tualitan OR)        

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So we have had the GE a week now and we are on load 9 or 10... Its been run twice in the same day now two different times and never seems to skip a beat (The bosch never had an issue either, but its performance diminished after 3 loads)

I know using your machine that much probably isn't normal, so im curious how often you run your dishwasher

We have 3 people here and we all eat wierd times and the housemate also grazes non stop (21 and skinny as hell) ..When i cook, i make big meals with left overs...






Post# 881839 , Reply# 1   5/23/2016 at 19:16 (2,865 days old) by appnut (TX)        

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2-4 times a week, it's just me.  Depends upon how much cooking I do.  I cook regular recipes and put leftovers in the freezer and reheat.


Post# 881842 , Reply# 2   5/23/2016 at 19:27 (2,865 days old) by LordKenmore (The Laundry Room)        

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I've never run a dishwasher due to the lack of feet and running shoes on a dishwasher.

LOL


Post# 881844 , Reply# 3   5/23/2016 at 19:29 (2,865 days old) by LordKenmore (The Laundry Room)        

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More seriously...

Right now, I don't have a dishwasher. I've had one to use only twice in my life.

Time #1: it was fully under my control (I was living alone), and it got run probably about once a day. I probably didn't run the ideal full loads (although it wasn't nearly empty, either). Part of the frequency of running was probably just the fact that it was the first tiem I had a dishwasher to play with, er, use.

Time #2: I had a roommate. It seemed like it was typically run every 2-3 days. Before I was in residence, it was apparently about once a week. My roommate did very little cooking.


Post# 881845 , Reply# 4   5/23/2016 at 19:36 (2,865 days old) by ilovewindex (Tualitan OR)        

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Im laughing at that.. That isn't proper english, but the way i grew up...

"Did ya run the washer yet? Did you run the vacuum yet"... Yeah

Growing up it was like 3 times a week maybe.. My aunt on the other hand, what ever dishwasher she had in her military base house, she used the crap out of it...

Mostly BOL WCI washers until later on, and then it was a nice Whirlpool... Then right before my uncle retired, they got a lovely 20 year old WCI that was replaced by a new last of its kind White Westinghouse 3 cycle 1 arm job



Post# 881846 , Reply# 5   5/23/2016 at 19:48 (2,865 days old) by DADoES (TX, U.S. of A.)        

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Since 8/21/2003 --

Upper drawer 907 cycles
Lower drawer 417 cycles


Post# 881847 , Reply# 6   5/23/2016 at 19:49 (2,865 days old) by DaveAMKrayoGuy (Oak Park, MI)        
Glad that I caught this topic brought-up, because:

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I'm running a marathon--to wash my dishes or use my machine about every-other-day, just to bring back a lot of stuff we use that we'd dirtied up that I miss, just to be able to cook in, bake on, or broil off of, if not have more dishes, silverware, utensils, etc. available...

 

And the fact, that the more dirty stuff we accumulate, the harder it is to get it crammed in the machine or the harder my dishwasher is to just fill; usually the top rack gets fully loaded first, but there is the exception where there is plenty of space for stuff normally done on the bottom rack...

 

Last of all, my dishwasher IS capable of getting EVERYTHING clean WITHOUT pre-rinsing...  My wife last night, despite me repeating this philosophy STILL rinsed out a ceramic serving/storage vessel, that merely had some olive oil in it from chicken it was keeping, that I insisted I would have re-used in a skillet that had a frozen squash vegetable mixture complete with seasoning and even pumpkin seeds that I added an ailing zucchini to that she would not touch, of which at least one hunk of that chicken, which she had all three pieces of, to...

 

She left the dish on the counter, not even in the dish rack, and hadn't bothered with the lid, and claimed she couldn't get it in the dishwasher, but it would fit sideways, on the left, which is where I'd put it, given she'd not used any soap, causing it to really not be deemed clean... And of course, the puddle of water under it that the dish pisshed on the counter? $@€¥£^*#@!!!!

 

Of which in that case, my skillet I added a little water to as opposed to additional oil, or the oil that would have been left in the pan (along w/ perhaps some juices from the chicken) just went in behind it with the handle resting on it (though I'm notorious to leave it on the stove doing additional frying with residual oil from previous cooking until I have just the right amount of remaining space in the machine to hold it...

 

And I still held out for room on the right for my cookie sheet, a spatula in the top rack (joining two other spatulas, and a glass butter dish with its own lid already there)... --Plus a medium-sized saucepan I cooked some frozen vegetables in, placed--or rather JAMMED!--in a small saucepan that merely was used for making a box of Kraft Cheese & Macaroni (with garlic, herb & Alfredo seasoning) I still am going to wait a little while & make myself a little more hungry for, along with frying some onions in a tiny skillet which will be the last thing to add (that is, when I'm up to cutting the onions & not minding it being hard to get the smell of 'em off of my hands!)...

 

 

-- Dave




This post was last edited 05/24/2016 at 00:00
Post# 881848 , Reply# 7   5/23/2016 at 19:56 (2,865 days old) by LordKenmore (The Laundry Room)        

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Growing up, the dishwasher use was about zero. We had a portable Kenmore (early 70s at the latest) that the previous people left behind. I can only recall that dishwasher being used ONE time to wash a big load of seldom used dishes just before the relatives descended for a visit. Looking back, it seems odd having but never using a DW... I suppose my parents thought: "we're a small family, so it really doesn't make sense." Plus I know my mother felt a DW was likely to break dishes. (She had one break in that portable.)




Post# 881851 , Reply# 8   5/23/2016 at 20:13 (2,865 days old) by angus (Fairfield, CT.)        

Interesting topic. I am alone most of the week so full or not, I run the machine on Friday nights after dinner. Obviously more if it is a holiday or am having company - so then lots of use in advance of the party and then after for all the dishes/glasses.

However, whenever my sister parks herself here for a visit - usually Sundays for an overnighter, the dishwasher is filled within three hours since she insists on a clean glass for every drink of water and if she makes herself dinner, she will use 6 plates to grill one steak and bake a potato. I have never seen anything like this in my life. She is lazy, spoiled (thanks, Ma) and while she can't cook or navigate turning on an appliance (literally), she and her partner fancy themselves knowledgable cooks - watching the two of them in the kitchen is pretty comical as long as it isn't my kitchen...

Another friend who is an engineer and lives like he just got off the boat from Italy and is saving pennies to buy his cemetery plot has a dishwasher that has been used three times since he moved into his new house fourteen years ago. As an engineer, and of course master of all (he tells me people in the culinary arts tell him he should be a chef, people in the perfume industry tell him he has one of the best understandings of fragrances and should be a "nose" and , well you get the idea and I am digressing way too much) he knows that dishwashers use way too much water and it is so much more efficient for him to wash everything by hand and he does a better job than the dishwasher. I am here to report that last observation is a complete fabrication. While his dishes aren't dirty, his glasses are smeary and his flatware is spotty. Lots of fun to have a group for dinner at his house. We are in the dining room and he is washing dishes in the kitchen.

I say if you are fortunate enough to have a dishwasher, for God's sake, use it wisely, but use it...


Post# 881852 , Reply# 9   5/23/2016 at 20:18 (2,865 days old) by philcobendixduo (San Jose)        

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It takes me 7-8 days to collect a full load of dishes. Due to the water shortage (NOT a drought) in California, I only run it when absolutely full of dishes and never run the "rinse & hold" cycle.

Post# 881854 , Reply# 10   5/23/2016 at 20:28 (2,865 days old) by wayupnorth (On a lake between Bangor and Bar Harbor, Maine)        

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I am with Bill on that, a full load only. Its not that we would ever have a water shortage here, but I have an elaborate septic pump system. I dont waste water as if I ever heard the pump alarm go off...ah, you can imagine, I am deep kaka, especially if it happened in the middle of the winter.

Post# 881855 , Reply# 11   5/23/2016 at 20:29 (2,865 days old) by LordKenmore (The Laundry Room)        

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>Lots of fun to have a group for dinner at his house. We are in the dining room and he is washing dishes in the kitchen.

