I've been using 20 Mule Team Borax for all kinds of cleaning, etc., around the house forever. I just read on the new box to put some in your dishwasher to help the cleaning power of detergent and to eliminate spots and film from dishes and glasses. It says to put 1/4 cup in bottom of dishwasher but the amount might vary depending on the age and condition of dishwasher and your water hardness/softness. Many of the new models use very little water so one might want to reduce the amount.
I'm going to throw a sprinkle in when we do a rinse/hold as sometimes after a few days a little odor will build up waiting it to be full enough to do a full wash. I usually use the "smart wash" feature so I let the dishwasher decide how much washing/rinsing it needs to do. This "function" takes longer, though, but since we only run full wash, at the most, twice a week, I figure running longer for the "real" wash is okay. BTW.... we have loads of dishes, flatware, glasses so we rarely run out of clean ones.
Most of our cookware is Calphalon Anodized Aluminum so they have to be hand washed. When my DD got married I asked her why she chose SS instead of the Calphalon like we have (it displays nicely on a rack) and she said, "Because I can't put yours in the dishwasher." Wish I had thought about that when we replaced all of ours with the Calphalon. DH has purchased a few specialty pieces in past few years. (He researches them as if he was buying a new car.
) Guess what? They are Stainless Steel. My Chef SIL's favorite pieces are well seasoned Iron. He probably doesn't use them at restaurants a lot (really not sure though) but loads at home where they can be properly cleaned.
gg=alice
