I’m going to have a go at this from the operator’s point of view:
Use Cascade powder with Lemon. The citric acid in the lemon helps breakdown the mineral build up on the dishes. It’s that haze you see on your crystal. The liquid detergent in time creates a build up in the working plumbing like cholesterol does to our plumbing.
Temperature has a great effect. For instance, you need 120 degrees Fahrenheit to dissolve vegetable fats and you need 140 degrees Fahrenheit to dissolve animal fat from the dishes. Now most dishwashers have a temperature boost of at least 10 degrees Fahrenheit from what comes in from the water heater.
Tip: Turn on the hot water in the kitchen sink until it runs hot before starting the dishwasher. The average dishwasher only holds approximately 1.5 to 2 gallons of water for each fill. If it is a long way from the dishwasher to the water heater, this trick will help.
Okay, let’s talk about Jet Dry: Jet Dry is for the spots on the dishes only. Just so you know Jet Dry is wax. When you wax your car, the beads of water role right off, it is the same idea with the dishes. When a drop of water evaporates it leaves the minerals that were once suspended in the water. Now they are on the glass. This is also another plus for hot water.
Science 101: If you fill up a glass with lukewarm water and another glass with scalding hot water turn and them both upside down to empty, the lukewarm glass will have drops of water all over it that will later turn into spots. The scalding hot glass will flash dry in your hand, leaving no spots. Hot is better.
Speaking of temperature, some dishwashers have a “sanitizing” cycle. If there is some one sick in the house, push that button. The dishwasher, if it has this function, will take the temperature of the water up to 185 degrees Fahrenheit. That will kill most any germs left behind.
If you have any questions on any of the other functions and what they mean, what they do, what brand to buy, or what to look out for, give us a call at Skip’s Air conditioning and Appliance Service (941) 351-7998.
Remember we also service and sell all of your air conditioning needs in Sarasota and Bradenton.