I have come to a point where I think a huge selling point of a dishwasher is for entertaining. It can handle a huge pile of dishes quickly (well, except for those modern wonder dishwashers that take 22.5 hours for a "Normal" load...). I have memories of how long dish time could take years and years back after say, a large family gathering. I also see an advantage with sanitizing dishes, particularly if some bug happens to be going around at the time of my Candlelight Supper. I have nearly zero china, but I think if I were to acquire dishes for entertaining, a #1 criteria is that it MUST be dishwasher compatible.


Post# 881859 , Reply# 12   5/23/2016 at 21:19 (2,865 days old) by toploader55 (Massachusetts Sand Bar, Cape Cod)        

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I live alone but constantly cooking or have plastic storage containers from food I take to work. I never buy take out.

So on Prep night I will fill the KenWhirl and the Jenn Air.

Then I'll run either machine every other night.

So 4-5-6 times a week.


Post# 881869 , Reply# 13   5/23/2016 at 22:13 (2,865 days old) by Iheartmaytag (Wichita, Kansas)        
Runs a cycle when needed

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When baking, or have company two to three times a day.  When just us once a day.  If we eat out due to school events sometimes every other day.  

 

Doing something right now that I NEVER do.  I am running a non-full load.  We will be without electricity tomorrow due to the power lines are being removed so that some storm damaged trees can be removed.  Figured I had better have everything clean, so can have a clean coffee pot first thing off.  Will keep coffee in the thermos.  If weather cooperates, should have power back by 1:00 PM.  


Post# 881877 , Reply# 14   5/23/2016 at 23:24 (2,865 days old) by panthera (Rocky Mountains)        
I run it whenever I feel like it

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Which is usually once a day, sometimes every other day.

When we entertain, five or six times in one day - or, two dishwashers three times or so each.

There is no conceivable reason to wash dishes by hand when the machine can wash them far better and remove far more microbes than I ever could.

One thing we don't do - run the dishwasher because a single necessary item is needed. We have duplicates (at least) of everything, it's not a luxury but a necessity.

What fascinates me to this day is how horrified so many old queens are that I don't prerinse anything, ever. Except for corn husks, olive pits and bones, every thing goes in. A quick scrape into the disposer of large amounts of left-overs, that's it.

And - whether it's the 1965 KitchenAid or the 1974 GE or the 1984 Twenty Eight Hundred, it all comes out clean as a whistle.

Pre-rinsing is bullshit. If it makes a difference between getting to bed at midnight or four in the morning, partial loads of fine china/crystal/silver no hu-hu.

Life's too short to waste it washing dishes by hand.


Post# 881878 , Reply# 15   5/23/2016 at 23:32 (2,865 days old) by mark_wpduet (Lexington KY)        
On average,

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mine seems to get packed full every 3 to 4 days. It holds a lot. Each load is a bob load usually.

Post# 881879 , Reply# 16   5/24/2016 at 00:06 (2,865 days old) by askolover (South of Nash Vegas, TN)        

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When I'm working, run maybe once in seven days.  If I'm off for a stretch, might be run every night if I cook or every other night if we're eating leftovers of what I've cooked.  My mother ran her dishwasher every single day from 1974 until my dad retired in 1998.  Now she runs it at least once a week to keep it going.


Post# 881880 , Reply# 17   5/24/2016 at 00:38 (2,865 days old) by murando531 (Augusta, Georgia - US)        

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Every two or three days for the two of us, but with frequent company it can be once a day.. Like panthera said above, we have enough dishes of each type that we never run the machine just because of silverware or something being empty; even with the machine packed to the brim, we still have enough for a dinner party. Here in Huntsville we have fairly nice water, and no water shortage to speak of, but I still can't stand running a dishwasher unless it's completely full and the dishes are filthy. Seems to me a waste of good detergent, water, and energy, as well as wear and tear on the machine's life to run a load of a few items every single day. My grandparents have begun running their Kenmore Elite every night with not even enough dishes to shake a stick at, and my Granddad scrubs everything under hot water before putting in plates and items so spaced out its almost comical. They never used to behave that way so I'm not sure what has changed. The KM they have is in excellent shape so there's no logical reason to load it that way, so I've been making sure on holidays that it gets a proper workout and enough food soils to satisfy its appetite.

Post# 881884 , Reply# 18   5/24/2016 at 01:09 (2,865 days old) by Frigilux (The Minnesota Prairie)        

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Dishwasher: GE PDT750 (purchased November of 2013)
Detergent: Member's Mark Ultimate Clean pods (Sam's Club); occasionally Cascade Platinum pods

Mine runs once a day, although sometimes that is a single-rack load (usually upper) now that I cook far less than I used to. I've found using the Light (49 minutes) or Express (30 minutes) cycle works great for loads without heavily-soiled cookware. I prefer to run a partial load rather than wait for it to fill up.

It runs more than once a day on weekends when I bake treats for the office and make roasts/casseroles for the week.


Post# 881885 , Reply# 19   5/24/2016 at 01:11 (2,865 days old) by henene4 (Heidenheim a.d. Brenz (Germany))        

With the 18" one in our kitchen, and 4 people, usually 4 times a week. Usually something like wednesday morning, friday morning, saturday afternoon, sunday afternoon or monday morning.

Post# 881886 , Reply# 20   5/24/2016 at 01:17 (2,865 days old) by foraloysius (Leeuwarden, Friesland, the Netherlands)        

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I live alone but always eat at home. Every two or three days the dishwasher is full. If it's not full after three days (which doesn't happen very often), I run it anyway.

Post# 881898 , Reply# 21   5/24/2016 at 05:24 (2,865 days old) by mieleforever (SOUTH AFRICA)        

We own a Siemens, which is also a Bosch I hear, we run it every day, weekends more, when entertaining sometimes 5x a day.

So this is the first time I have heard a Bosch's that wash performance is not as good on the third consecutive cycle.

And the Siemens have not skipped a wash. It really is starting to show its true colours, in terms of reliability and performance. When it is not really full we will run is as well due to the fact that its water and electricity consumption is really low so no worries there.

My two cents.

cheers


Post# 881900 , Reply# 22   5/24/2016 at 05:57 (2,865 days old) by kimball455 (Cape May, NJ)        

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Hi .... Typical use is 3 - 4 times a weeks. However, if there is a cooking marathon, 3 - 4 times in one day.

Harry


Post# 881920 , Reply# 23   5/24/2016 at 08:58 (2,865 days old) by mrboilwash (Munich,Germany)        

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When I`m not in the mood for pre rinsing I run it every other day, no matter if it`s full or not. Same goes for taking the trash out!
Pre rinsed I`m fine if it takes 3-4 days until it`s really full.


Post# 881922 , Reply# 24   5/24/2016 at 09:25 (2,865 days old) by RevvinKevin (Tinseltown - Shakey Town - La-La Land)        
I "run" my dog, I don't "run" my dishwas

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laughing laughing laughing

 

I live alone (for now) and have almost never "operated" my dishwasher unless it's been completely full.   I do not "wash" my dishes before putting them in the "dishwasher" like so many other people do, but I will scrape off all chunks and lightly rinse if there's a lot of sauce, etc.

 

I don't think I've ever truly done a Bob Load in it, however.   I guess I don't trust the dishwasher enough to get everything clean when Bob Loaded.   Currently I operate it about once a week, but if course when I cook regularly or have guests over, it's gets turned on more often.

 

Kevin


Post# 881929 , Reply# 25   5/24/2016 at 10:40 (2,865 days old) by twintubdexter (Palm Springs)        
I use the dishpan daily

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The dishwasher is used about once every 3 months. I bought new dishes, took the sticky tags off and loaded them in the dishwasher back in February...they're still in there, unwashed. When I bought this house the kitchen had 2 dishwashers...talk about overkill.


Post# 881937 , Reply# 26   5/24/2016 at 13:12 (2,864 days old) by robliverpool (england Liverpool)        

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Mines run daily and on a Sunday it can be two or three times with the amount of dishes. I do food for parties as well so some weeks it can be on 10 or 12 times. My mate has my old 11 year old hotpoint I had it 9 years and never missed a beat she's got five kids and it's on twice a day and still not missed a beat

Post# 881956 , Reply# 27   5/24/2016 at 14:54 (2,864 days old) by ilovewindex (Tualitan OR)        

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"When I bought this house the kitchen had 2 dishwashers...talk about overkill."

