I'm always baffled about people looking at things like this compartment and don't think it has any kind of significance whatsoever.
Like do they think it's just put there fore giggles? How uninterested in the world around you can you be?
It drives me nuts when i encounter people like this.
Not quite fair, since once you know it's a compartment it's obvious that it's for something, but with all the sensors and access panels appliances have that are not user serviceable it's not that surprising that there could be a plastic panel in the door of your dishwasher that appeared to do nothing.
Really the only thing that might raise an eyebrow is that it is in a door that gets wet so limiting extra things like that would be good, but perfectly reasonable to assume it was for some type of sensor if you didn't notice the little latch for the door.
There's a little protrusion in the base to check the height of the water, have you ever closely examined that to see if it says 'put bleach in here' or something?
but the door usually snaps and stays open after wasching, so it's clear that you cand put something in there
My 15 year old dishwasher has a hanging basket for tablets... It also has your standard drawer for tablets / powders / liquids.
The impression it's given me is, you do you; I'll spin the hot water and give it my best.
I wash by hand. Please convince me to use a dishwasher?
obligatory technology connections comment
Seconded, however:
WARNING:
if you go to Technology Connections YT channel, we are not responsible ~~if~~ when you find yourself watching a 6 hour play list on light bulbs
Or even worse, six hours of video making LED christmas lights look like the incandescent light from 30 years ago.
We all came here to say this ^
Well since nobody else is giving away the spoiler on the 6 hours of technology connections videos( didn’t know there was a third now), it’s to fill the little compartment with the dishwasher manufacturers(not the detergent bottles) recommended amount of detergent and to also add a little bit in the bottom of the dishwasher too to help that pre rinse cycle before the main cycle begins.
I love watching his videos but not everybody does. To those people, you’re welcome
Thank you. I got about 1/3 through, checked to see if it was almost over, and proceeded to close the tab.
Note that this is only true when not using eco mode, which opens the door right away so you can just chuck the tablet in like a caveman. Mine happens to work well enough in eco mode and the little door tends to get stuck on things, so that's what I usually do.
If your (modern) dishwasher isn't cleaning properly in eco mode, either you have very hard water, or you should clean the filter more often.
If you don't remember when the last time you cleaned the filter is, go clean it now.
obligatory Technology Connections video on dishwashers
Was gonna say, someone's not subscribed to Dishwasher and Christmas Lights Rants.
Additional advice: Clean the dishwasher filter regularly.
the what?
Assuming you don't have a manual to read: First, start with a freshly -emptied clean dishwasher, no spills in the bottom. Wear rubber gloves if you're easily grossed out. Pull out the bottom drawer. Look in the bottom, you see anything that looks like you could turn it 🛞, with maybe a couple arrows ▶️ ◀️ to line up? Lefty-loosey it, pull it out and take it to the sink, along with any screenlike thingamabobs that come out with it. Run warm water and use hands, sink brush, or scrunge to gently remove all the gunk. You don't have to abuse it, you want it to last the life of the machine. Also feel in the hole, removing any gunk left behind. If the filter pieces come apart easily, do that, but put them back as they were before reinserting into the machine. Fit it back into the hole and righty-tighty to match up the arrows. Don't over-tighten! Go rinse out your sink, dry your hands, and set a monthly notification on your phone. It's much less gross if you do it monthly.
oh that doesn’t sound as bad as i was expecting. thank you for the explanation. i believe i have found the wheel and i will give it a go this coming weekend after i secure some gloves and prepare myself mentally for what’s to come. the reminder thing sounds like a good idea, i have a poor habit of letting some of these home maintenance things slip my mind and the new year might be a good excuse to try to do those things more routinely. we’ll see how it goes.
Even if you find a lot of gunk, remember it's had hot soapy water washing through it every time you ran the dishwasher, killing a lot of the germs at least.
angry Alec noises
Technology connections would like to know your location
One of the most useful videos on YouTube that EVERYONE in the world should watch.
Still, this video improved my dishwasher-life soooo much.
Powder detergent is much better.
Unfortunately it's getting hard to find at this point
It makes it really easy to add the tablespoon of detergent to the tub for the prewash as well as the needed dose for the dishes (which is really not much unless you have it loaded with greasy plates)
Technology Connections on YouTube has several relevant videos
I have a friend who does this. I tried explaining to her that she's doing it wrong. She told me I'm wrong and she won't discuss it further. I don't get some people.
Most people hate being wrong, or corrected. They seem to see it as an affront to their very existence, and will often fight back tooth and nail when confronted with any evidence that the things they believe about the world might not be 100% correct.
Source: Any substantial comment thread on any social media platform, ever.
This guy clearly doesn't subscribe to technology connections
.....or has much common sense—what did he think that thing on the door was all about.
Wait till this guy discovers he should probably use rinse aid and salt too
Edit: oh....and he's definitely never cleaned the filter
Everyone saying to rtfm has not lived in rental housing with the landlord special dish washer. You can only rtfm when you have tm.
But anyway, putting a bit of soap in with your pre wash isn't a bad idea. Maybe not a whole tablet but then again, maybe they never thought to look for powdered soap before. I certainly didnt until I watched the technology connections video.
Wait until he discovers that you can clean the filters at the bottom and get things even cleaner.
Just RTFM?
I read somewhere that around ⅓ of people (at least in my country) are effectively illiterate. They can read but they can’t really understand what they read. They can’t solve logical tasks and would fail for example to take medication according to written instruction. It does explain a lot.
A long time ago, as I was getting ready to get dinner with a friend. I asked her if she could start my dishwasher. It was all loaded and just needed the detergent which was under the sink...well, we got back and the kitchen was flooded and filled with suds and bubbles. Turned out she used the dish soap next to the sink instead of the detergent. Cleaned it up, laughed, and was reminded of the different experiences we all have from people who grow up in more wealthy households.
I ran out of dishwasher detergent one time. I KNEW you can't use regular soap, but I said if I just use a tiny amount, I'll rewash later if I have to. It can't be THAT bad.
No.
No amount is ever the right amount other than none.
This is the level of understanding I'd expect from someone who thinks vibes affect modern appliances.
And next we'll tell you what the little hatch labeled "rinse aid" is for.
In other news, major manufacturers are starting to ship appliances now without including any printed instructions. I can see that it's just as well; it's clear that nobody would read them anyway.