It’s easy to add rinse aid to your dishwasher. Unfortunately, if you don’t add rinse aid often enough, your dishes may come out with spots.
If you want spot-free dishes and sparkling glasses without using harsh chemicals, consider using a rinsing agent. A rinsing agent coats the dishes and keeps water from beading up, causing spots.
If you have hard water, a rinse aid prevents minerals from depositing on your dishes. Rinse aid also helps remove food particles stuck to your dishwasher’s mist sprayer during the final rinse cycle so the food particles don’t leave spots on your dishes.
Precautions
It’s okay to use rinsing agents, but if you have hard water, scale can build up in the dishwasher. This can damage your dishwasher, so keep an eye out for these tell-tale signs of hard water buildup. You’ll know it when you see it.
If you have hard water, use a rinse aid only once a month. Also, make sure to clean the dishwasher’s filter after using an agent so hard water minerals don’t clog your machine.
Tools And Equipment Needed
- Rinse Aid
- Measuring Cup
- Pitcher (Optional)
How To Add Rinse Aid To Whirlpool Dishwasher
Step 1: Unload the dishwasher and check for spots or film on your dishes. This is a sign of hard water buildup so use a rinsing agent to prevent this from happening again.
Step 2: Fill up the rinse aid container with rinse aid and add it to an empty dishwasher or to your detergent compartment.
Step 3: Run the rinse cycle on your dishwasher without dishes inside. This gets rid of any excess rinse aid left in the container so it doesn’t mess with your next load.
Step 4: Use a measuring cup to refill the container with rinse aid and put it back if you used the measuring cup in Step 2.
Step 5: Wash another load of dishes on Heavy or Normal wash cycle with no detergent. This last rinse cycle ensures that all the film from your previous load is gone without using soap or harsh chemicals.
Tips And Cautions For When Adding Rinse Aid To Whirlpool Dishwasher
1. Rinse aid comes in several forms: gel packs, liquid and sheet.
2. Dishwasher rinse aids can mix with your dishwashing soap if you add it to the detergent compartment.
3. Don’t use the rinse agent container for anything but a rinse aid because it can clog up and ruin your machine.
4. If you have hard water, use a rinse aid only once a month.
5. If you’re not sure how to add rinse aid, read the owner’s manual or check online for specific instructions on your model of dishwasher.
6. Rinse aid keeps your dishes spot-free and sparkling without harsh chemicals so you can skip using soap in the final rinse cycle.
7. If your glasses and silverware come out spotted, you can try using a rinsing agent to remove hard water deposits or scale from the inside of your dishwasher.
8. Check for hard water buildup by looking for white spots on glassware and cloudy glass after washing dishes in hard water conditions. These are signs of hard water buildup.
9. Scale deposits are also heavy enough to damage your dishwasher’s components over time, so you’ll want to keep an eye out for these telltale spots around the bottom of the tub or under the spray arm.
If you find this, run a load without detergent after using a rinse aid. Rinse aids prevent hard water deposits, but if build-up has already occurred, you may need to clean the dishwasher out before adding a rinse aid.
10. Rinse agents can add more suds to your machine if you have low water pressure or a high-efficiency washer where there isn’t enough water coming through your pipes. If you have low water pressure, you can reduce the amount of soap that gets into your dishwasher with each load.
Conclusion
Rinse aid keeps your dishes spot-free and sparkling without harsh chemicals so you can skip using soap in the final rinse cycle.
If you have hard water, use a rinse aid only once a month. Also, make sure to clean the dishwasher’s filter after using an agent so hard water minerals don’t clog your machine.
Make sure to use a measuring cup with your rinse aid so you don’t accidentally add too much and damage your machine with clogs or low water pressure issues.
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