Did you know that the automatic dishwasher was invented by a woman named Josephine Garis Cochrane? She received an award for her invention at the 1893 World's Fair in Chicago. The company she founded to market the dishwasher to hotels, restaurants and other commercial groups was purchased in the 1920's by the Hobart Corporation. They introduced the "KitchenAid" brand name that is known today. Dishwashers under this name were introduced in 1949.
Dishwasher Tips:-The single most important factor in getting good results is HOT WATER!!
The water must be at least 130o to work effectively. This is documented by the major manufacturers of detergents, such as Proctor & Gamble. Otherwise, greasy films will occur, along with soap residues left on glassware, etc.- Most areas have fairly hard water, which affects the cleaning properties of detergents. Hard water is water showing above 7 grains of hardness. My Austin customers have, for example, 11-13 gr. hardness in many areas, mainly due to the limestone aquifer which supplies the vicinity. For them, I recommend filling both detergent cups full, plus using a rinse aid.
According to dishwasher industry statistics, approximately five million new dishwashers are sold each year. Many new dishwashers find homes in the 1.3 million new houses built annually. But that leaves 3.7 million other dishwashers-and most are replacing existing units that no longer perform because of lime scale, soap scum, iron and grease buildup. Based on an average cost of $400-500 for a new dishwasher, consumers are spending more than $5 million dollars each day on new dishwashers ($1.85 billion each year).-You can determine the cause of cloudy glassware by soaking a glass in vinegar for 5 minutes. If the cloudiness is removed it is a hard water deposit and more detergent is likely needed. If the cloudiness is not removed it is a permanent condition known as etching. In this situation, use less detergent and stop pre-washing. In actuality, dishwashing detergent needs a bit of soil to work on, otherwise it will tend to foam up.
-A dishwasher does not fill completely with water. However, it must have enough water to reach the heating element, or the pump will not wash well. Let your unit fill, then check the level after the wash cycle starts.
- Every two months, run the unit with a quart of white vinegar added to the tank (no dishes or detergent for this!). This removes any deposits left behind in the tub, and actually helps keep the drain clear! Do this mainly on units with plastic tubs, since they are porous, and will absorb not only grease, but residue from the detergent.
- Use a rinse-aid, such as Jet-Dry, in your dishwasher, unless you have a water softener. In this case, do NOT use a rinse aid, and reduce your powder detergent to two teaspoonfuls. Actually, I recommend the solid form of the JetDry, not the liquid. For one thing, the liquid is harder to deal with than checking a hanging basket visually. Also, the liquid dispenser only injects a couple of drops of liquid into the unit at the end of the wash cycle. This does not take into account varying degrees of water hardness in different areas. The solid version is always working right thru the wash and rinse cycles.
-Now a word about Gel detergents:
Gel detergents are literally the scum of the earth. They create more problems than they resolve. Here we go-
- Gels contain chlorine bleach (dissolves rubber seals)
- Gels tend to cloud glassware, leaving a whitish film.
- Gels never really rinse off of interior
- Gels clog the detergent dispenser
- Gels don't work well in hard water
What I'm saying here is: Always use powdered detergent!
Letter from Customer:
Dear Jim:
The gel dishwasher detergent had really stopped things up before I realized it. I even had to have the plumber come out twice in one week to unclog the pipes. He couldn't say for sure that the gel was to blame, but it could have contributed to the problem. With the Dishwasher Magic, everything is running freely again. I'll never use gel again, and I WILL use Dishwasher Magic on a regular basis!
Jayne B.
Duncan, OK.
Get your Dishwasher Magic today! As far as detergents go, I recommend Cascade Complete powder or Electrasol Dual-Action Powder if you don't care for the chlorine smell. The new tabs have been widely acclaimed by my customers as well!
No other brands have done as well in my tests over the last 27 years, and trust me, I try them all !One further note:
Don't buy dishwashing powder in large quantities!
I know the savings are worthwhile at places like K-Mart, etc., but few people know that these products have a limited shelf life. Once you open that Gargantuan box of detergent, you have approximately two weeks to use it up, or its effectiveness greatly diminishes! Instead, buy a normal box which you will use in a couple of weeks....
the results outweigh the frugality in this case!
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