Soft Water Problems With Dishwashers

Sudsing

• During the wash cycle, the detergent cup releases detergent into the water, and the soap becomes soap bubbles in a process termed by the industry as “sudsing.” Detergent is designed for use with water of a normal hardness; water that is too hard or too soft can cause improper sudsing. While hard water often fails in dissolving all the soap properly, softened water dissolves the soap too readily and creates more suds than the dishwasher can handle. This can lead to leaks of soapy water and residual soap bubbles on the dishes after a wash. Prevent this by hardening the water or by using less detergent in the wash.

Salt-Based Softeners

• Often, homeowners that have hard water in their pipes soften it in dishwashers by using dishwasher soap. Still, some softeners are better than others. Granular salt is the proper salt used as a softener in dishwashers, but some manufacturers supply dishwasher salt such as Dead Sea salt and other types of crystalline salt. This salt can actually eat away at the resin in a dishwasher over time, weakening its overall strength like rust undermines metal. Check with the manufacturer on the origin of the salt in a softener before use.

Over-softening

• The other danger of using water softener in a dishwasher is over-softening. When too much softener is used, the water becomes too soft for washing and does not rinse dishes clean, even when shot from the jets of the spray arm. Instead, the water simply coats the dishes, dirt included. Reduce the amount of softener added to the dishwasher if you find dishes are not cleaned at the end of a cycle.

Spots and Film

• While hard water leaves deposits of calcium and magnesium on dishes, soft water leaves soap spots, streaks and film. These spots are an eyesore, but they are easily removable compared to hard water effects. Adding a rinse aid to dishwashers with softened water helps remove soap spots and film.