How to Choose and Use the Right Detergent
Use only powder or liquid detergent specifically
made for use in dishwashers. Other types will cause
How much detergent should you use? That depends.
1s your water “hard” or “soft”? With hard water, you
need extra detergent to get dishes clean. With soft water,
you need less detergent.
Your water department can tell you how hard your
water is. So can your county extension agent or your
area’s water softener company. Just call and ask them
how many “grains” of hardness there are in your water.
Too much detergent with soft water not only wastes
money, it can be harmful. can cause a permanent
cloudiness of glassware, called “etching.” An outside
layer of glass is etched away! Of course, this takes some
time. But why take a chance when it’s easy to find out the
hardness of your water.
Keep
your detergent fresh and dry.
Under the sink
isn’t a good place to store detergent because there is too
much moisture. Don’t put powder detergent into the
dispenser until you’re ready to wash dishes, either. (It
won’t be fresh OR dry.)
If your powder detergent gets old or lumpy, throw it
away. Old detergent often won’t dissolve. If you use a
liquid dishwasher detergent, these precautions are not
necessary because
detergents don’t “lump” as
they age or come in contact with moisture.
Detergent Dispensers
You’ll find two detergent dispensers on the inside
door of your dishwasher. Two, because
some cycles use two washes.
Open
See
“Detergent Usage Guide ’’below.
cup
(Be sure the CYCLE INDICATOR
DIAL is at OFF position
adding detergent. Otherwise,
the detergent cup will not
close and latch properly).
cup
the main cup.
open detergent cup
has
.
closed,
the door and
the Cycle
Indicator Dial a full turn to the OFF position.
When the closed cup contains soap it is
Grasp handle,
best that the door be in a partially open
rotate
position
rotating the Cycle
close tightly
Indicator Dial. This will help reduce the amount of
detergent and rinse aid
spillage into the tub.
Detergent
Guide
(powder or liquid)
SOFT
WATER (0-3 grains hardness)
MEDIUM WATER (3-7 grains)
HARD WATER (7- 12 grains*)
CYCLES
Main Cup
Open Cup
Main
Open Cup
Main
Open
I
POTSCRUBBER
Half Full
Half
Completely
Half Full
Completely
NORMAL WASH
Completely
I
I
Full
Full
Full
SHORT WASH
Half Full
None
Full
None
Completely
None
Full
RINSE & HOLD
Use
no detergent
Use
no detergent
Use no detergent
* 12
grains and up is extremely hard water. A water softener is recommended. Without it, lime
Main Cup holds 3 tablespoons:
can build up in the water valve. The water valve may stick while open
flooding.
Filled Open Cup holds tablespoons.
How to Prepare the Dishes for Washing
If this is your first dishwasher, or if you’re replacing
NOTE: You may also want to consider removing
a much older model, you may wonder how much
foods such as mustard, mayonnaise, vinegar, lemon
preparation your dishes need. Actually very little,
juice and other foods that can cause discoloration of
Scrape off bones, seeds, skins, toothpicks and
stainless steel if allowed to remain on dishes for a
other hard solids. Remove excessive quantities
long period of time.
of oil or grease.
The POTSCRUBBER cycle can wash heavily soiled
dishes and remove dried-on and baked-on
from
pots, pans and casseroles. Items with burned-on
soils need extra preparation.
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