All of a sudden my dishwasher is making my dishes and silverware look HORRIBLE. They have a film all over and it looks like it's destroying my flatware. (better not be!)
I could swear there's something wrong with the box of Cascade. Is that possible??
If it were my water, then wouldn't I notice it in the shower or elsewhere?
If I run the next cycle without detergent will the dishes be sanitized enough??
They are basically "clean" when I put them in .. that's for sure.
I haven't bought any of the rinse stuff yet, but wondering what is going on.
I noticed today in Heloise that she mentioned cleaning your dishwasher with vinegar (run a cycle free of dishes).
Do you think that is the problem?? I've never had to do that in all the years I've had a dishwasher. (not the same one, of course)
thanks for any tips!!!
Posted by Misfit (Member # 26270) on :
Lymetoo, I have NO idea what could be wrong with your dishwasher. But I would run a cycle with the vinegar. Have you checked your trap to make sure there's nothing stuck in it (of course if you clean your dishes before you put them in, I don't see how that could be possible)?
Can you call maintenance?
Posted by Lymetoo (Member # 743) on :
Well, that's true that if there's no food on the dishes the trap wouldn't be clogged....although others lived here before me! I've been here 3 yrs now.
I can call the apt manager, but I knew nothing would get done until next week and he's probably going to say it's the Cascade or something.
Will the dishes be OK to eat from if I just run them through with water?
I want to run them this afternoon .. then I'll run the vinegar. It says to allow the washer to fill the bottom and then put in the vinegar.
How in the world will I know when it's time? Posted by Elaine G (Member # 20735) on :
Lymetoo, do you have any Jet Dry in the container in the dishwasher? This helps to prevent spots and film. Although I wonder what's in that stuff??? I do know it is rinsed off during the cycles.
If you have a sanitizing cycle, it will be hot enough, that it doesn't matter if you have added Cascade. Especially since your dishes are clean when you put them in the dishwasher.
Try the vinegar, that might work.
Let us know how it turns out.
Posted by Misfit (Member # 26270) on :
I don't think I'd eat off the plates if there's a film on them. You wouldn't want to be eating cascade! It's going to be a pain in the rumpus, but for your health's sake I'd just wash the darned things and then run a cycle with the vinegar.
And maybe just test it first with a coupla dishes and few pieces of silverware before you load it up again? That way you're not having to re-wash a whole ton of dishes.
If you're like me, with just the 3 of us I'd let the dishes sit in there until it was full enough to run (I'd rinse mine too before I put them in). I'd hate to see you have to stand at that sink and wash a bunch of dishes!!
Posted by Lymetoo (Member # 743) on :
No jet dry.. forgot to buy some. I never use it but wondered if that is what I needed... but why all of a sudden??
One piece of info I forgot. When the film was created, I ran the dishes again with no soap. They were still yucky looking.
So .. I guess I'd better go do the vinegar thing. What a hassle. I have an almost full dishwasher right now.
Well, I guess I have nothing else to do today! (see my post in General)
Posted by randibear (Member # 11290) on :
i know there are some cleaners on the market specifically for dishwashers. i'd run one through and see what happens.
also, mike said to turn up your water heater a bit. it could be the water is not getting hot enough to the dishwasher. mine has a built in heating unit.
Posted by Lymetoo (Member # 743) on :
Thanks, randi!
Posted by Keebler (Member # 12673) on :
- The thing about detergent and rinse agents is that they not only leave a film of product on the dishes, but we breathe in all that petro-chemical residue in the hot misty vapor that comes out of the dishwasher. It's not good for our lungs, or our brains.
Chances are after we read what in it, we'd not want to put it in a tea kettle, boil it and breathe it - but that's what happens with a dishwasher, basically.
BioKleen and Seventh Generation both make dishwasher detergent with citrus base that doesn't leave a film of petro product on the dishes or put petro-chemical vapor into the air. The citrus base product also help cut the grease in the dishwasher. Much fresher, all around.
