Getting the most out of your dishwasher

Unloading the dishwasher just now reminded me that it's time to do a vinegar rinse to get rid of the mineral buildup. The water is very hard here and the minerals that settle out of the water stain everything. I'm meticulous about the granite countertops--constantly wiping them to make sure there's no sitting water drops.  If I let water sit, pretty soon I've got a dull, crusty stain that's almost impossible to get rid of short of literally scraping it off with a razor blade.  

In addition to the hard water, there's another issue for automatic dishwashers. When we moved in, we bought a new dishwasher.  The first couple of times I ran it, the dishes came out filmy and not that clean. I discovered there are two problems: the hardness of the water, plus the fact that California has banned phosphates from detergents.  I suppose it's better for the environment and our health to eliminate that stuff, but it did work.  

Over time, I've discovered a few tricks to get the best possible performance out of the dishwasher...

• Fill the detergent cup all the way up.  With much softer water in our previous locale, I was used to filling the cup only halfway. Here, I've got to go all the way to the top.
• Be sure to use some sort of rinse aid. That JetDry stuff is quite expensive at Safeway, but there's a Cascade brand that is much cheaper and works just as well. 
• Clean the filter each and every time you run the dishwasher. 
• Anything that has contained dairy is particularly tough to clean. We make fresh fruit and yogurt smoothies a few times a week, and if I put the glasses and blender jar straight in the dw, they're come out filmy with bits of seeds still clinging to the sides. I have to wipe them out with a dishcloth first. 
• Knives that have been used to spread peanut butter also have to be wiped off first. 
• Clean the dishwasher periodically by putting a cup of vinegar in the top rack and running the dishwasher empty. 

The vinegar rinse gets most of the buildup, and softens the bits left behind so it's pretty easily wiped up with a sponge. Still, if there's that much buildup that I can see inside, it must be coating the pipes as well.  Over the long run, this can't be good for the dishwasher.

Eventually we will look into a water softening system for the house. The amount of choices is rather daunting and I've been putting it off. There's also been some talk about laws to ban water softeners, so I'd better get on it before it's too late.  In the meantime, I just face the fact that some things just aren't going to come out good, and as I empty the dishwasher I might have to set aside some things for hand washing.