Understanding the Settings on Your Dishwasher

Our dishwasher is a lifesaver. What would we do without them? If you are like the average American who owns a dishwasher, you probably use it often. But do you use the same setting every time? Maybe you are not even aware of what the other settings do. Because if the tried and true “Normal” setting works every time, why try the others? Well, the truth is, you may be wasting perfectly good washing power. Your dishwasher has those other settings for a reason. Let us explore them a bit more.

 

Quick Clean

Most dishwasher owners probably shy away from this setting because a thorough clean is always best, right? Well let’s say you had a small gathering where only drinks were served, do you really need to wash a load of mainly glasses and mugs for an entire normal cycle? Probably not. The “Quick Clean”, or “1 Hour” on some models, is designed to sanitize dishes that are lightly soiled. This feature is great after a night of drinks and appetizers, but not so great after a Sunday dinner.

Heavy Duty

The “Heavy” cycle lives up to its name and is meant for dishes that are heavily soiled. Think cheesy casserole dishes or spaghetti sauce covered plates. This is the setting to use if you have a mix of plates and cookware to wash. It uses high temps and extra wash cycle times to get all those little bits of food and gunk off your dishes.

Air Dry

This setting is perfect for those looking to conserve energy but still want to utilize their dishwasher. Instead of using high heat to dry your dishes after a wash cycle, it just finishes. We recommend cracking the door open to speed up the drying process. Also, keep in mind that plastics do not dry as well with this method – so you may have to towel dry those dishes yourself.

 

Is something wrong with your dishwasher settings? Then give Express Appliance Repair a call today!