OMG NO..... NO... Two would be so awesome... Load one up run it, load the second run it.. I had 2 dishwashers in my lat house, a portable and an under the counter... The portable was for dishes the underthe counter was pots.. Used the portable weekly and the under the counter daily

im glad im not the only heavy user


Post# 881963 , Reply# 28   5/24/2016 at 16:12 (2,864 days old) by LordKenmore (The Laundry Room)        

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>"When I bought this house the kitchen had 2 dishwashers...talk about overkill."

>OMG NO..... NO... Two would be so awesome...

Two dishwashers could be a great thing for those who have lots of parties, or do massive cooking sprees.



Post# 881965 , Reply# 29   5/24/2016 at 16:19 (2,864 days old) by chachp (North Little Rock, AR)        
There are two of us....

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....Usually once a day sometimes every other day if we go out to eat.  Some nights neither of us have the energy to cook.


Post# 881966 , Reply# 30   5/24/2016 at 16:19 (2,864 days old) by Launderess (Quiet Please, There´s a Lady on Stage)        
Every two, three or more days

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When full.

With the old 18" it was usually every two days as capacity was limited. The GE Mobile Maid can hold my entire lot of daily china and flatware so often do not run it until we are literally out of plates......


Post# 881967 , Reply# 31   5/24/2016 at 16:27 (2,864 days old) by henene4 (Heidenheim a.d. Brenz (Germany))        
Same here

If you often do pots and pans by hand, I found most familys should be abled to wait until you run out of plates or cups. In our case, it usually is waiting for the cups to run out, which usually happens in the morning, and usually happens every 2 or 3 days.

Post# 882000 , Reply# 32   5/24/2016 at 19:51 (2,864 days old) by Iheartmaytag (Wichita, Kansas)        
Wow

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I admit to running a partial, (full top rack, partial bottom) not packed, but not half empty machine once in my life and get 15 (exaggeration) post condemning such practice.  I don't do this as a practice, and shant again. 

 

Anyway I used the light soil, no options, and ended up not losing power all day as thought.  The tree guys were able to work without having to have the lines dropped.  But I had a clean coffee pot at 6 am.  No Guilt here. 

 

I have never pre-rinsed.  Now my Aunt will wash everything by hand with detergent.  They are clean enough by that point to rinse and put directly in the cabinet.   She will then put the dishes in the dishwasher with cheap detergent on the shortest cycle possible, and complain the dishwasher doesn't get things clean. 

 

 


Post# 882008 , Reply# 33   5/24/2016 at 20:52 (2,864 days old) by cornutt (Huntsville, AL USA)        
Two of us here

We run ours 3-4 times a week usually, depending on how much we have been cooking or brown-bagging lunch (or not). We're on septic so we almost never run a non-full load.

Growing up, the first house we lived in did not have a dishwasher. Through my childhood and young adult years, several times we/I moved back and forth from places that had a dishwasher to a place that did not, or vice versa. At one point I lived in an apartment in Florida that had no dishwasher and only a single-bowl sink. I had a big plastic bowl that I used as a rinse tub.


Post# 882009 , Reply# 34   5/24/2016 at 21:07 (2,864 days old) by Joeypete (Concord, NH)        

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I run mine everyday too. I'm too lazy to hand wash the items I use everyday lol. Plus I love the sound of my KDM-21. Most days I just run it on Light Wash...cleans without issue.

Post# 882073 , Reply# 35   5/25/2016 at 08:30 (2,864 days old) by panthera (Rocky Mountains)        
Pots and Pans definitely

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Go in one of two places to get clean:

The self cleaning oven or the dishwasher.

Except, of course, for the cast iron. Funny story.

In 1986, a dear friend moved in with me for a while in Munich. Like most Bavarian men of that era, his mother had done everything for him, so his adventures in the laundry room and the kitchen and the pantry were, well, he survived in the end, so least said, soonest mended.

He put my cast iron skillet in the dishwasher. The one which had been seasoning since the 1880s. Then, he scrubbed it 'clean' with a wire brush and steel wool.

Like I said, he survived.


Post# 882120 , Reply# 36   5/25/2016 at 14:45 (2,863 days old) by ilovewindex (Tualitan OR)        

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I am afraid to use cast iron on my flat top stove


Post# 882121 , Reply# 37   5/25/2016 at 15:09 (2,863 days old) by chachp (North Little Rock, AR)        
I am new to Cast Iron....

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I grew up in the North and in my family cast iron was something we never used.  My Mom was/is a Stainless fan and that's all she uses.  I don't recall many of our neighbors using it either.  When I moved to the South I began to learn about cooking with Cast Iron but I'm still not all that comfortable with it even after 10 years.

 

A friend of mine is ALL ABOUT his cast iron.  When he picks up a new piece at an Estate or Garage sale he throws it in a fire to clean it and then he seasons them to make them like new.  I mean he literally starts a fire in his yard (he lives where they can burn stuff) and then tosses in the piece of cast iron and lets it sit there until all the stuff is gone.  Then he seasons the pan in some process with oil and a very low oven.

 

I bought one a while back and he told me to throw it in the self cleaning oven while it was running.  That was a really bad idea.  Once my house filled with smoke and the alarm started whaling I had to turn it off and wait for it too cool down to get it out.  I guess I'll stick with what I know.  Once a northerner always a northerner.  I'm a New York boy all the way!!


Post# 882125 , Reply# 38   5/25/2016 at 15:38 (2,863 days old) by LordKenmore (The Laundry Room)        
Like I said, he survived.

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Although one supposes there was a strong temptation to bounce the newly "cleaned" iron pan off his head...

Post# 882128 , Reply# 39   5/25/2016 at 15:57 (2,863 days old) by LordKenmore (The Laundry Room)        

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>I grew up in the North and in my family cast iron was something we never used.

I also grew up in the North. Indeed, I've never even been to the South. Growing up, my mother had one cast iron skillet--in fact, it was the only skillet we had. (Although we always did have an electric skillet, which actually probably got more use.) It seemed like it got the job done, and I don't recall any drama. Nor any special care. Despite the whines about "don't wash!", I think my mother washed her iron skillet with [purists: get ready to shudder!] regular dish detergent. It survived, and never had any cranky moments that I recall.

One of my grandmothers--who also lived North--had iron skillets, but her skillets seemed more problematic. I can remember washing them, and--at some point--trying to reseason. It wasn't ideal, but it probably helped the pan. Or did while it lasted... One of my uncles at some point decided it would be so much better to scrub all that pesky seasoning away... Perhaps he didn't know better. Perhaps he did it just to spite me. (I think he did hate me, at least to a degree.)

Today, I honestly have mixed feelings about cast iron. I like how durable it can be. I like the thought of a more natural non-stick (or, probably more accurately, lower stick)pan vs. Teflon. But...keeping it happy can be a pain. And while I don't have a dishwasher now, there is that thought that cast iron is hand clean only...


Post# 882143 , Reply# 40   5/25/2016 at 17:05 (2,863 days old) by panthera (Rocky Mountains)        
Cast Iron

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1) Properly seasoned cast iron, preheated hot enough is totally non-stick. Just as good as PTFE.

2) Gentle washing with minimal soap and no scrubbing won't harm things. I can't imagine why one would, but it's OK.

3) Works great on smooth top ceramic.

4) Is the very best material for induction and the one manufacturers calibrate to.


Post# 882144 , Reply# 41   5/25/2016 at 17:22 (2,863 days old) by LordKenmore (The Laundry Room)        

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I think the "nonstick" quality might also depend on the iron pan in question. I've heard many people who know cast iron who swear that vintage is much, much better. I've heard some even who say they never could get a modern pan to behave 100% of the time. One explanation: older pans had smoother interiors.

I read one piece that commented that iron isn't as non-stick as Teflon, but--in actual practice--iron works more than well enough.


Post# 882145 , Reply# 42   5/25/2016 at 17:28 (2,863 days old) by LordKenmore (The Laundry Room)        

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>Is the very best material for induction and the one manufacturers calibrate to.

Interesting... Iron is also said to be the best match for wood stoves. Coming round full circle here...


