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This is a new machine and never worked with the eco kind. What can I use? — Dan, Santa Cruz, Calif.
Dear Dan: Mother Earth is very happy that you are using a dishwasher rather than washing your dishes by hand!
Researchers at the University of Bonn, Germany, found that washing dishes in a dishwasher uses half the energy, one-sixth the water, and less soap than washing the same dishes by hand. Even the most careful, efficient hand-washers were unable to beat the machine, and machine-washed dishes always win the cleanliness competition.
In order to make sure your dishes can actually get clean, make sure your hot water heater is set to at least 120 degrees. If your dishwasher has a “temperature boost” setting, make sure the booster is turned on.
Our extremely efficient European dishwasher has one design flaw: The temperature boost button is “on” when it’s sticking out, and “off” when it’s pushed in. Every once in a while, someone leans against the booster button, and the next load of dishes doesn’t get clean.
Detergents with enzymes, which digest proteins, are more effective than detergents without enzymes. If your dishwashing detergent is old, caked or moist, the enzymes have been inactivated, so throw it out and buy some fresh detergent.
Also, don’t add the detergent until right before you run the wash cycle, because if it waits around in the detergent compartment for too long it may get damp and won’t work properly.
In order to clean your dishwasher and make it smell good again, pour two cups of distilled white vinegar into a glass or ceramic bowl, put the bowl right side up on the bottom rack of the dishwasher, then run it through an entire wash cycle.
If your dishwasher has a “rinse aid” compartment, fill it with distilled white vinegar. The vinegar will help prevent water spots and clouding.
We have had very good luck with Seventh Generation dishwasher detergent.
Dear Ellen: I keep getting slime on the inside of our shower curtain. I hate washing shower curtains and don’t want to spray them with bleach. What can I do? — Amber
Dear Amber: If the slime consists of residue from hair care products and soap, you need to rinse the curtain off after you rinse yourself off.
If the slime is mildew, you need to make sure the curtain dries out quickly and completely after you shower. Leave the curtain slightly open after you’ve finished washing so the shower stall can dry out, and either leave the bathroom window open or the ventilation fan running for at least 20 minutes to lower the humidity after you’re done showering, or a slimy shower curtain may be the least of your worries.
Spraying the shower curtain with white distilled vinegar also will help slow the growth of mildew. A little spray of vinegar is good for your skin, too, as it helps restore the normal acidity of your skin after you use soap.
And last but not least: A washable nylon shower curtain is one of God’s gifts to the householder.
When it gets dirty or slimy, you can just throw it in the washing machine with some bath towels, and it will be restored to its pristine beauty.
Ellen Sandbeck is an organic landscaper, worm wrangler, writer and graphic artist. Send questions to ellen.sandbeck@gmail.com or Ask Ellen, 4781 Emerson Road, Duluth, MN 55803.