I don't use my dishwasher as it's plastic lining and (just as I don't drink out of plastic bottles) I don't want the hot water leeching out chemicals from the plastic dishwasher to leave any residue to coat my dishes.
I also don't want to be breathing in water from hot plastic.
I use it to drip dry the dishes. But I do run it about once a week with some baking soda - and with the windows open so I'm not breathing in concentrated hot water vapor mixed with the petro chemicals from the plastic lining. That keeps it fresh since there is always a bit of water left in the drain (they never really dry out all the way). -
Posted by Lymetoo (Member # 743) on :
Well, I ran it yesterday with only the initial soap .. not for the second go-round.
The dishes are still not right.. but better. One of my teaspoons is stained... probably permanently. I'm not too happy about that.
I have Oneida from 1973! It is high quality stuff that has never looked bad in any way. GRRRR.
Keeb.. I wonder if maybe the Cascade IS leaching the plastic off the insides?
Off now to run the vinegar. I failed to keep Heloise's tip and will have to guess at exactly how much to put in.
- Barkeepers Friend will take stains off of silverware and stainless steel. It's non toxic but does have a bit of a vinegar smell to it so don't breath in a the same time you shake a tiny bit of power onto the pan, etc.
It will give pans, countertops - even the sink - a new life.
Barkeepers Friend is NOT to use in the dishwasher, though. -------------------
In 1882, an Indianapolis chemist noticed how clean and shiny his tarnished pot was after cooking rhubarb. Using an active ingredient that's found in the plant he formulated a talcum-smooth cleanser and sold it to the city's taverns. So pleased were his customers with how well it worked on bar fixtures, the product was dubbed the ``Bar Keepers Friend.'' -
Posted by Lymetoo (Member # 743) on :
Thanks!... I figured there was SOME kind of stainless steel cleaner out there. Hadn't had time to go looking for any yet.
And you know how Black Friday is!! No way I'm going out today with all the traffic! I live in a tourist area with TONS of shopping.
I made the mistake several years ago of going out in it... YIKES!! It was horrible!
Posted by Misfit (Member # 26270) on :
Your silverware is stainless steel, right? Not silver? I know that Cascade will tarnish silver. I wonder if maybe you put something in the dishwasher for the 1st time that maybe caused something else to leech? I don't know...I'm just guessing here.
ETA...you know, I just remembered...I had some really good stainless steel silverware that tarnished in the dishwasher. And not all of mine are the same brand. It was only my "better" ones that tarnished. Hmmmmm....
Posted by Lymetoo (Member # 743) on :
Yeah, stainless. So much for the "stainless" part!
Maybe the older stuff wasn't made to survive dishwashers!!
Posted by randibear (Member # 11290) on :
well i just made the mistake of putting clorox in my dishwasher along with the soap.
now i'm ruined all the glasses and flatware.
i ran it again without anything but they're still stained.
geez....
Posted by Lymetoo (Member # 743) on :
OH randi.. how awful!! I used clorox one time and it bleached the color on my glasses.
I don't remember what kind of dishes I had, but I guess it didn't ruin them. That was a long time ago.
Heloise even says to use the vinegar WITHOUT the dishes in there. So don't try that one with dishes either.
I guess you get to do more shopping now!
Posted by Keebler (Member # 12673) on :
- Barkeepers Friend often takes all sorts of stains off dishes, pans, utensils. It's pretty amazing stuff. Non toxic, but wear gloves as it is a bit hard on hands. -
Posted by Lymetoo (Member # 743) on :
Thanks, keeb!
I ran it yesterday with the Cascade "Complete" .. things came out much better, so it's either the box of regular Cascade or the water that is the problem.
If it's the water, it's strange that this just started happening!
Posted by Keebler (Member # 12673) on :
- Glad to hear life is clearer.
