Why you should never put washing up detergent in your dishwasher
You’ve stacked the dishwasher when you realise you’re all out of dishwashing tables. Surely it’s OK to add a dash of normal detergent to the load? What possible harm could come of it?
It turns out, in fact, that you could be damaging your dishwasher.
"Dish soap creates more suds, so as the dishwasher circulates the dish soap, the cavity fills with suds and can actually leak out of the machine,” Dirk Sappok, head of product development at Miele told The Kitchn.
“There's a chance that this can cause damage to the dishwasher itself,” he added.
“Additionally, the dish soap will leave residue on the dishes and the interior of the dishwasher while leaving food on the dishware. A newer machine may have sensors that detect a problem and automatically shut off the machine."
But surely a tiny dash of liquid detergent is OK?
"Using something other than dishwasher detergent may void the warranty, but that all depends on the manufacturer," Sappok says.
"Miele first and foremost recommends Miele dish tabs, but any dishwasher detergent can be used. There are too many variables to determine if an alternate cleanser will ruin your dishes (type of soap used, type of dishes, the washing program, etc.), but it won't be effective at cleaning them and could potentially damage the dishwasher."
So now you know. Best to avoid running the risk of an expensive repair job – or worse, needing a brand new machine.
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