Let us take a look at the dishwasher. First, let me just state that it is sometimes a lot more water efficient to just wash the dishes in the sink if there are just a few items. Also, those towels and rags that you use in the kitchen can be added to your regular laundry!
Dishwashers come in about as many different varieties as the washing machine, if not more. The symbols below will help you to understand what items can be put in the dishwasher. When you are not sure of an item, wash it by hand. I put almost all plastic items in the top rack of the dishwasher, if they melt ... then I didn't need it that bad or I would have washed it by hand.
Speaking of melting. See that black coil thingy that wraps around the bottom of the dishwasher? It gets very hot and anything that touches is will most likely melt or burn. Should you ever smell something burning in the dishwasher, it is most likely down in there and you can just take it out once the load has completed. I use a pair of tongues to get those items lose. I do speak from experience! You must put heavier glass items over handles of measuring cups to keep them from flying all over the place during the wash and rinse cycles.
These are the type tongues that I use to get stuff out of the bottom. I will also talk about these when we discuss the garbage disposal.
Let us look at this style of dishwasher. Turn the inner knob to the desired setting and then close the door and lock it. The most used cycle will be "Normal Wash". Sometimes if you had a party and want to wash everything after the guests have gone, maybe the food is stuck on and you should use the "Heavy Wash" cycle, but be careful about what plastics you are putting in there. Let's say that you do not have enough to run the dishwasher, but you just want to rise everything off, use the "Rinse/Hold" cycle.
Here are two more styles of dishwashers, these have buttons. Again, just look for the one with "Normal" and go from there.
Here is the inside of a dishwasher that has the utensil basket in the bottom rack, most dishwashers are like this. When you put in your silverware, check to be sure that they don't fall out the holes in the bottom. Chopsticks will need to be laid across the top rack or just washed by hand.
Here is another style, the silverware baskets are usually removable to make it easier to take the silverware to the drawer and put them all away.
Also, note on the picture above... there is a long piece with holes in it that spins around between the two racks. Be that nothing blocks that! Also, there might be one connected to the top inside the dishwasher. Also, at the center bottom, there might be a round plastic piece that can shoot up from the bottom. These are all water sprayers, the more there are ... the better your dishes will get clean. Again, do NOT block any of these.
The above picture show you where the water sprays are at, then it shows that the silverware basket is attached to the door, and there is an area for both spot remover and soap. Spot removers are not necessary, I do not use any. IF you live in an area where your glasses are coming out with spots or a haze on them, then you should use it. You can get a liquid and just unscrew the cap, pour it in and screw the cap back on. You will not have to add this all the time.
On this model, the screw on area is on the left. Then the triangle and the circle are both for soap. You use the same soap for both areas, one is a pre-wash compartment. The triangle gets filled and will fall out when you shut the door, it is ok. Then, the circle one gets filled and you twist it shut. What happens is the triangle soap is used first. The little round door will twist open by itself and the second wash will use that soap.
Some dishwashers have doors over both compartments like this one. Just fill them both and close the door. This one shows a powder that is pre-measured and made into a pod or disk.
All dishwasher soaps are NOT the same, some do work better than others with different machines. This is a good brand, Cascade. Like with the washing machine, I like the liquid best. It seems to dissolve easily. I also get the ones that are pre-measured so that I can just grab two and put them in the containers and be finished with it.
These two pictures show two styles of locks. The dishwasher won't start unless it is locked. There might even be a switch on the wall that must be flipped on to get it to work. The one above, you move the latch from one side to the other to lock and unlock. The one below, you have to click the handle to unlock. I think that most of this style will lock by just by pushing it all the way closed til you hear a click, and then push the appropriate buttons as discussed above.
One last note... It is ok for steam to come out of the dishwasher when it is running. It should not leak water though. Do not empty it until it has had time to cool off.
IF you should chose to do your dishes in the sink, you will need a different soap! I do keep both soaps on hand, and find myself doing a few things in the sink from time to time.
Again, why we have so many different brands, colors, scents,... I have no idea. Just be sure that it says for "dishes" on the bottle. You should only been a couple of tablespoons or a cap full. You will get to where you can just squeeze it out and be fine. Do NOT put this soap in your dishwasher or clothes washing maching!
Look for one of these near your sink, or maybe someone stored it in a drawer or under the sink.
Some of the "stoppers" have a plug on the bottom that will only fit in the sink one way. Work it into position and then put in a bit of water to make sure it is holding the water good. Next, add your soap and fill the sink about half to two thirds full of nice warm water. The hotter the better, but be sure you can put your hands in it and not burn yourself.
Put your dishes in and get started washing them with a rag or sponge. Then, rinse them in hot water to get the soap off and lay them on a fresh dry towel or drain rack.
There are some people that don't like to put their dishes in the sink to wash, but would prefer a separate tub or container for washing them. That is fine, and in that case you won't need the stopper.
When not in use, both the tub and the drain rack can be stored under the sink. The wash by hand method is great for small items that would fall through the rack in the dishwasher.
Please feel free to ask any questions related to the topic of the DISHWASHER or to post suggestions for what we can explain next. We will try to update the main post often if we can think of anything else.
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