When you run your dishwasher, you might think of opening a window so that the steam does not clobber you. I get very ill when I'm around dishwasher steam. Just a thought. -
Posted by randibear (Member # 11290) on :
well i'm wondering if my dishwasher tablets are old and maybe not melting.
could that be causing a film on the glasses?
Posted by Lymetoo (Member # 743) on :
The "new" packets? That's what I used and I've had them awhile. I used the "complete" by Cascade.
Posted by PTrain (Member # 28773) on :
The problem is they stopped putting phosphate in these degergents just recently. We had the same problem and found a cup of vinegar in the dishwasher (leave it in the cup, rightside up) does the trick.
Posted by Keebler (Member # 12673) on :
- The phosphates were killing the fish and affecting other wildlife. It's good to hear that just a little regular old vinegar can solve problems to help save our earth.
Most of the other dishwashing chemicals are not very good for any form of life, either. The steam can irritate our sinus passages and get into our eyes and lungs. Chlorine is just one common ingredient that turns to toxic steam. Anything in a plastic casing also puts petroleum chemicals into the air (and into US) as it dissolves.
So, as this stuff goes into our bodies from the air and what's left on the plate, here are just some of the plant-based options that are both environment and people friendly.
Some of these can be found in the bulk area of some natural foods stores. That saves a ton of money. Where there are no bulk options, the dry powders in cardboard containers are most earth-friendly as they don't require all that plastic from oil or the use of power to melt it down and recycle. Recycling is not all that earth friendly if we don't really need that packaging method in the first place.
PLANET (scroll down to find) Automatic Dishwasher Detergent
===========================
On a couple sites, I've read a dishwasher recipe: "You just mix equal parts borax and baking soda."
However, at the Borax site, I see nothing about Borax for use in the dishwasher. I would want to hear it directly from them whether Borax is safe for use in a dishwasher. I suppose they could be called or emailed.
I also wonder about the baking soda. As an acid, would it react with some of the plumbing pipes or sealants? Again, I'd want to go to the top. Arm & Hammer would be the first people to contact with that question.
I've used it (weekly just to clean my machine as I don't use it to wash dishes - just to drip dry -due to noise and the inner plastic casing) but I've never sought out a clear answer for on-going daily use of baking soda in the dishwasher. -
[ 12-13-2010, 04:11 PM: Message edited by: Keebler ]
Posted by Lymetoo (Member # 743) on :
quote:Originally posted by PTrain: [QB] The problem is they stopped putting phosphate in these degergents just recently. We had the same problem and found a cup of vinegar in the dishwasher (leave it in the cup, rightside up) does the trick.
oh , that explains a few things
what do you mean by leaving it in the cup?
the one that closes?? Mine doesn't close... wonder if I can put it in a regular cup in the DW or just pour some in the washer?
It may damage or discolor the dishes?? does it seem to have any harmful effects?
Posted by PTrain (Member # 28773) on :
We just put a small cup in the bottom rack towards the back and fill it with vinegar. Sorry, didn't mean the one that closes and holds the Cascade (or whatever detergent you use). You still add the Cascade like always.
I spent $75 last month to have a repairman come out, thinking there was something wrong. He went on about how my water wasn't hot enough and I was using the wrong kind of detergent. I increased the temp on my hot water heater and switched to the Cascade as he recommended. Nothing changed!!
So, the moral of the story: Just like I had to diagnose my own Lyme disease and seek proper treatment, so too, I had to do some research about my dishwasher and fix the problem myself. The silver lining in all this: remembering the value of personal responsibility...
Posted by kidsgotlyme (Member # 23691) on :
I had this happen recently so my husband went out and bought me a new dishwasher.
Hey, I'm not complaining. My new one doesn't even require you to get the junk off before you wash them.
I had a few dishes get completely ruined. The film just won't come off no matter what I do.
Posted by Lymetoo (Member # 743) on :
Thanks, PTrain.. I hear ya!
Sounds good, kidsgl.. I am in an apartment, so I'm stuck with it. But.. I'm actually supposed to get a new one .. just don't know when.
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