Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Help! I'm having dishwasher problems. I've taken the advice of different websites (and some on this thread) but nothing is working!
I have extremely hard water. But, my dishwasher has worked PERFECTLY for nearly 2 years. All of a sudden, I'm getting white filmy crap on my dishes after they've been through a dishwasher cycle.
I ran an empty cycle with a cup of vinegar. Nothing improved.
I turned off the heated dry (suggested as the seam may be the culprit). Nothing improved.
I halved the amount of detergent (liquid) I usually put in. Nothing improved.
What else can I do? Help!
I have this problem too. That problem is caused by a formula change in which they removed phosphates from detergents. See here...
When you're boiling water on the stove, you don't want it to boil over. Place a wooden spoon across the top of the pan. The water will boil up to the spoon, but it won't boil over the sides! A metal spoon won't work.
My grandson is big into science and he didn't believe it until he saw it work. I wish I could have explained to him why it works, but I can't. I used to watch my grandmother do this while cooking. Then I'd see my mother do the same thing. That's where I learned it and it's always worked for me.
When you're boiling water on the stove, you don't want it to boil over. Place a wooden spoon across the top of the pan. The water will boil up to the spoon, but it won't boil over the sides! A metal spoon won't work.
My grandson is big into science and he didn't believe it until he saw it work. I wish I could have explained to him why it works, but I can't. I used to watch my grandmother do this while cooking. Then I'd see my mother do the same thing. That's where I learned it and it's always worked for me.
Cool tip. I definately will try this one.
I don't have a tip, but ask what other things than dishes, pots, pans folks put in the dishwasher?
I clean the hair our of my hairbrushes & combs for me & the dog and stack in the utensill basket. My hair clips & soap racks from the shower too. The toilet bowl brush, & floor scrub brush & Dog dishes, the carousel tray in the microwave, my "croc shoes & flipflops, clay pots after I clean them out for their next use, and small garden tools, ceiling fan blades for my outdoor fans, and the glass globes
BUT, I don't use the heat setting for the drying cycle.
Give me more ideas. I hate doing dishes!
I am falling in love with using Windex (original blue formula) for a lot of my cleaning. I am wondering if I am doing any future harm to the surfaces.
I have used it to clean my stovetop. I have a shiny black stove... and all other cleaners I have used leave a cloudy film. The windex leaves it clean and shiny like it a mirror.
I have used it for my vinyl countertops in my bathrooms.... I have used it for my granite countertops... because again, it cleans them until the shine like a mirror.
I used it on my polyurethane finished engineered wood floor. I will spray with windex and immediately wipe to dry any splatters on the floor. Once again I am noting that the floor dries without the film that I see when I use cleaners that is supposed to be formulated for wood floors.
I have used to to clean food spatters off of my wood cabinets. Same as the wood floor, I spray on and then wipe to dry immediately.
I love windex because it is handy, has a nice clean smell (not heavy flowery scent) that doesn't bother my husband's asthma, and it doesn't leave a film.
So am I doing harm? If so, which uses so that I can stop.
I will say I have not seen any problems with the finish since using the Windex.
KCAM: the only thing I know for sure that windex will ruin would be: A. various wood finishes after prolonged use, B. leather furniture and C. brass metal plated finishes, such as on a fireplace surround
The reason I know that Windex will mess up wood finishes on furniture and will ruin leather is b/c my first job was working at a large furniture manufacturing company that specialized in high end mahogany and cherry furniture - and also manufactured a lot of leather upholstery. I was in customer service and we had complaints about the finish not holding up - and about the leather cracking - and every time, we found out the person (or their housekeeper) had been using windex to clean the items.
As for the metal - I found that out the hard way. Brass finishes will eventually "pit" if Windex is sprayed on them. Ruined a fireplace surround when the windex splashed on the metal when I would wash off the glass panels. :-(
Don't laugh - but I also use Windex as a way to kill ants around my sink. Spray 'em down well, then wipe 'em up - no more ants, and clean sink, lol.
@Ani
Thanks for the response. I have cut back on my Windex use because I was afraid I was harming the finish.
I kinda figured that my wood cabinets were a no-no. I am experimenting making my own cleaner using the alcohol, distilled water, and dish soap mixture
I think this is the recipe for poly finished floors. Maybe I will find it is effective as a general cleaner.
Kcam - I gotta tell ya - I love windex for so many things . . . especially countertops and fixtures. I haven't had a problem with it on chrome or stainless - just on brass plate.
In case you haven't read thru/ all the pages, lol, I would add that on kitchen and bath fixtures, after cleaning w/ windex, wipe down with some Lemon Oil (I like Weiman's). This will keep spots from forming and will make it so much easier to clean. It only takes a few extra moments and you will be so pleased how it makes fixtures sparkle and easier to clean.
You can also use windex on stainless appliances, and then follow that with the same lemon oil treatment.
I collect cut crystal - and I have found that by sitting items upside down (vases, goblets, serving dishes, etc) on a white towel, and then spritzing them off with windex, I can eliminate a lot of time "dusting" those items. This is sooo much better to get the dust out of crevices. Then I just rinse and set them back on a towel to drain . . . a quick wipe after a few hours and back go those collectibles to their shelves- sparkling and beautiful - and no intense work to get them that way.
great tip on cleaning the knick knacks easily with windex.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Prevent boilovers
