There are appliances that ease our workload, and then there is the dishwasher that literally works like magic! You put in a load of greasy, soiled and dirty utensils and they come out squeaky clean and shiny at the end of the cycle. What could be more convenient than that?
While one of the most important dishwasher features is automated cleaning of dirty utensils, it also has some other features and functionalities that many of us might not be aware of. A dishwasher can do much more than just cleaning dishes.
Curious to know more about them? Read on!
A dishwasher uses less water than hand washing dishes
One of the major hesitations we had when investing in our dishwasher was the belief that it uses a lot more water as compared to when we hand wash our dishes. Well, we were happy to know we were wrong!
While it isn’t possible to give an exact measure of the water that a dishwasher can save (that depends on an individual’s washing style and also the different dishwasher models), but on an average, for a sink-full of dishes, the amount of water used by a dishwasher is roughly half of what is used when hand-washing. If there’s a dishwasher with an energy-efficient feature, it uses even less!
This surprising fact has definitely made us breathe a little easier and feel so much better about having dishwashers in our homes.
Special tablets are available to wash dishes in a dishwasher
As inexperienced, first time users of dishwashers, we initially thought that using regular dishwashing liquid soap, the one we use for manually washing dishes, would do the trick. But, we were sadly proven wrong. The use of a regular dishwashing detergent made the process quite messy and it wasn’t absolutely effective in cleaning the dishes. It even left behind soap suds in some cases.
We also tried several homemade dishwasher detergents that typically have baking soda, borax, etc. but none of them worked. For one, making the soap mix was time consuming and second, they weren’t really able to cut through the grease and stains on utensils typical to Indian cooking.
Further research led us to a surprising solution that not a lot of people are aware of. We discovered that just like there are detergents to wash clothes in the washing machine, there are special dishwasher tablets easily available in the market to wash dishes in the dishwasher. Reviews and recommendations revealed that Vim Matic All in One Dishwasher Tablets were very effective and hence we decided to try them out.
We found these tablets to be very user-friendly and to our surprise, a single tablet was almost always enough for a full dishwasher load. We simply had to place the tablet in the dishwasher dispenser before the start of the cycle and voila, it did its magic!
After several usages, we have come to love Vim Matic All in One Dishwasher Tablets because they are highly effective in removing even some of the difficult food stains typical to Indian cooking. These usually include pickle oil, masalas and tea stains. Also, we can be absolutely stress-free about putting any kind of utensil-steel, ceramic, glass, aluminium etc. in the dishwasher because these tablets work for all kinds of dish materials.
We personally feel the reason why Vim Matic Dishwasher All In One Tablets work so well is because each tablet has the benefit of a detergent powder, rinse aid and salt. So, literally no other additional product is needed to clean your utensils in the dishwasher.
A dishwasher doesn’t come with a garbage disposal
Earlier dishwashers required a garbage disposal, but that’s not the case now. If like us, you own a modern dishwasher too, then you would be dealing with a filter instead. We need to remove this filter and wash it on a regular basis.
This is why it is recommended to scrape off the excess food on dishes before loading them into the dishwasher as it may clog the filter.
Dishwasher racks can usually be customized
Different households use different types of dishes, pots and pans. So, to make life easier and also to get the most out of a dishwasher, we noticed that brands have come up with the concept of making dishwasher racks customizable based on what needs to be washed.
These typically include movable top racks to accommodate tall pots and pans in the lower racks, separate glassware add-ons, and even customizing wash cycles to make them upper-rack-only (for delicates like tea cups and wine glasses) or bottom-rack-only (for heavy pots and pans). You can truly make your dishwasher ‘your’ own in so many ways!
Dishwashers do not consume too much power
It is a common myth that dishwashers consume a whole lot of power and thus lead to a spike in our electricity bills. We were indeed surprised to learn that this is not true! Most modern dishwashers are designed to be energy efficient. They may use around 0.8 kWh per load, depending on the washing programme selected.
We’re sure that like us, you too are surprised to learn so many hidden facts about a dishwasher and its functioning. It is undoubtedly a great value-add appliance for your home.