Post# 882148 , Reply# 43   5/25/2016 at 18:00 (2,863 days old) by leononmaui (New Egypt, New Jersey)        

When we remodeled the kitchen a few years ago, the designer asked what we would like in our new kitchen. I immediately said 2 sinks and 2 dishwashers. I got my wish. And they are both used daily, maybe one will be used twice. I machine wash everything but one cast iron skillet. I have 2 dogs and their food bowls and water bowls take up almost the top rack alone. I even put in the sterling silver and Riedel wine and water glasses. I use Cascade Platinum pods. They even shine the pots and pans, besides the stainless interior of the machines. And my glasses do not have any white coating on them. The cheaper glasses I bought from Target started to get the film after a month. I think it has something to do with the quality of the glass they're made from. And I do not pre-rinse, just scrape. When people are over for dinner, they try to help by rinsing and I stop them. I then load one machine without rinsing and start it.........after about 10 minutes I open it and show them everything is rinsed from the plates and not deposited on the glassware. They are amazed.

Post# 882162 , Reply# 44   5/25/2016 at 19:11 (2,863 days old) by appnut (TX)        

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Using cast iron imparts remnants of iron in the cook and that is health beneficial.  I believe our own Toggles made a comment about this years ago.  And I need all the iron I can get. 


Post# 882165 , Reply# 45   5/25/2016 at 19:17 (2,863 days old) by ilovewindex (Tualitan OR)        

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Time to find a lodge pan

Post# 882212 , Reply# 46   5/26/2016 at 07:14 (2,863 days old) by jakeseacrest (Massachusetts)        

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Living alone I probably run my dishwasher anywhere from 2-4 times a week. I handwash nothing

Post# 882216 , Reply# 47   5/26/2016 at 07:18 (2,863 days old) by henene4 (Heidenheim a.d. Brenz (Germany))        
Plastics

Today I had a small argument about plastics in the DW. We usually don't have space for plastics, but today after a grill party we had. But my mum refused saying they surely will discolor. While that happend to me before, it was only with me heating up tomato sauce in the microwave.

So, question: Do you put plastics into the DW? If so, what are your experiences with color transfer and changes, flipping of plastic items and especially drying results?


Post# 882218 , Reply# 48   5/26/2016 at 07:31 (2,863 days old) by joeypete (Concord, NH)        

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I put plastics in all the time. The only time I noticed discolor was on my small Tupperware Smidget covers. They are clear (neutral color) Tupperware and now they have an orange tinge to them...weird.

Post# 882225 , Reply# 49   5/26/2016 at 08:17 (2,863 days old) by panthera (Rocky Mountains)        
I have tried to remove

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Plastics from storage of acidic and oily foods to the greatest extent possible.

Just don't trust the manufacturers when they say they're 'safe'.

As to dishwashing, I throw wood and plastic in the machine. Been doing it with the same wooden utensils for years and years.

Somehow, they are still around.

Plastic- who cares. If it comes out weird colors, a soaking in chlorine bleach fixes it.

 


Post# 882235 , Reply# 50   5/26/2016 at 09:46 (2,863 days old) by logixx (Germany)        
Plastics

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I put them in the dishwasher. The upper rack has clips to hold them in place. Drying is best, if I pop the door open after the cycle is done. I find discoloration eventually disappears after a few washes.

Post# 882354 , Reply# 51   5/27/2016 at 09:31 (2,862 days old) by jp10558 (Southern Tier, NY, USA)        

We run our Bosch at least 1 time a day, but I have run it 4 or 5 times a day (basically as it takes 2hr 9min, that 5 times is all that's realistically possible to do in a Day) and it's always been fine. I do worry about it not necessarily being designed to run constantly for over 10 hours, but I never noticed any less cleaning on the third cycle. So far it doesn't seem to have any issue, it just goes and goes. When we really get cooking I do wish for one of those 2 min commercial ones, but the rest of the time the silent Bosch is really nice.

Post# 882367 , Reply# 52   5/27/2016 at 12:38 (2,861 days old) by DADoES (TX, U.S. of A.)        

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Plastics go in my DW.  Some items don't dry very well but it's less effort to swipe a towel than to hand-wash + towel-dry.  I have several accessory clips to anchor lightweight items but bit of creative loading sometimes is necessary to avoid flipping.  Regards to discoloration ... no.  I use powder detergent with bleach which effectively clears staining.

Disclaimers:  I once-in-a-while hand-wash a large item or oddball piece that won't fit even with BobLoading™ just to get it done and put away, and helps keep the sink clean, LOL.  I have not machine-washed the latest non-stick skillet and it's holding up MUCH better than the previous ones.


Post# 882378 , Reply# 53   5/27/2016 at 14:55 (2,861 days old) by Maytagbear (N.E. Ohio)        
How often?

As often as need be. The only things I wash by hand ARE my hands. Plus, the few things I own, like half sheet baking pans which are just too large to fit into my machine.


Depending on kitchen activity, it could be once a week to three times a day.


Lawrence/Maytagbear


Post# 882392 , Reply# 54   5/27/2016 at 17:17 (2,861 days old) by LordKenmore (The Laundry Room)        

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I notice some here say they run EVERYTHING in the DW. Does that include knives? I know I've heard that knives on the list of things that some say Must Be Handwashed.

Post# 882431 , Reply# 55   5/27/2016 at 22:17 (2,861 days old) by panthera (Rocky Mountains)        
Hi carbon steel no, stainless

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Who cares? Goes right in to the dishwasher with the wooden stuff. Been doing it for over fifty years and nothing has died yet.

Post# 882432 , Reply# 56   5/27/2016 at 22:24 (2,861 days old) by Maytagbear (N.E. Ohio)        
My few really good knives

I do hand wash....my Wusthof and Zwilling Henckel knives, yes.


My Victorinox have seen the inside of the machine, and my really crap dollar store knives always go through the machine.


So do the pieces parts for my processors.


Lawrence/Maytagbear


Post# 882452 , Reply# 57   5/28/2016 at 04:37 (2,861 days old) by chachp (North Little Rock, AR)        
I struggle with the knives question...

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I used to have a drawer full of knives I really didn't care about.  They were all mismatched.  Some were dull and scratched from being sharpened.  I had a couple of really good knives that had dulled over the years.  Just generally a mess but it looked cool when you opened the drawer because they all looked so well used and they were.  They all went in the dishwasher.  I really didn't care what happened to them.

 

Then I replaced the drawer full of knives with Cutco knives and all that changed.  I have only been hand washing them because I don't want the handles to loose that shine.  They look so nice I don't want that to change.  I know it sounds crazy and I surprise myself with this but when you make that kind of investment in something I guess you want it to stay nice for as long as you can.  I know they say the knives can go in and I know many people who put them in but I haven't gone there yet.  I love these knives and I guess I feel like I am taking better care of them by hand washing them.

 

Plastics?  Yeah, they all go in.  Dishwasher safe or not.  If they warp they go in the trash.  No biggie.  If they get discolored I usually pitch them.  Never tired the bleach.  I'll have to give that a shot.  Does the bleach leave any kind of smell in the plastic.  My other half is hyper sensitive to smells and if he got a whiff of that he likely wouldn't use it.  

 

I generally don't put wood in.  I use plastic type cutting boards for meat, etc. so I can throw those in.  I use wood for veggies and things like that and those I do not put in.


Post# 882455 , Reply# 58   5/28/2016 at 04:51 (2,861 days old) by ilovewindex (Tualitan OR)        

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We put our knives in and my roommate sharpens them... They do have spots on them, but steel wool takes that off

I collect vintage tupperwear and it washes just fine


Post# 882462 , Reply# 59   5/28/2016 at 06:56 (2,861 days old) by vacerator (Macomb, Michigan)        
Love my

Whustoff cutlery from Solingen. No, it does not go in the machine.
My good flatware large fork and spoon handles do not even fit in the flatware basket of my D/W. It is not 18/10, only regular stainless. The care guide says no lemon detergents, and no soaking.


Post# 882470 , Reply# 60   5/28/2016 at 08:52 (2,861 days old) by panthera (Rocky Mountains)        
No bleach scent remains.

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Of course some things don't belong in really hot water, but if you're not putting cutting boards in the dishwasher, you should think about salt.

Post# 882487 , Reply# 61   5/28/2016 at 11:22 (2,861 days old) by mayken4now (Panama City, Florida)        
4 - 5

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times a week.  Sometime more often. 

