Is Fairy safe to use in the dishwasher?
In the midst of the economic crisis, our people are desperate to save a little. It would be fine if it were just a constructive saving, but sometimes, in an effort to save a few extra cents in their wallets, people resort to monstrous spending, all due to a lack of information. A "fake" rumor has been circulating online for quite some time now that you can use regular Fairy dishwashing detergent in your dishwasher instead of special detergent. We're tempted to check it out. But really, let's find out experimentally whether Fairy can be used in a dishwasher.
Is it dangerous to flood Fairy?
From an economic perspective, the prospect is more than enticing. A bottle of Fairy for hand dishwashing costs less than Fairy dishwasher capsules. Moreover, as the advertising tells us, just a few drops of this product are needed to wash a whole mountain of dishes. Putting these two facts together is easy, and the conclusion is already formed that adding a few drops of Fairy to the dishwasher will clean all your dirty dishes perfectly, while saving you a lot of money. Let's not jump to conclusions; let's put this to the test.
The experiment involved: two technicians from our service center, Bosch SMS24AW01R dishwasher, a bottle of Fairy, and two dozen artificially soiled plates. The goal of the experiment: to test whether a dishwasher with a few drops of this detergent will clean dishes and whether it will damage the appliance.
- A few drops of Fairy were added to the powder compartment. To prevent leakage, the technicians spread Fairy over the inside of the compartment.
- We started the regular washing program.
- At the end of the program, the dishes were removed and placed in a designated area for inspection.
What's the result? The dishes didn't wash well. The dirt was only partially removed. The machine would have washed just as well without any detergent. Obviously, the power of a few drops of Fairy is not enough to wash dishes in the dishwasher. The product has dissolved well, as evidenced by the clean powder compartment, on which only light traces of foam remain.
So, is using Fairy pointless if it doesn't clean dishes in the dishwasher at all? Let's not jump to conclusions and continue the experiment. We decided to repeat the experiment, but instead of a few drops of Fairy, we added a full tablespoon of the product. What did the increased dosage do?
After 35 minutes of washing, foam started seeping out of the cracks in the dishwasher door. We had to stop the wash because there was a risk of foam getting on the control module. And so our experiment ended ingloriously. It turns out that if you don't use enough Fairy detergent, the dishes will remain dirty, but if you use too much, excessive foaming can damage the dishwasher's electronics. Draw your own conclusions.
Repairing the control module can cost half the price of a new dishwasher.
How to save detergent correctly?
It's probably clear by now what happens if you use regular dishwashing detergent in your dishwasher. But you still want to save money. Let's figure out how to do this without compromising dishwashing performance or harming your dishwasher.
- Reduce the amount of special dishwasher detergent you use by half. If it's powder, use 15 grams instead of 30. If it's tablets, feel free to cut them in half. A whole tablet is only needed if the machine is loaded to the brim with very dirty dishes.
- Stock up on dishes and wash them once a day. This will save you a little extra money. You'll also benefit from reduced water and energy costs.
- If it's time to change your electricity meter, install a device with split readings. Electricity is cheaper at night, meaning you can save a little by running your washing machine at night.
To run your dishwasher at night, you don't have to go to bed late or get up specially. Simply set the delayed start. The machine will automatically turn on when needed.
Homemade detergents: good or bad?
There's a fairly large group of people who prefer to make their own dishwasher detergents. Adherents of homemade products vie with each other to praise the recipes for their cleaning "concoctions," neglecting to mention that their ingredients can seriously damage your appliance.
Take mustard-based recipes, for example. It's hard to say who first thought of adding dry mustard to a dishwasher, but the results are always disastrous. Mustard swells in hot water, clogging the spray arms, the dust filter, the pump, and even the pipes. Washing dishes with mustard-based detergent two or three times is enough to make the machine a serious scrubbing job.
Even more dangerous are recipes containing vinegar essence. This chemical can damage the heating element. You'll save $2-3 by using vinegar instead of a professional cleaner, but then the heating element will break, and you'll be left wondering what to do about it. Replacing the heating element will be significantly more expensive, so you might want to stock up on dishwashing tablets for a year.
Let's sum it up. Special dishwasher detergents weren't developed for nothing. There was a good reason. So, save your regular Fairy for when you have to wash dishes by hand and head to the store for powder or tablets. Good luck!
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Dishwasher
Thank you for your experiment, very instructive!!
Yeah, right... If foam can so easily get into the electronics control module, then water can do the same. Not directly, but in the form of moisture. This is clearly a planned failure. You need to look for a dishwasher with an insulated and practically sealed electronics module.
Today I tried washing dishes in the dishwasher with regular Fairy. Everything worked out great. Just don't go to extremes. Not a tablespoon or a few drops, just a teaspoon of Fairy and everything is perfect. No foam and the dishes are washed. It's like you're deliberately not wanting to mention this. I have a large dishwasher.
The vinegar and mustard stuff is a lie. I've been using both for three years. Everything's fine.
Fairy is tough. I don't even wash dishes with it by hand.
But if you splash a little good, low-foaming dishwashing detergent into the machine itself (to rinse it in the pre-rinse mode), not into the detergent dispenser, and add some regular baking soda into the dispenser (you can add another spoonful of baking soda after opening the dispenser lid), the washing results will be quite decent.
I use it rarely, when I suddenly run out of product and don't feel like going to the store. It cleans dishes well. My machine is a Bosch, manufactured in 2007. It works great!
I washed it and everything was fine. No foam came out. The ingredients are identical, by the way.
Regular washing soda. Cleans everything.
And I dried the Fairy PPM for 2 days and it’s not the electronic unit that’s in the door and nothing will happen to it, but the internal sensors of the machine.
I can confirm, a teaspoon of Fairy works wonders, better than tablets in my opinion. The dishwasher is like new inside, and the dishes are perfect. It even cleans pans better than tablets.