State of 'clean' crockery

[Mouse]

I am now starting to get to grips with the new season ahead of me and I'm turning my mind back to issues experienced over the last season (or two).

I have learned not to have battery lookie-likie wax candles as several guests tried to light them and therefore non survived past July

I have also learned not to leave the wire pan scrubbers in the supply cupboard since a guest decided to use it to clean the tap and metal plug activitor thingy and now both are badly scratched.

However....each year I have been spending more and more time stood in the kitchen re-washing crockery and cups. It is just time wasted on a hot busy changeover and I need advice as to how I can reduce it.

One thing we have noticed over the years is that guests just don't seem to know how to use a dishwasher...even though we give them step by step, verbal, instructions. They rarely put rinse aid in and hardly ever salt. We're in a very hard water area and so both is needed.
I also suspect that the dirty crockery is coming from the fact that they just empty the dishwasher and never check. Also we suspect that the plates are never rinsed.
We actually had a couple of complaints last year asking for the engineer to be called out as it 'wasn't cleaning'. Each time we stacked and ran the dishwasher to test it first it was fine...and we showed them that. Afterwards no complaints but lots of grubby crockery.

I have thought of doing step by step instruction notice. Yes I know...but I am easily wasting nearly 2 hours washing glasses, pans, dishes, cups and cutlery.
Last year I had to do it for all but 2 sets of guests (which shows it is possible).
I have learned to dread it.

Help!!!

Mousie
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[FelicityA]

I supply dishwasher salt and rinse aid under the sink (as well as tablets for a week) but I always check that they don't need topping up anyway as I doubt any guests actually do it. Same with the filter - it is washed every changeover. Of course if you have people staying 2 or 3 weeks they could get through the salt and rinse aid I suppose - is that is what is happening? Do you leave the supply for them?

For those tea- and coffee-stained cups, I just put a solution of bleach in each one and leave them for a couple of hours. Then there is no scrubbing involved.

Interesting about the fake candles. I had been considering those as I have real ones. But I think I have changed my mind now!

You are right about wire scrubbers. I don't leave them because they use them on non-stick pans so I just leave nylon ones.

[Mouse]

Thanks Felicity, it's not a supply issue as we leave everything stocked up so there's always plenty.
When I change the towels mid week I also top up the dishwasher then with both salt and rinse aid as I know it will need it.
In fact that is how I know that the salt isn't used as I know where the level is from when I've used it.

I do the same with the cups so that's easy, but the pans and plates need scrubbing. Also the glasses and cutlery are coated in calc so again they need a real scrub and often I have to use calc remover and then rinse.

Yes - step away from the fake candles!!! Even when it was obvious that someone had burned the pretend wick, someone else had a go too! I ended up turning them over so guests could see that they were battery!!

Mouse
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[newtimber]

You could supply all-in-one dishwasher tablets - then in a hard water area all you need to do is to top up the salt every changeover. The salt should last a month or so if you fill it up to the brim - ours can take a 1kg packet when it gets empty!

[French Cricket]

I don't leave either salt or rinse aid for guests - I check levels every changeover but only ever need to top up either every 2 or 3 weeks (and we have very hard water), so I'm confused why your dishwasher seems to be getting through so much, Mousie

And I too had been thinking about some battery candles. Bugger

[Sam V]

As an off site owner, I find 50% of my 'holiday' is spent checking cleaning is being done properly (my manager deliberately doesn't tell the cleaners the owners are coming!) and replacing broken/missing 'stuff'. Last visit, on checking the dishwasher filter I was horrified to find it hadn't been cleaned in so long the thick smelly coating it had accumulated had turned pink. I pointed it out to my manager to make sure the cleaners check and clean it every changeover. I shudder at the thought of the Eco system it had generated. Another issue is making sure the spa bath gets flushed through regularly, despite it rarely being used by guests.

Ah, a note on dirty cutlery, in the basket pointy end up, with the exception of sharp knives, gets them cleaner. Although that advice is useless on 14 yr old children.

[PW in Polemi]

Silly question maybe, but have you set the "hardness of water" control on the d/w to the correct setting?

Alternatively, have you considered installing a water softener - this will extend the life of any hot water elements (kettle, d/w, w/m, immersion heater, etc) and make cleaning taps and shower screens etc MUCH easier.

Am thinking of changing to all-in-one tablets at the cottage this year - do they contain sufficient rinse aid to produce shiny glasses?

[French Cricket]

Am thinking of changing to all-in-one tablets at the cottage this year - do they contain sufficient rinse aid to produce shiny glasses?

No ... at least not for us.

[Sam V]

Am thinking of changing to all-in-one tablets at the cottage this year - do they contain sufficient rinse aid to produce shiny glasses?

No ... at least not for us.

I still add rinse aid and salt with all in one tabs

[PW in Polemi]

Thanks for that, FC and Sam V.

[Essar]

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.

[AndrewH]

Mouse, might there be something wrong with your dishwasher? If some guests leave grubby crockery etc. and other don't then it's not likely to be the dishwasher that is at fault, but if the plates are still smeary and the glasses not sparkling on every change over, then I might suspect that there was something wrong with the dishwasher.

We supply the three-in-one cheap Lidl tablets; we don't back up with additional salt or rinse aid and our water is very hard like yours. We get our share of difficult problems on change over day but, touch wood, it has not been less than sparkling crockery and glassware (so far!)

[Cymraes]

I leave a supply of Finish "all in one" tablets and they seem to get everything sparkling clean without needing to faff with rinse aid and salt.

It's a small dishwasher though so even with low occupancy it tends to get run at least once a day which helps as food has less time to dry on.

Now if things could only find their way back into the correct cupboard... It's trivial I know but it bugs me and the first thing I do on a visit is re-arrange the cupboards to where I want things!

[tavi]

Mouse - re your question on step by step instructions I would say a definite YES!
If you're running through the instructions on arrival chances are they're not listening to a word you say! (far too excited about their hols?)

I have a couple of step by step sheets - one for the router and one for the microwave. Instructions are condensed to numbered steps, using the simplest language, plus a couple of do's and don'ts at the bottom. Then plasticised.

[Isy]

Mousie, we deliberately picked an easy/basic dishwasher (brand: Candy) and I printed some labels and sticked them on the front panel. I did the same for the washmachine. That means that nobody has to go through the user manual of each electrique appliances (I leave them in a drawer just in case) and it's straigh forward.... even a kid could operate them.

At every changeover, I stick my head in the dishwasher to:
- check salt and rinse aid levels
- remove and clean the filter (I am the kind of pers who pre-wash dishes before putting them in dishwasher... I know, it is a bit daft ). I find most guests don't even scrape left over from their dinner into the bin and instead shove the whole thing in the machine. So it is always a suprise to find solid food obtructing the filter. Could it be why your dishwasher does not wash properly?
- I put a bit of bleach or white vinegar (one of the other depending on my mood) into the machine and run for a quick wash. That way, I can check that it s running fine.... and it cleans/desinfect the whole thing. At the end, I wipe the inside with a microfibre to leave no trace of water.

I remember one changover in particular, when I went to open the dishwasher I was welcomed by a stench of fish....
I always have a bit of bicarbonate of sodium with lemon essential at hand and I put some in the dishwasher. Put a quick wash on and pray for the smell to go away... It did the trick and left me with the shiniest wash machine ever.