 

Moms taught me that it does not have to be full to run it.  I like BobLoads however.  Always a treat for me.


Post# 882497 , Reply# 62   5/28/2016 at 12:42 (2,860 days old) by twintubdexter (Palm Springs)        
Thought I'd add ad a second post to this topic

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I guess I've morphed into my mother in my old age. When I was a teenager working at the appliance store after school I bought my mom a TOL KitchenAid dishwasher. Installation was done by a professional and was involved since there was no dishwasher in the kitchen before. My mother was very appreciative but continued to do dishes by hand for a family of six. The dishwasher was used a few times over the years on holidays but even that tapered off. My mom ended up using the KitchenAid as a kitchen cupboard. I often regret not removing that dishwasher when we sold the house a few years ago and bringing it home. I could have easily replaced it with a Craigslist cheapy. I use my dishwasher a little more than she did but not by much.

 

Slightly off topic is doing laundry. Like dishes, a single person doesn't necessarily generate a lot of dirty clothes although I wear clean things daily, sometimes more. Here in the Desert you dress differently 365 days a year, especially if you're retired. I wear shorts and T-shirts almost every day, occasionally a shirt with a collar. I honestly cannot remember the last time I wore long pants, maybe on Christmas. This means that sorting and doing separate loads in the washer wouldn't be practical. Sheets get washed by themselves because they're big but combo loads work for everything else. I'm at that "in-between" stage of laundry...too old to be active enough to get my clothes really soiled and not quite old enough to start having "accidents." I can only imagine would it would be like doing separate dishwasher loads for plastics, wood-handled knives and the like. My being lazy probably has something to do with it too.


Post# 882508 , Reply# 63   5/28/2016 at 14:49 (2,860 days old) by ea56 (Cotati, Calif.)        

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We run our GE dishwasher about every other day. I seldom rinse anything except pans which I give a light swish with a sponge and BarKeepers Friend. Even Pyrex baking dishes and casseroles come out perfectly clean. We always do full "Bob" loads. And I put just about everything in the dishwasher. I do run the hot water at the sink before starting the machine to get hottest water possible. I always use the Normal cycle with Heat Boost and no heat dry. When we got the dishwasher in 12-2014 (it is a mol GDS 520) it came with a few Cascade Platinum pods which I used. I I then bought some Finish Quantum tabs and they worked well too. But about 3 mo. ago I was In Target and I bought some of their best Up&Up dishwasher pods to give them a try. They work just a well or better than the Cascade Platinum and they smell like old time All dishwasher detergent.

This GE works way better than the mol 2005 Maytag that it replaced. I almost never had a finished load in that machine that didn't require something to be cleaned by hand. With the GE this almost never happens.
Eddie


Post# 882581 , Reply# 64   5/29/2016 at 00:28 (2,860 days old) by tolivac (greenville nc)        

I have run my Wusthoff and Cutco knives thru the dishwasher when mine worked.No problems to the knives at all.When they got dull thru USE-sharpened them in a jiffy with a Work Sharp sharpener from Agri Supply-that thing REALLY works!!Just a few swipes of the blade thru the Work-Sharp-knife cuts like new!!!Presently doing dishes by hand until I can find a REAL dishwasher-will look in the swap shop-sometimes they get dishwashers.Both of my KA ones are dead.

Post# 882591 , Reply# 65   5/29/2016 at 03:32 (2,860 days old) by Washerman250 (BLACKPOOL united kingdom)        

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On a regular day I will run my zanussi dishwasher about 2-3 times if we have done some baking aswell it can add up to about 5 times the cycle takes 3:10 on the intensive 65* never had a problem apart from when the door catch went and we can now run it with the door open

Post# 882613 , Reply# 66   5/29/2016 at 07:33 (2,860 days old) by vacerator (Macomb, Michigan)        
re; cutting boards

I put the nylon ones in. My good large wooden butcher block board get's cleaned with soap, water, then oiled with food grade mineral oil.

Post# 882623 , Reply# 67   5/29/2016 at 08:32 (2,860 days old) by DaveAMKrayoGuy (Oak Park, MI)        
re: Pre-Rinsing is BULL-$#@^*!!!!

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Cover your ears, or in this case, shield your eyes, because I am about to do a lot of SWEARING!!!!

 

$#@*^!!!! --And DOUBLE-$#@*^!!!!

 

Why? Because there was a bowl sitting in my kitchen sink filled nearly to the top with water & a spoon in it...  And while they were at least both dairy (although I've finally gotten out of having to follow that practice, but it means no more mail-order Lenny Dee or Pat Boone (though he's coming to Illinois in Oct.) it seems as though my dad stopped over here to have some ice cream, and must have failed to acknowledge that:

 

YOU DON'T NEED TO PRE-RINSE DISHES!!!! WE HAVE A DISHWASHER!!!! --And it does the dirtiest stuff, although I would appreciate stuff scraped off of the dishes wit' a SPOON and put in Yo' Mouth...! --That's my way of belonging to the clean-plate club, but, still, make the stuff look DIRTY & not so schmutzy that you over-work my dishwasher's built-in garbage disposal that it might have, or clog-up the draining...

 

Or if the cabinet has any food particles flung around it that at least stay off of what the machine DOES make the honest effort to clean, then I buy dishwasher cleaner and use it 'at least that Once-A-Year'...

 

[Hopefully I'm through ranting about this for good...]

 

 

-- Dave




This post was last edited 05/29/2016 at 10:47
Post# 882644 , Reply# 68   5/29/2016 at 10:42 (2,860 days old) by mark_wpduet (Lexington KY)        
Yes, pre rinsing is dumb

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UNLESS IT'S EGGS. I rinse anything with egg on it. I can't stand that wet dog smell it leaves all over everything. It doesn't matter which detergent, if you use bleach, anything...the smell almost makes me want to never eat eggs again.

Post# 882648 , Reply# 69   5/29/2016 at 11:02 (2,860 days old) by panthera (Rocky Mountains)        
Dave,

panthera's profile picture
You have spoken from my heart.
The biggest fights in our house are over this.
We have a party. My partner's friends, all prissy queens, pre-rinse everything, stuff it into the dishwasher (but don't run it, oh, no - we could still get an atom of Hydrogen in there, donchano).
They put nothing down the garbage disposer (which is a 1.25 horsepower industrial unit that can eat oxbones whole).
So - exhausted at the end of a long holiday, I have a friggen paper compactor bag which just barfed up all over the floor I just scrubbed clean, seven dishwasher loads to wash, no hot water left and a drove of hysterical queens screaming to my partner that I'm ruining the garbage disposal with green beans and potato salad.

GRRRRRRR


Post# 882659 , Reply# 70   5/29/2016 at 11:45 (2,860 days old) by DaveAMKrayoGuy (Oak Park, MI)        

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Mark WP Duet:

 

Well, eggs usually get scrubbed off of plates--no trace, nor smell after those have been washed! However, my wife (there we go w/ her playing her Lisa Douglas to my Oliver Wendell Douglas again!) puts an egg in a bowl, at least covers it thoroughly w/ saran Wrap that at least not once has it ever exploded all over the microwave--yeh, she MICROWAVES it--no frying in a pan w/ oil or grease for her...

 

However, even if she scrapes out the bowl with a piece of bread, after eating the egg, (of which I tell her to always use TWO slices to maintain an even amount--I'm also that way w/ sliced cheese) there are still remnants of egg that remain and bowls that we avoid using w/ cooked-on egg left there, until over time they some-how disintegrate or evaporate into think air, because now we can eat out of all of them & she makes Laura's eggs that way, too...  I never will--although our daughter protests she wants every egg cooked that way, though I refuse to, but she does give in & eat the eggs I make "my way"... (--Yes, sung to the Frank Sinatra tune, LOL!)

 

Panthera:

 

--Pretty wild story you got there...  More than words can say...

 

And typical when we host parties & gatherings at my house...  I'm Dwayne Hickman yelling, dirty words & all in front of the dishwasher like he did in one of his movies--I forgot which one...! (Yeh, heard to get the Dobie Gillis out of him, and if you only knew what a Dobie I was in my day, even before I discovered that show; Middle-School & High-School, in short: MY Wonder Years...)

