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Good dishwashing starts
with HOT water.
To get dishes clean and dry, you
need hot water. To help you get
water of the proper temperature,
your dishwasher automatically
heats the water in the wash cycle.
For good washing and drying,
the entering water must be at
least 120° F. To prevent dish
damage, inlet water should not
exceed 150°F.
How to
test water temperature:
Higher water temperature is
needed to dissolve grease and
activate powder detergent.
Check your water temperature
with a candy or meat thermometer.
Turn on the hot water faucet
nearest the dishwasher. Put the
thermometer in a glass and let
the water run continuously into
the glass until the temperature
stops rising. If the water
temperature is below 120°F.,
adjust your water heater.
Helpful hints:
If outside
temperatures are unusually low,
or if your water travels a long
distance from water heater to
dishwasher, you may need to set
your water heater's thermostat up.
If you have not used hot water for
some time, the water in the pipes
will be cold. Turn on the hot water
faucet at the sink and allow it to
run until the water is hot. Then
start the dishwasher. If you've
recently done laundry or run hot
water for showers, give your water
heater time to recover before
operating the dishwasher.
To improve washability if the
water is less than 120°F and you
cannot adjust your water heater:
Select a longer cycle and fill both
detergent cups at least half-full
with detergent.
Help prevent spotting with
a rinse agent.
A rinse agent makes water flow
lessens water spotting and makes
drying faster, too.
For best dishwashing performance,
use of a rinse agent such as JET-
DRY brand is recommended.
Rinse agents come in either liquid
or so] id form. Your dishwasher
uses the solid form.
If you can't find any rinse agent,
write:
PRODUCTS, INC.
("JET DRY")
411 W. Putnam Ave.
Greenwich, CT 06830
How to choose and use
the right detergent.
First, use only powder or liquid
detergent specifically made for
This
use in dishwashers. Other types
Second, check the phosphate
content. Phosphate helps prevent
hard-water materials from forming
spots or film on your dishes. If
your water is hard (7grains or
more), your detergent has to work
harder. Detergents with a higher
phosphate level will probably
work better. If the phosphate
content is low (8.7Y0 or less),
you'll have to use extra detergent
with hard water.
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 is in your water.
How much detergent should
you use? That depends. Is your
water "hard" or "soft'"? With hard '"
water, you need extra detergent to
get dishes clean. With soft water,
you need less detergent.
Too much detergent with soft
water not only wastes money, it
can be harmful. It can cause a
permanent cloudiness of
glassware, called "etching." An
outside layer of glass is etched
away! 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. 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.
won't wash well. Old detergent
often won't dissolve.
If you use a liquid dishwasher
detergent, these precautions are
not necessary because liquid
detergents don't "lump" as they
age or come in contact with water.
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