Written by Marijn
Edited on
16 September 2024
·
14:25
Why does your dishwasher need salt?
After a while, limescale starts to appear in a dishwasher due to the water. This causes white stains on your glasses. Dishwasher salt removes the limescale from the water and prevents damage to your dishes. In this article, you can read which salt you need and how to refill it.
What's the function of salt?
The water that the dishwasher uses to rinse contains limescale and magnesium. Water that contains a lot of limescale and magnesium is called 'hard water'. Every dishwasher has a water softener that removes the limescale and magnesium from the water. After a while, this part fills up and can no longer perform its job properly. The dishwasher salt helps, so the dishwasher lasts longer.
Where do you put the salt in the dishwasher?
You can find the salt reservoir at the bottom of your dishwasher. You can recognize it by the large dial. Fill this reservoir with salt. How often you should refill the salt depends on how many dishwasher cycles you run and the water hardness. Most dishwashers notify you when they're out of salt. The water hardness depends on where you live. You can adjust the dishwasher accordingly to prevent glass corrosion and white stains on your dishes. Always add water to the reservoir after you've refilled the salt.
Which salt should you use?
You can't use kitchen salt, because you need special dishwasher salt. This salt has a coarse texture and doesn't leave any traces. It dissolves easily and evenly. In addition, it usually contains anti-clogging agents to prevent blockages in the dishwasher. If you use all-in-one dishwasher tabs, you don't have to add salt. Do you still get white stains on your glasses? We recommend you use salt anyway, so your dishes don't get damaged.
Article by Marijn
Dishwasher Expert.