 

I'll end with my small garbage can turned so all the plastic silverware & paper plates everyone uses DON'T get put in there, but a big black plastic bag in front of it, usually with a few pizza boxes stuffed into it just to give everyone a Goddamned Hint: I WANT YOU TO PUT YOUR GARBAGE, THERE!!!! --Not hear: "David, you need to empty your garbage can" or "Why is it being turned around, so we can't use it?"...  Although I put my big garbage can lined w/ a big bag smack-dab in the middle of the kitchen at the last fiesta (Laura's 5th B-Day!) and EVERYONE used that; there's no room anywhere to put my small wastebasket thetis strictly for OUR garbage which I could'a just brought down to the basement...

 

 

-- Dave


Post# 882660 , Reply# 71   5/29/2016 at 11:50 (2,859 days old) by ea56 (Cotati, Calif.)        
Panthera

ea56's profile picture
what you just described is why I keep the company out of the kitchen! When I go to someone elses home for dinner I don't expect to do the clean up ( although if asked to help I will) and I don't want my company to do my clean up either. I'm very particular about my kitchen and I don't resent doing the clean up, if I invite company over its part of the whole package.

As far as the garbage disposal, I took ours out about 18 mo. ago and I don't miss it. It always looked like the Black Hole of Calcutta to me, a regular drain seems much more sanitary. It just seemed like a waste of water to me and peeling produce over the sink and throwing the peelings in the garbage is no big deal.
Eddie


Post# 882661 , Reply# 72   5/29/2016 at 11:50 (2,859 days old) by appnut (TX)        

appnut's profile picture

I leave eggs inh bowls, skillets, and plates and they sit for a couple of days.  Pots & Pans gets them clean with no residual orders. 


Post# 882679 , Reply# 73   5/29/2016 at 13:27 (2,859 days old) by panthera (Rocky Mountains)        
Keeping guests out

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As to the trash and the garbage disposal - I know, I know. I once put a gigantic 50 gallon can out. It all got thrown in the little one you keep under the dressing table to hold cotton puffs.
Garbage disposal - I love them. I put the little rubber silencer rings in the dishwasher every day (along with the scrub brush, etc.) Pour boiling hot water in every day, too.
It doesn't stink. Also has it's very own scullery sink. Always thought it was disgusting to put garbage into a sink one uses for cooking.
When I visit friends, I offer to help. If they say yes, I help. Otherwise, I stay the effing hell out of their way.
Sheesh.
Oh - and the dishwasher still does a better job with less energy and water than I ever could.


Post# 882687 , Reply# 74   5/29/2016 at 15:05 (2,859 days old) by LordKenmore (The Laundry Room)        

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I am surprise at the number of people who carefully rinse--even wash for practical purposes--everythat goes into the DW... I thought the appliance in question was the dishWASHER.

Of course, it may help with some DWs. I suppose some BOL builder's grade dishwashers might benefit from a little help on some items. Then there was the vintage GE I asked about once that was apparently so, ah, limited that one person here said it could take a clean dish and dirty it... But if one gets to that point, one might as well just hand wash.

My ex-roommate insisted on rinsing dishes. They didn't have to be clean clean, though. The explanation was concerns about the drain clogging or some such thing. There might also have been concerns about the septic system.


Post# 882695 , Reply# 75   5/29/2016 at 15:37 (2,859 days old) by appnut (TX)        

appnut's profile picture

I've heard a comment from Magic Clean that about 90-95% of people still pre-rinse. 


Post# 882706 , Reply# 76   5/29/2016 at 17:24 (2,859 days old) by murando531 (Augusta, Georgia - US)        

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It never fails, everytime we have company over and I'm putting things in the dishwasher, I get some form of a comment about putting them in dirty. When I respond with the usual "Well, I don't really understand anyone who -washes- dishes before putting them in to a -dish-WASHER-", I get the reply that "if they loaded them like that in their dishwasher, they'd never get clean". I've started saying "well, if your dishwasher can't wash dishes, that usually means something is wrong with the machine, or user error is paying a visit, because if a dishwasher lived in my house that couldn't properly wash dirty dishes, it would be out on the curb in a heartbeat". It amazes me going to other people's houses the "surprises" you can find with one's machine if you take a look. Broken wash arm harnesses, detergent doors that have no latch, machines connected to cold rather than hot (and those are the users that OF COURSE use the Light or Quick cycle, with no options), and almost always they are using cheap store brand detergent and no rinse aid to speak of.

Post# 882709 , Reply# 77   5/29/2016 at 17:31 (2,859 days old) by murando531 (Augusta, Georgia - US)        

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On a different but related note, eggs, peanut butter, and mayonnaise are the only food soils that I will absolutely scrub off before loading the dish. Whether it be in a PowerClean, Voyager, Maytag RR, GE Nautilus (Potscrubber), etc., those are always soils that have trouble being removed, and even when they're "gone" they still leave an odor. What do they have in common? Complex proteins that don't break down quickly enough, even if it's a 3-4 hour cycle. Back when phosphates were a normal part of dishwasher life, they weren't quite as a nuisance, but even the enzymes of today have a difficult time with them. Even worse, the heat usually "cooks" any egg residue even further, which creates that "wet dog" smell on glass dishware.

Post# 882719 , Reply# 78   5/29/2016 at 19:25 (2,859 days old) by chachp (North Little Rock, AR)        
Wet dog smell??

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I don't rinse anything with eggs and never noticed a "Wet Dog" smell or really any kind of smell.  At least until now.  Thanks a bunch HUN (said in my best southern drawl).  :)


Post# 882720 , Reply# 79   5/29/2016 at 19:34 (2,859 days old) by ilovewindex (Tualitan OR)        

ilovewindex's profile picture
uh I've never smelled wet dog from eggs either.. Mine just has a funk if theres too much yibble in it... Although the GEs and Maytag Jet Clean i had did fine

Post# 882721 , Reply# 80   5/29/2016 at 19:39 (2,859 days old) by LordKenmore (The Laundry Room)        

lordkenmore's profile picture
My peanut butter hate isn't dishwasher related: it's cleaning the jars out so they can go into recycling. I think plastic is much worse than glass, too, and, of course, most brands now use plastic jars. (Glass is still available, but I typically look more at price than jar material when buying. Being cheap, it's hard to cough up an extra $1 or $2 to make cleaning for recycling time easier.)

Post# 882725 , Reply# 81   5/29/2016 at 20:06 (2,859 days old) by washer111 ()        

This household of 5 generally manages about every day, or every other day with the DishDrawer. Its usually packed pretty well too, and comes clean, provided one of the others don't block the wash arm (grrr).

I understand the frustration over pre-rinsers. Back home, my father just decided he would start doing it for whatever reason.
Obviously that annoyed me even more, given the usual mantra about "wasting electricity" if we want the A/C 0.5ºC, or "wasting water" when showering, doing laundry etc.

In an ideal world, I'd tell guests to piss off out of MY kitchen. They are there to be entertained, not clean up. The entertainer understands what they are "getting into" when planning an event. Its incredibly impolite, I think, to expect guests to help out when you're the host.


Post# 882727 , Reply# 82   5/29/2016 at 20:14 (2,859 days old) by murando531 (Augusta, Georgia - US)        

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My favorite line from PreRinse Queens is: "We just use the dishwasher as a dish sanitizer ho ho he ha he haha ha ha". Makes me want to throw my shoe at them. Joke's on them, because common sense science and a little research and understanding of how dishwashers work would easily tell them that they're far from "sanitizing" their dishes in the machine, and rather are wreaking havoc on their dishwasher's components, along with foolishly wasting energy and water. And time. And effort.

Sometimes I have to just pretend we're in a perfect world where people use their machines as they were designed, they make the effort to learn about them, and they take gentle care of their belongings. It helps me sleep a little better at night, lol.


Post# 882731 , Reply# 83   5/29/2016 at 20:22 (2,859 days old) by LordKenmore (The Laundry Room)        
Guests in the kitchen

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I, too, would just as soon have guests stay out of the kitchen.

Related to dishwashers: I remember talking to a neighbor, who doesn't like dishwashers, about them, and my plan to have one before I consider entertaining. Her response: "Oh, your guests will surely help clean up!" Not sure where she gets that idea from--although much of her entertaining seems to be large family gatherings, which, I guess, could have different rules...

