Hard Water

Try Cascade crystals. I was having the same problem and then one day the store was out of liquid so I bought the crystals and it worked much better! And keep using the jet dry. Good luck.

We had the same problem with the cascade liquid detergent. We swithed to tablets and haven't had the problem anymore. We actually bought new glasses before we switched, b/c it was so bad.

I add about 1/2-1 cup of vinegar to the last rinse cycle of my dishwasher, everytime. It helps a TON!

Good luck!

Do you have a water softener? It is really the only way to keep the hard water under control. It is also good for the life of your appliances like the dish washer and washing machine and hot water heater. It also makes keeping showers clean easier.

I use Shaklee's Basic D (Dishwashing powder). It rinses completely & never leaves spots on mine. Also, it is non-toxic, which is great, b/c most dishwashing cleaners emit very toxic fumes into your home as they clean, which can affect your family.
www.shaklee.net/healthy OR www.yourhealthyalternatives.com (Under Non-Toxic home).

Hi M.

There is a product called LEMI SHINE, it is for taking the calcium out of the dishwasher. The dishes will come out sparkling. It is an all natural product.

You can find it at walmart or go to wwwlemishine.com I had to order from the company as I lived in the mountains of upstate NY, that is the only thing I every found that worked for hard water.

Hope this helps

Blessings
J. M

I have a Bosch, but can't find the manual right now. I remember though, that it said something about hard water and film on dishes and adjusting the detergent amounts would help. Hope this helps.

I live in west Texas and the water is really hard here. Lots of minerals in the water. I started adding a product called LemiShine to each load, along with my regular dishwasher soap. I have Jet Dry in the container too, and between the three products, I have clean dishes now. No residue :) Hope that helps you!

I am waiting right now for a repair man to come tell me why my new and more expensive high energy dishwasher is doing such a lousey job... the one that came with the house that was soooooooooo old............never spotted my dishes... so I am really upset... I didn't ask for a new dishwasher.. my husband just decided it was time to get one before the old one went out....

Will let you know what I find out.

J.

It's possible the Cascade liquid detergent is causing this problem. I have hard water and no problems getting my dishes clean. I used the hard tablets made for dishwasher use; I think these are by Cascade as well. I also use the Jet Dry.
Walmart is supposed to have some free samples in the store according to this website:
http://walmart.triaddigital.com/enhancedrendercontent_ekt...
It might be a 'while supplies last' type offer. But if they have the samples, it would be a great way to check the tablets out before purchasing.

We recently purchased a new Bosch dishwasher. The manual recommends using powder detergent. I don't know if this would make a difference, but I've always used powder and haven't had any problems-love the dishwasher!

Unfortunatly there isn't much you can do, other than putting in a water softner. The water here in San Antonio is incredibly hard. We recently did so and there is a huge difference in the dishes. I don't have that white film anymore. I know they can be expensive, especially if you talk any of the different water softner companies. We went through sears and got one and had it installed for under 1k.
Good luck!

If you have hard water, no amount of any product will take the calcium out. Get a water softener for your home. You won't believe the difference, and your appliances will last a lot longer to!

Sometimes, when I have a very dirty load of laundry, I'll add salt to my wash. I assume it softens the water because I always have more suds when I do this. I thought maybe this would work for your dishwasher too. I did a quick Google and here's what I found. Maybe try it out with table salt first; if it works, go out and buy some of this dishwasher salt.

Table salt might not be the best thing to use but they make dishwasher salt.
In some countries, especially Europe, dishwashers include a built-in water softener. Dishwasher salt is used to recharge the built-in ion-exchange water softener. Unlike salt used for culinary purposes, it does not have added iodide salts. However, it should have minimal iron and manganese salt content, as these mineral ions tend to form precipitates that clog the ion-exchange resin.

Some dishwasher detergents are marketed as not requiring the use of dishwasher salt. These instead use increased levels of phosphates to increase the solubility of hard water ions. In very hard water areas, the amount of phosphate may be insufficient, requiring the additional use of salt in any case.[4] Some newer dishwashers have a setting for "all in one" tablets. Incorrect use of "all in one" tablets may not be covered under the warranty; it is advisable to check the instruction book when using these types of tablets.

Pouring table salt, detergent (or anything other than dishwasher salt) into the salt compartment will damage the water softener unit. However, it is possible to use salt granules or tablets sold for whole house softening units and save a significant amount of money in the process. Softener salt in 25 kg bags will work out about one third of the cost and is easily available.

My father clued me in on this wonderful product. Its called "lemon shine". You can find it at heb or walmart, it is usually on the top shelf by the dishwashing detergents. I swear by this stuff, its perfect for san antonio hard water. Good luck.

