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Water hardness and dishwashing
What is water hardness?
Hard water is water with a high concentration of minerals such as calcium and magnesium. In
soft water, this concentration is low. Water hardness varies by geographical location.
How does water hardness affect dishwashing?
Hard water can be detrimental to the performance of your dishwasher. Over time, glassware
washed in hard water will become opaque and dishes will become spotted or covered in a white
film. Using very hard water can cause dishwasher parts to fail over time.
Naturally soft or softened water has no detrimental effects if used with the correct amount of
detergent. However, excess detergent combined with hot, soft water may cause irreversible
etching on glassware. Etching first appears as a rainbow-coloured film and—if allowed to
continue—can make glassware permanently opaque.
What can I do to minimise any detrimental effects?
Contact your local water company to find out about water hardness in your area.
If your home has hard water and your dishwasher has no built-in water softener…
Follow the detergent quantity recommendations on the following pages.
If available, use a detergent with high phosphate content. Phosphate softens the water and this
improves wash results. If detergent with phosphate is not available, we recommend using multi-
purpose tablets.
Use rinse aid. We recommend you turn the rinse aid setting to 5 to help improve wash
performance.
Use a dishwasher cleaner/descaler regularly, or whenever you notice a build-up of limescale
deposits in your dishwasher.
Important!
We recommend fitting a water softener to the household water supply. If the water hardness in your
home is above 250 ppm/14.6 gpg, a water softener has to be fitted to maintain the performance of your
dishwasher.
If your home has naturally soft or softened water…
Avoid using too much detergent. Follow the quantity recommendations on the following pages.
Ensure the drawer is not overloaded and water can reach all the dishes.