Are You Using Too Much Dishwasher Detergent?

Does your dishwasher smell weird? Is there a film or grittiness to your glassware? You might be using too much detergent. 

I’m embarrassed to admit it, but this happened to me. And after realizing what the problem was, I had two reactions. 1) “Ugh, you guys own a soap store and you didn’t know this?” 2) Oh, this is really easy to fix. We should share this information with our customers. 

As for the first one, well, we’re all human and prone to a few mistakes! And for the second, let’s jump right in.

Too much detergent can leave a sticky film on your glasses along with undissolved chemicals all over the machine. That can trap small food particles, greasy residue and bacteria. Those unwelcome leftovers lead to an unpleasant smell.

Dumping extra rinse aid in there won’t solve the problem, but there’s an easy fix. 

Use less detergent. Start with a tablespoon and go from there.

And if you want to get rid of the smell, just run a vinegar cycle. Put some vinegar in a glass cup or bowl, put it on the top rack in an otherwise empty dishwasher and run a hot cycle (usually a standard wash or a heavy duty one). That’ll dissolve the built-up detergent and all the gross stuff trapped in there.  

Make sure to keep the filter clean too.

The right amount of detergent can depend on the dishwasher itself, so your best bet is to follow the instructions for that specific machine. The dishwasher detergent we sell is more concentrated, and we’ve found that a single tablespoon works fine for most normal loads.