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Get yourself a big old tub of anhydrous citric acid from Amazon or wherever, make up a 10% solution and use that in place of rinse aid. Just check with your di
by danw1979 3y ago
Get yourself a big old tub of anhydrous citric acid from Amazon or wherever, make up a 10% solution and use that in place of rinse aid. Just check with your dishwasher manufacturer that it’s not going to cause issues first.
I got a new Miele unit a few months ago and the manual specifically advises the use of such a solution, with caution not to make it any stronger.
It’s been working like a charm.
- maayank 3y agoDoing the same for rinse aid. Didn’t find a practical alternative for the main cleaning solution.
- mathgeek 3y agoWhat are the advantages over plain vinegar? Been using that my whole life without any concern beyond wanting to avoid expensive rinse aids.
- pajko 3y agoVinegar destroys the rubber sealings.
- uniqueuid 3y agoVinegar can be a stronger acid than citric acid and has the potential to damage rubber sealings. That's why many manufacturers specifically advise against it.
- mathgeek 3y agoInteresting. I’ve used 5% for as long as I can remember, seems to be recommended for that reason. Just never bothered to look into it before as my units haven’t shown any damage. Thanks!
- zoklet-enjoyer 3y agoSame. I've used normal 5% vinegar for years and haven't had any problems.
- GuB-42 3y agoBesides chemical properties, citric acid may turn out to be cheaper, especially if bought in large quantities. But in the end, I think the cost savings of citric vs vinegar vs rinse aid is negligible. Usage should be about 5mL per wash (matches my experience), and even if you use fancy rinse aid, it is still a small fraction of the costs of running a dishwasher. Note that the article is concerned about professional dishwashers, they didn't reproduce their findings on household dishwashers. Professional dishwashers are very different from household dishwashers, and they use much higher concentration of detergent and rinse aid.
- chopin 3y agoVinegar is a solvent for many plastics.
- jasongill 3y agoFrom my experience, this will eventually remove any printed on markings from your glassware; for example, all of the measuring lines on Pyrex cups, etc. Not a huge deal, just worth noting
- KolenCh 3y agoIt can be a huge deal, making it worth nothing /s
- heftig 3y agoDoes it have to be anhydrous? Seems like a waste to go for the more expensive stuff when you're going to dissolve it anyway. Food-grade citric acid monohydrate should be cheaper.
- danw1979 3y agoThe manual just said a citric acid solution so I guess whatever source will do. I suppose it’s just as easy to get a reasonably accurate concentration if you account for the water already present in monohydrate.
- TedDoesntTalk 3y agoWhat do the dishes look like with this solution? I’ve never used rinse aid or any variants, and i wonder what I’m missing.
- dotancohen 3y agoAccording to another comment - you're _not_ missing the printed ink on your dishes. If you are happy with the state that your dishes come out of the wash, then you are fine.
- walthamstow 3y agoI'm not using rinse aid at all. Just dishwasher gel with no rinse aid included, and salt. Cheap-ish Beko dishwasher. No issues.
- hellotomyrars 3y agoAgreed, but I’m also someone who thinks dryer sheets are a scam as well.
- TedDoesntTalk 3y agoThey’re not?
- Night_Thastus 3y agoI personally find that if I don't use them, my socks, towels, etc all come out very stiff and dry. Yes, I know it's not ideal for towels because the wax inhibits some absorption, but I couldn't stand it so I just went back to using dryer sheets. Soon I'll be getting a good quality dryer with a steam sanitize mode, maybe that will help.
- amanaplanacanal 3y agoI use them on clothing, but not on towels. Best of both worlds.
- someuser2345 3y agoSo, you use the salt as a rinse aid?
- garblegarble 3y agoI've found rinse aids that include citric acid end up pitting stainless steel cutlery over time, so I avoid them
- cubefox 3y agoAccording to this review, citric acid doesn't work as a rinse aid replacement: https://www.test.de/Klarspueler-im-Test-Jeder-dritte-hinterlaesst-Flecken-5231923-5231929/ https://www.test.de/Klarspueler-im-Test-Jeder-dritte-hinterl...
- derwiki 3y agoThe last time an article like this went around, I decided to do the same thing with my Miele. The metal starting becoming stained pretty soon, and just recently I decided to switch to 7th Generation organic detergent powder. YMMV but wanted to share my anecdata for anyone considering the same.
- jlbooker 3y agoHow do you make "organic detergent"? Was it grown without synthetic pesticides, or...? I'm pretty skeptical of the word "organic" getting thrown around in marketing... so I'm really curious what makes a detergent qualify as organic.
- derwiki 3y agoApologies, I got the USDA certification wording wrong: it is a USDA Certified Biobased Product.
- ipqk 3y agoI stopped using rinse-aid entirely on my 10-year old Bosch, and barely notice a difference. Maybe plastics come out a tad wetter than before, but they were never fully dry even with rinse-aid.