From what I recall, there was no guest help when my family had people over. I don't even recall it happening with relatives. (Although I do recall my grandmother puttering about the kitchen baking, sometimes, and she might have washed the dishes used for baking.)

My mother once told me her philosophy was to aim for dinners that would have as much done early as possible. That way, the kitchen could be pretty much totally cleaned up long before dinner. She hated last minute prep work, but it seems like it also would help with the dishes situation.


Post# 882750 , Reply# 84   5/30/2016 at 01:24 (2,859 days old) by rapunzel (Sydney)        
Shock Horror!

"He put my cast iron skillet in the dishwasher. The one which had been seasoning since the 1880s. Then, he scrubbed it 'clean' with a wire brush and steel wool."

When I read this I went into reverse peristalsis. Had that been my cast iron skillet the individual in question would have yodeled in high C for the rest of his miserable, short life and continued on in hell.

Now, I still have my trusty F&P double dish drawers. Both get used at least once a day and often twice or thrice. They still do an outstanding job, however, the formula of Finish powder, that I used to source from Costco, has changed. Until recently it came from South East Asia and still had phosphates. The latest batch is from NZ and doesn't. The difference in cleaning became apparent when the two round stainless filter screens in the bottom of my dish drawers lost their shine. Suddenly they were covered in this very thin greasy film, which I could only remove by washing them in the sink with a sponge and hot, soapy water. Not happy.

The dishes are still coming out okay, but this dulling of the filter screens is causing me some psychological issues. I shouldn't have to periodically hand wash the filter screens to keep them shiny - never had to do that before. Oh, and I mostly use the longest, hottest cycle. I don't pre-rinse either and usually load my drawers to the gills. Eco (quick) cycles are for very light and smaller loads only, not for regular daily use.

If any of my Australian compat's could suggest another brand of dish powder, I'd be most appreciative - and, no, I don't use tablets, ever.


Post# 882781 , Reply# 85   5/30/2016 at 07:21 (2,859 days old) by washer111 ()        
@rapunzel

No suggestions from me. Was equally bemused when that crap landed on the shelves of IGA back home. Performance decline wasn't noted with dishes, but certainly that "greasy film" you speak of on the filter plates.

This home's DD's gets a steady diet of Finish tablets. Expensive? Well, more than tabs. On-special it isn't dreadful. But they at least have the phosphates, for now, at least.

The only other tabs with Phosphates would be those awesome "Fairy" ones you see. Reasonably priced, but work better than Finish tablets, plus a nice scent - IMHO, of course.

Unless you find some old stock, I think we're now out of luck. Only option is to find STPP, when I last checked in 2012, there was a cleaning supplies place in Melbourne or Sydney that carried it. A quick search of Google would reveal the result.


Post# 882835 , Reply# 86   5/30/2016 at 12:58 (2,858 days old) by rapunzel (Sydney)        

Thank you w111,

However, I think the tablets are too strong for the drawers; I prefer powdered detergent, which allows me to control the dosage. My drawers don't have a tablet dispenser either. I will scour the Asian shops instead. They source detergents from all over the place, perhaps they've got what I need. If this fails I might follow up your other suggestion.

Some time ago and in another thread, Mielerod or someone else mentioned that they get some supa dupa dishwasher detergent from Germany. I don't recall if it was in tablet form or not. I'd like to know more.


Post# 882839 , Reply# 87   5/30/2016 at 13:14 (2,858 days old) by henene4 (Heidenheim a.d. Brenz (Germany))        

In the EU, phosphates in DW detergents are still allowed for another 6 months until 1.1.2017.
But some brands already phase them out (Somat, for exampel, a Henkel brand). Most others are still packed with ~30% phosphates.


Post# 882920 , Reply# 88   5/30/2016 at 23:33 (2,858 days old) by rapunzel (Sydney)        

Thank you Henrick,

I was under the impression that European countries were spearheading the omission of phosphates from detergents and that they had done this eons ago. Of, course, we Australians follow these trends like the sheep we are - baaah.


Post# 882934 , Reply# 89   5/31/2016 at 01:36 (2,858 days old) by mark_wpduet (Lexington KY)        
Eggs

mark_wpduet's profile picture
@ Andrew - I do not seem to have that problem with Miracle Whip or peanut butter (don't use real mayo), although there have been times I've noticed mayo on knives don't come completely clean, but other times they do. I've recently started leaving peanut butter and miracle whip on knives and they have been coming clean.

But EGGS, let me tell you about EGGS. I can actually put straight up egg covered dishes in, or a spatulas, etc, and although everything comes spotless, when you go to get a glass to drink out of, even though the glass itself feels squeaky clean, there is this hint of a smell as you're drinking. I can't believe some of you don't notice this. It doesn't matter about how hot the cycle is, how long the cycle is, what kind of detergent you use or rinse aid, 99% of the time, you will have that smell in the glasses. Maybe some of our noses are more sensitive than others? I dunno.

If I beat an egg in a bowl, I rinse the bowl out but I don't scrub it. If there is egg on a spatula, I use a dirty knife and just scrap the big pieces off quickly. I don't wash those dishes before putting them in, I just try to get most of the egg funk off - even though I know they will come clean if I don't, I just don't want that hint of a smell in glasses.


Post# 882935 , Reply# 90   5/31/2016 at 01:42 (2,858 days old) by foraloysius (Leeuwarden, Friesland, the Netherlands)        

foraloysius's profile picture
I'm not a prerinser, but when I don't turn on the dishwasher immediately after loading it, I prerinse things with tuna on it. Tuna can stink up the dishwasher immense. And I rinse out the cans too before I put them in the bin.

Post# 882945 , Reply# 91   5/31/2016 at 04:44 (2,858 days old) by chachp (North Little Rock, AR)        
Sensitive Noses

chachp's profile picture

 

Maybe some of our noses are more sensitive than others? I dunno. 

I don't have a sensitive nose so I don't have the same experience, however I can attest to the fact that some people do.  My partner has an unbelievably sensitive nose.  He smells things I never smell especially food related.  He also has many allergies to airborne things so I don't know if that's related or not.  His sensitive sense of smell has gotten worse since he started using a Neti Pot a recommendation I made to him based on some of my family members who swear by them.  I feel really lucky that I don't suffer with these kinds of airborne allergies like so many do especially early spring here in the south when everything is literally yellow with all the pollen dust.


Post# 882955 , Reply# 92   5/31/2016 at 07:19 (2,858 days old) by DaveAMKrayoGuy (Oak Park, MI)        

daveamkrayoguy's profile picture

Another notable offender:

 

[Me:] "Are you gonna drink that?"

 

[Brother-In-Law:] "No..."

 

[Me:] "Then why are you watering my dishes?!"

 

Yes, my wife's brother, Elliot...  --After he drinks just about a little of everything in the house, then gets too full to finish that last ___(Juice, GatorAde, Soda Pop)___, in which case, his glass is emptied down the drain, and the glass is rinsed with NO soap and allowed to stand in the basin... --And really, I think even HE can be allowed to have his used stuff in our dishwasher, as we have other guests' stuff often with ours...  It gets washed, rinsed, sanitized and no one has yet ever died...!

 

Then, there's rinsing stuff that is going in the recycling, which my dad does--and even with a bottle of chocolate milk from McDonald's my daughter brought home, lost the lid to, it got left on my wife's dresser, or maybe it was the kitchen counter, and made damn sure it would not spill in the fridge when I put it there, so after grandpa baby-sat I begged him to drink it before he left as I got home from work...  

 

Then I wondered why he had to rinse it with water we pay for coming in and going out and probably creating a bubble in the ecological process--he does that with cans and bottles that have our MI Deposit & Return--which is another rant of mine, why we still have to bother with that system--, and I tell him it's pretty pointless if the containers are going to get washed, rinsed, and NOT re-filled with product, but likely to be crushed, hence just made into new containers or rather something else made from plastic, metal, glass or steel...

 

Pointless, there, too...  --We need more clean water we dirty up just cleaning our selves, as well as what we wear... --And what we use to cook, drink out of & eat off of...  --Properly, in a perfect world...