We actually lost a dishwasher to this problem! First of all, you need to make sure you clean the trap often. Little pieces of lime get trapped in there easily and it won't drain properly. Second, you'll need to de-lime your dishwasher. There is an actual dishwasher cleaner that you can buy at HEB. You run it through a cycle with an empty dishwasher about once a month. If you notice that the heating thingy at the bottom of the dishwasher and/or the sides are coated in lime, then so will your dishes! Good luck!

Maybe you have really hard water. May want to consider having water softener installed.

We have hard water problems too... majorly. It tears up my hair and leaves residue everywhere. I use the electrasol tabs with the red power ball in the middle. I find this is the ONLY thing that gets my dishes super clean. It is expesive, but if you pair it with the coupons for $2.50 off that they send out sometimes, it makes it easier!

I had this problem in my previous home and the only 'fix' i found was pouring a little vinegar directly into the washer during the rinse cycle every time you run it. Trouble is you have to wait around for the rinse cycle! It helped tremendously when i managed to do it though.

That is called etching and there is not alot you can do about it except try to find a detergent that is formulated for hard water. I use dish drops automatic tablets available through Quixtar. I do not have an issue with etching.

M.,

I too live in Midland. The water out here is horrible. There's a product called Citriclean or Lemishine. It's actually made here in Midland. It's the ONLY thing that will help with my glasses. HUGE difference when I don't use it. You can buy it in the dishwashing liquid aisle at the supermarkets or Target. I think it's a relatively cheap product too. It's great!

You need to use LemiShine with your detergent. You can get it at any grocery store. It is made for hard water problems. We had a service man come out b/c we weren't used to hard water when we moved here and we purchased a new dishwasher. We thought our dishes were ruined, then we tried the Lemi Shine and have never had a problem since!! Run a load or two with just Lemi Shine then use half and half each wash. Also don't use the liquid. Cascade Complete is what our service man recommended to us.

Hey M.,

We were having the same prob and ended up getting a water softener because it got so bad. The house came with the loop so it was easy.
One thing I did try from the internet was to run a cycle using only a Crystal Light lemonade pouch. It totally worked and got off the film. It said to run it empty but I put a few dishes in that had the film on them. I only did it a few times as it was temporary but am not sure how safe it is on the dishwasher in the long run. I hope this helps and good luck. I could also give you the guys name whom did our water softener to see if he could give you an idea on what it would take to get one put in. I know they are pricey so I understand.

Hi M.,
I'm from Austin and moved to Spring area 8 months ago. I was having the same problem. I switched from liquid cascade to powder and the problem was still there. In January I started shopping from a wellness company, using their dishwashing detergent. It is amazing! I use 1/2 of what I did before because it is concentrated. My glasses are clear with no spots. I haven't used jet dry for 4 months now. This isn't the only product that's great. Send me a msg if you want to learn more.
J. M
http://www.Best4MyKids.com

Hi M.
you should use products that are chemical and toxin free. That white film you see on your dishes are the toxin residue left from the diswasher detergent. No matter if you use jet dry or not that film or residue will be there. PM me and I can put you onto the products I have used over 5 years with no problems.
Good luck and blessings

I see you have a lot of good odeas to try. How about trying vinigar instead of Jet Dry? Maybe half the detergent? I always put my dishwasher on "pots and pans" extra rinse. Turning off hot dry sounds like a good idea. Good luck!

Lemi Shine! You can visit the website for more info:
https://envirocontech.com/1-888-336-2582/LemiShine/hardwa... Use it in the small side of the dispenser along with your usual detergent in the large side(I use cascade powder, which my high-end dishwasher manufacturer recommends). I've really not had good experience with liquid detergent. You can find Lemon Shine at Albertsons, HEB, Walmart and a lot of other retailers as well. It's in the dishwashing section. I think you'll be impressed with the results. Let me know what you think.

We have a lot of calcium in our water here (though not many other minerals), and I find it helps tremendously if we just turn off the heat dry function of our dishwasher, and hand-dry the dishes. No jet dry, either.

I too have the same problem. I buy LemiShine (available at any grocery store, including Wal-Mart). EVERY time I run the dishwasher, I add my detergent and a little LemiShine (always in the smaller of the two detergent cups), and my dishes come out clean - and my dishwasher is sparkling.

This product is also good for glass shower doors. I dilute the powder with water and put in a spray bottle. When it's time to clean the shower, I squirt the mixture on the doors and wipe with a Magic Eraser. Works like MAGIC!

I'll bet that you are putting in too much detergent.

I put about 2 cups of white vinigar in the bottom of the dishwasher before I start it, keeps the hard water off the dishes and cleans the buildup off the dishwasher