LPT: If your dishes smell like detergent or have white residue, you might have hard water. If your dishwasher has its own water softener (salt dispenser), make sure it has salt and is turned on.

Submitted by ViscountBurrito t3_120naix in LifeProTips

Get your dishwasher manual to locate the salt compartment and learn how to turn the water softener on. In my U.S. Bosch machine, the salt goes in a compartment in the bottom, then you have to use a special (not self-explanatory at all) menu to set how much salt it distributes. It’s probably turned off by default. But it’s made a huge difference for me since I filled mine with salt and got it running.

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keepthetips t1_jdi07fy wrote

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kenlasalle t1_jdi1p0e wrote

Alternatively, there may be a chance someone is trying to kill you...

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car10los81 t1_jdi7ndk wrote

I thought they smelled like detergent because they were clean. Gotta check my machine

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ViscountBurrito OP t1_jdi93c3 wrote

Replying to car10los81 (#2,337,392)

With mine, dishes got to be noticeably soapy smelling, especially plastic ones, and especially if you microwaved it. It was very off-putting to me, which is why I looked into it to see what was happening. I was already running the extra rinse cycle, so there weren’t a lot of options left.

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caffeinedumper t1_jdkh3ga wrote

better still, if you are in a hard-water area get a water softener fitted. there will be no more limescale gunking up your facuets, shower, toilets, sinks and bath... and no limescale to destroy washing machines and dishwashers either, and you wont need to use salt. plus you can use half the amount of detergent! likewise in the shower/bath you can use use far less shampoo, and it'll make your skin feel much better...

disclaimer: not a water softener sales-person, i just live in a hard water area and would not ever live without a softener again. everyone should have one.

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[deleted] t1_jdt0o6h wrote

I once accidently dropped hard water on my toes and it was really painful. It cracked the bone under big toe and I had to take something more powerful than morphine for 4 weeks because of the pain. I only use plushy water since then.

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