Have you recently installed the EasyWater No-Salt Conditinoer, and you’re now noticing a white haze on your glassware out of the dishwasher? There are a couple of reasons why this might be happening, but the most common reason is – surprisingly – the use of too much detergent in the dishwasher.

Water treated with the EasyWater No-Salt Conditioner requires on average 40% less detergent than untreated hard water, and any extra soap will actually cause a white haze that looks just like mineral build-up. Here’s what you can do to prevent it.

1. First, let’s confirm the cause of the haze on your dishes

Take three glasses from your cupboard, and set one aside on the counter to use as your control. The second glass should be soaked in vinegar for about 1 hour, and the third glass should be held under warm running water while you wipe it with a sponge. Now compare these two glasses to the control. Which one is more clear? If the glass soaked in vinegar is more clear, your issue is not one of too much detergent, but rather mineral hazing. If the glass that you held under running water is more clear, take heart! You have detergent build-up, but it’s probably reversible. If there’s no change with either of the glasses, there’s not much you can do to reverse the damage from soap build-up but you can move forward knowing how to prevent it from happening again.

2. Next, you’ll want to start with a clean slate

Pour 1-2 cups of white vinegar into the bottom of your empty dishwasher, and run a full cycle. You’re not using detergent in this step, because the goal here is to clean the dishwasher itself to remove any detergent or mineral residue.

3. Make sure your dishes are dirty when you load them

We’ve talked with many customers who essentially use their dishwasher as a sterilizer, in an attempt to ensure that the dishes that they’ve already washed by hand are as clean as possible. The thing is, dishwashing detergents are formulated to get dishes clean, and not to sterilize them. Detergents need something to “work on”, and if there’s no residual food left on a plate the detergent will simply coat the dish, leaving behind a cloudy haze. It’s best to just scrape your dishes before loading, and let the dishwasher do the cleaning.

4. Now you’ll need to make a conscious decision to reduce your soap usage

This can take some trial and error. We recommend a powdered detergent such as Cascade Complete, because powdered detergents allow you the flexibility to adjust the amount you use.  A good starting point is to use 1 tablespoon of detergent in the open or “prewash” detergent compartment, and one tablespoon of Lemishine in the closed detergent compartment.  The amount you’ll need to use for the best results is dependent on many factors, including the quality and temperature of your water, the age of your dishwasher and the type of detergent you choose, so gradually decrease your detergent use until you find the best mix for you.  It might take some time, but it’s definitely worth it to find out exactly what you need for the best results! If you’ve gone the trial and error route and nothing seems to be working, it could be that your favorite detergent has changed their formulation.

5. Turn off the “Heat Dry” cycle

You’ll want to turn it off especially while you’re in the trial and error phase. If you’ve used too much detergent, this cycle will cause the detergent to bake on to the dish and potentially cause permanent etching. Besides, this cycle uses quite a bit of energy, and it’s not always necessary.