State of 'clean' crockery

[Sam V]

I always use one of those dishwasher cleaner thingies that you pull the tab off leave it stacked upside down - they leave the dishwasher looking like it's just been installed. I run one of these about every 4 changeovers and find it does help in keeping things running smoothly - they keep the pipes clear too. I top up salt/rinse aid at every changeover; you can't trust guest to do it even for longer stays.

Ahh! Yes, that's something else I do every time we stay. I take Ecozone? Dishwasher & Washing machine cleaner tablets with me and put one in each machine before we leave and leave the washing machine door and drawer open when its finished to dry out

[Rogthedodge]

Sorry I just cannot help thinking..... Dump the dishwasher, life is then a touch easier. Just my thoughts.

Rog

[Mouse]

Oh Rog...I seriously wish I could! More trouble than its worth

Thanks everyone. To answer questions;
Yes we do leave the all in ones but also tell them to use both rinse aid and salt. Rinse aid is an absolute must.
We also say if the glasses are cloudy to squirt vinegar in to the machine and put it in rinse.
We do have the settings right....my husband is obsessive about that, and yes we do have to change it occasionally as the water can get worse.
It is fully cleaned each May by the technician who also checks the settings.
This is our 2nd dishwasher and we had similar issues with the first too
We use the dishwasher ourselves for 8 mths of the year and manage to get everything clean without me having to re-wash.
I also use the cleaning thingies....we do it half way through the season. We also often put the dishwasher on rinse with strong vinegar as the machine can be left in such a state.
Isy...we too went for a basic machine at first but the elements kept going every summer with calc build up. So we changed to a miele, still basic though...no control panel. Thankfully the elements last much longer.

FC I don't know how hard our water is as we lived in Manchester and had lovely soft water but we have to replace the taps every 2 years, we have to have the inside of the loos done every year, and sometimes up to 3 times Our plumber is our best friend!! As mentioned, our previous dishwasher went every year with the elements because of calcium. ..even after taking precautions.

We are on well water. The municipal water is even worse....like sea water it is so saline, so we choose to stay on the well.
Although there is de-salinated water on the island for some reason the village has dragged it's heels and 12 yrs later we still don't have it. However, after last year's disaster when water tables dropped below 25% they now say it's a priority SO both ourselves and our neighbour (who is also experiencing the same issues) have spent a fortune getting ready to have the municipal water pumped to us when de-salinated water is available (we experienced this 12 yrs ago when living in our previous place and it is fab)
It will cost us a fortune in bills but Mr M says it will be about break even once we account for all the replacement taps, loos etc.

Oh finally....water softener. We've asked 3 plumbers about this over the years and they said it would take way too much salt etc etc. So it is not recommended.

So...as you can hopefully see its not the machine, but the water is an issue so it needs to be managed by using the machine correctly.

In the 8 mths we use it we never have dried on food left on plates. Also I tell guests it isn't suitable for pans so they aren't, in theory, put in there....yet I am constantly scrubbing them. Sigh.

Thanks Tavi and Isy for confirmation about the guide. I will make it as simple as I can.....my husband also suggested a photo of a cloudy glass (which usually means the rinse aid hasn't been used correctly)
I just wish they'd rinse food off the plates...that would be half the battle.
As for cups.....it really gets me that they put cups back for use when they're clearly marked with tannin. A good scrub round with the sponge/scrubber, supplied, is all that suffices. Sigh.

Oh.....and we do top up the salt every changeover and sometimes mid week as it gets through a lot.

Any other suggestions would be welcome!

Mousie
X

[greenbarn]

Now that sounds like well hard water - a ten on the Vinnie Jones scale........

[Bunny]

Mousie, I have the same problem and spend a lot of time re-washing items. Although we have a dishwasher, I am surprised at how much washing up gets done by hand. I know this because I can see it in the window on the drainer and I know how much Fairy washing up liquid, that I also supply, gets used. I'm convinced that my stained cups and dirty crockery are as a result of guests just dunking them in the water and putting them on the drainer. I know most people don't rinse after washing, due to the level of food debris and stains on the drainer. I think, on holiday, they just want to do it as quickly as possible so nothing gets washed properly. I also get crockery put back in cupboards (particularly mugs and teaspoons) that appear to have not been washed at all. Could it be that they are doing alot more hand washing than you expect?

[Gordo]

Sorry I just cannot help thinking..... Dump the dishwasher, life is then a touch easier. Just my thoughts.

Rog

+1

Never had one at any property I've ever been involved with and never received a single complaint over the absence of one.

I can remember in years gone by, any place I ever worked at that had one in a communal area was a nightmare, simply because 20 different people seem to have 20 different ways of doing things. Are random holiday guests likely to be any different?

Anyone "should" be capable of washing a few bits of croc and cutlery.

Granted it might be considered a bit old-fashioned but then again so is mental arithmetic versus the calculator!

.

[PW in Polemi]

Oh finally....water softener. We've asked 3 plumbers about this over the years and they said it would take way too much salt etc etc. So it is not recommended.

Any other suggestions would be welcome!
Mousie
X

Instead of a salt (brine) water softener, how about a KalGuard?
http://www.sentinelprotects.com/uk/prod ... l-kalguard

We have salt w/s at home and KalGuard at the cottage. Both work well.

[Mouse]

Now that sounds like well hard water - a ten on the Vinnie Jones scale........

GB I love that! Permission to steal it for my welcome speech

Bunny I suppose that could be an issue, never really thought about it. The glasses are usually an indicator though that the dishwasher has been used badly as they're coated in calc.
I just wish there was a polite way of saying to people to please make sure any crockery put away is fit for use...i.e. clean.
If I wasn't there to check and rewash (not reward! Autocorrect) I doubt the cleaners would think to check and if they did it would cost another hour or so of their time.

Gordo I wish that was an option but when sleeping 8 I think it has to be an option, plus it is also our home and we use it.

PW will take a look at that....though we are really hoping that we will get desalinated water this year. However that won't help the situation if people are just not washing pans and dishes correctly.

Baffled Mousie
x

[annedab]

I'd just like to offer my sincere apologies to all LMHers. From reading this, it appears my OH has been going round "washing up" in all of your properties. I'll ask him to stop it at once.

[Bunny]

I'd just like to offer my sincere apologies to all LMHers. From reading this, it appears my OH has been going round "washing up" in all of your properties. I'll ask him to stop it at once.

[Mouse]

Mousie
x

[Hells Bells]

I found a few glasses and plates that weren't cleaned properly on my last visit. Fortunately it was me that found them not guests. Hard to say if dishwasher was at fault though, as it could equally have been someone handwashing in a hurry. I know they'd been using the hob as a dish-drainer as water had got underneath. Luckily no real lasting damage.