Dishwasher tablets can quickly add up to over £100 a year and that’s before you factor in the cost of rinse aid, salt and using the machine. But are there cheaper options that give the same results?
I love discovering clever money-saving tips, but I’m not convinced that I need to sacrifice sparkling clean dishes to take advantage of them.
I’ve come across quite a few suggestions for cost-cutting while still getting a great clean – and I’ve summed up some popular tips below.
Saving money on dishwasher detergent
Let’s start with the obvious: looking out for money-saving deals on Best Buy dishwasher detergents or holding out until the next multibuy offer. Last year we found that big brand detergents were on promotion more often than not in several major supermarkets. The good news is that this is still true, although only if you’re prepared to shop around until you find a good deal.
Recently a Which? member contacted us about how he has literally cut his dishwasher costs in half. He’s started to use half a dishwasher tablet in each load to get double the number of washes for the money. This came up in a Convo on money-saving tips a while back too, when Jules Benning suggested the tip for those living in soft water areas.
Breaking a tablet in two is easier said than done; in my experience it involved a sharp knife and a fair amount of patience. So I’m not sure if this is something I’d recommend. Also, with some dishwasher tablets now made partly of gel, it might be rather a messy option!
Tips for sparkling crockery
One member shared their tip about using a fresh lemon:
‘Put a couple of slices of lemon in the dishwasher – it works as a rinse aid and keeps everything sparkling and fresh.’
I’ve also come across suggestions for using white vinegar instead of rinse aid, scraping (rather than pre-rinsing) dishes, washing glasses separately, and running the kitchen hot tap before starting the dishwasher.
Have you tried any of these methods? Do you have any other top dishwashing tips – either for better cleaning or saving money? Or do you think the best money-saving advice is to forgo dishwashers altogether?
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