 

 

 

-- Dave


Post# 882959 , Reply# 93   5/31/2016 at 07:32 (2,858 days old) by toploader55 (Massachusetts Sand Bar, Cape Cod)        

toploader55's profile picture
Maybe some one mentioned this already, but when I went to my Dad's house and they're prewashing everything as they load it into the Dishwasher I said one time... "Do you prewash your clothes before putting them in the Clothes Washer ?"

Imagine the stare I got after saying that.

And of course they use the Economy Cycle with Cheap Detergent and wonder why WHEN they throw something dirty in the machine it comes out like crap.

I close my eyes and look the other way.


Post# 882961 , Reply# 94   5/31/2016 at 07:38 (2,858 days old) by Frigilux (The Minnesota Prairie)        

frigilux's profile picture
I'm a rinser of anything to be recycled--glass, plastic, aluminum. Labels get removed from cans, too. It used to be a requirement of our recycling program; force of habit, I guess.

Recycling is picked up once every two weeks and the bin is located in a tuck-under garage. I don't want smells wafting up through the garage ceiling, so everything gets rinsed---and I try to use as little water as possible for that process.

I've been using front-load washers, low-flow shower heads (which get turned off completely during soap-up), restrictive flow aerators on all faucets and low water-use toilets since the mid 1980's, so I don't worry about using an extra gallon to rinse recyclables.

Having said that, rinsing recyclables would probably be the first thing to go if water became scarce here on the prairie.



Post# 882962 , Reply# 95   5/31/2016 at 07:38 (2,858 days old) by chachp (North Little Rock, AR)        
Recyclables go in the Trash Compactor

chachp's profile picture

 

In my house we rinse the recyclables only because they go in the trash compactor.  It only gets emptied every couple of weeks so if stuff isn't rinsed out I'm afraid it will start to smell.  Nothing worse than a smelling waste bin or trash compactor.

 

So while we may use a little water to rinse them out I feel like I am still doing some good by recycling.  Wet trash goes into the kitchen waste can that gets emptied just about every day or the stuff goes in the disposal depending on what it is.  All the recyclables like plastic, paper, etc. all go in the trash compactor but since there are only two of us it could take two weeks to fill it up.  Nothing that will spoil goes into the compactor.  But I can't imagine how a plastic milk jug that hasn't been rinsed might smell like after two weeks in the compactor.


Post# 882963 , Reply# 96   5/31/2016 at 07:39 (2,858 days old) by mayken4now (Panama City, Florida)        
murando531/Andrew

mayken4now's profile picture

Love your postings on usage of a dishwasher!  You are so right.    That's great the way you explain.

 

And, Dave, your BIL needs to be popped into sense.

--Steve


Post# 882965 , Reply# 97   5/31/2016 at 07:42 (2,858 days old) by chachp (North Little Rock, AR)        
Do you wash your clothes before you put them in the washer?

chachp's profile picture

 

ROFL!!  I love that!!!  I have to steal that one if you don't mind.  I'll see what my 92 mother says to that one.  She has been prerinsing since her first dishwasher which was a Youngstown top load spin tube way back when.  I've never been able to break her of the habit.  When I visit I rinse nothing and I show her how well things come out but she doesn't care.  I guess old habits are hard to break.


Post# 882970 , Reply# 98   5/31/2016 at 08:15 (2,858 days old) by DaveAMKrayoGuy (Oak Park, MI)        
Now we're talkin' RECYCLE-IN'...!!!!

daveamkrayoguy's profile picture

We keep our recycling trough outside...  And somehow I don't think it ever gives out any offending odor...

 

Now back when I lived at home w/ my parents and we had all this cats: We had to wash out the cat food cans, until we realized there was so many & not worth all that work, we'd resigned them not washing them, or they went into the regular trash! (And that was before we had curb-side pick-up; the recyclables went to the recycling center, going from a "voluntary operation" in a small shed, to probably a still-optional element "for those who care about our earth, still reflected in how FEW of those bins go out, to these huge dumpsters and depositories in this vast parking lot, where the small substation used to be, then eliminated to be sub-planted by home-pick-up)...

 

My dad, really, did the dirty, arduous, and disgusting task of cleaning out cat food cans as he does before taking cans & bottles to the grocery market--and all points in-between, though  as a "doing dishes-by-hand man", really just recycles his dish pan's old water and soap...

 

Gee, in the newspaper cartoon strip, Pogo, when the animals there did Recyco-bobbles, Miggles the Stork collected all the trash, offered to pay Albert the Alligator for it, then had to charge him nearly all of--taking most of it back, for all these numerous fees--including: "We have to feed the HORSE!"--as in, the equine pulling the junk wagon...

 

 

-- Dave


Post# 882971 , Reply# 99   5/31/2016 at 08:16 (2,858 days old) by henene4 (Heidenheim a.d. Brenz (Germany))        

Just ran a "not-necessary" load:
The DW was loaded with mondays dishes, and as I prepeared pasta for the evening, I popped the pot and the strainer in and ran it on Auto with VarioSpeedPlus.
Funny thing: I always forget how powerfull the EcoSilence pump really is. It starts with medium spray pressure in the pre rinse, then it ramps up in the main wash.

I admit that I sometimes prerinse plates to get rid of ketchup because I hate scraping that off.
Oh, and pots get a short rinse with vinegar to get rid of that white residue our hard water leaves behind.


Post# 883045 , Reply# 100   5/31/2016 at 17:30 (2,857 days old) by LordKenmore (The Laundry Room)        

lordkenmore's profile picture
I always rinse recycling. Well, stuff like food jars/cans. Rinsing mixed paper would create more problems than it would solve. LOL

The place where I take recycling insists that it be in clean condition--thus, just emptying a jar of whatever and tossing the jar into recycling won't fly.


Post# 883084 , Reply# 101   5/31/2016 at 20:57 (2,857 days old) by appnut (TX)        

appnut's profile picture

I only rinse the recyclable plastics and tin cans. 


Post# 883102 , Reply# 102   5/31/2016 at 22:25 (2,857 days old) by ilovewindex (Tualitan OR)        
Im lucky.. I dont pay for water

ilovewindex's profile picture
In the time i've lived here i've never paid a water bill... No meter, just straight piped in

City told me not to ask... SO i dont

However,

i hate recycling, so i just throw it in the huge lided container the city provides and go on with life.. WHne thats full i use the red bin for glass..

Too much to sort it all

I do rinse tuna cans and put lids on things


Post# 883110 , Reply# 103   6/1/2016 at 00:19 (2,857 days old) by tolivac (greenville nc)        

Yes,I rinse out containers for my recycling bag-otherwise there will be a fat roach in the bottom of the container.Take my recyclables to the dump station out here-a dumpster is for cans,bottles and such.A compactor for trash-Baker.Other dumpster for newspapers,cardboard,electronics,and so on.Go to the Classic Refuse Trucks site and you see videos of RL and SL trash trucks collecting recyclables-now,how are we going to "recycle" these things when they are crushed together?
bottles pulverized,cans crushed,and paper contaminated with all of this.Guess they have good separation equipment at the dump point-or is this stuff "recycled" at all?Could just end up at the landfill!!


Post# 883124 , Reply# 104   6/1/2016 at 05:16 (2,857 days old) by DaveAMKrayoGuy (Oak Park, MI)        
Now we're really talkin' TRASH!!!!

daveamkrayoguy's profile picture
I still wish I could have my compost pile...

Years ago I bought a storage bin and just didn't put the bottom on it... Just to find it attracted rats, and even when I put rat poison there, there were dead ones all over the neighborhood...

To me, composting doesn't give me the feeling that I'm wasting food, a much as I feel when I put everything in the regular garbage... And I put out a lot less of it, too...

Luckily my dad can still be the Compost King! With a specially-made bin for composting, no rats in his side of our town, and all...



-- Dave


Post# 883145 , Reply# 105   6/1/2016 at 08:34 (2,857 days old) by panthera (Rocky Mountains)        
Addendum

panthera's profile picture
The entertainment director at our house wishes that it be pointed out that until recently, the sewage system had been untouched since 1896, the dishwasher a BOL Hotpoint with rust holes one could (and, apparently did,) poke steak knives through, and a garbage disposer emptying into a calcified drain pipe with 3/8" opening.

I came at the same time as STTP, new sewage system, new dishwasher, new garbage disposal, new drains and a trash compactor.










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