Technological advances have brought many useful inventions. Among them is a dishwasher. But having acquired it, a person invariably faces a number of questions, for example, which detergent to choose. Among their wide variety, a special dishwasher salt... This salt makes the water softer and the machine lasts longer.
Why is salt needed?
The water from the mains contains various impurities, including calcium and magnesium salts. These are the very ones that are dangerous to our cars, since in hot water these salts decompose and form a deposit, well known as scale. And scale is dangerous for heating elements. Therefore, they resort to using household chemicals containing special salt for the dishwasher, the composition of which makes it possible to replace harmful elements with harmless ones.
See also - Dishwasher detergents
Types of salt used
Which salt is best? Opinions differ significantly here. Everyone agrees that you need to add salt. But should you buy special salt in dishwasher tablets? Or can you get by with regular table salt? Here everyone decides for himself. It's all about the cost: special dishwasher salt is much more expensive than ordinary kitchen salt. In addition, there are other points to consider.
Firstly, special dishwasher salt is produced in granular form so that the ducts of the machine are not clogged. Regular kitchen salt is generally better refined, but its fine-grained composition makes it difficult. If you completely fill the salt compartment with it, then it will not dissolve completely, and, accordingly, will stagnate.
See also - Why put salt in the dishwasher
Secondly, even with the most thorough cleaning, some fine sand or pebbles still remain in the kitchen salt. And they very quickly clog the filter and prevent the machine from working further. Therefore, when choosing salt for a dishwasher, you should take into account that ordinary rock salt is not suitable here at all, except that "Extra".
Thirdly, the special salt contains several salts that facilitate the operation of the ion exchanger. And the long-term use of table salt has not been experimentally confirmed, so it is used at your own peril and risk. On the other hand, although branded salts from Kaiser, Miele or Kuppersberg are not cheap, they will more reliably protect important working elements of the machine, which will extend its service life. Therefore, saving on salt added to the dishwasher is a relative concept.
But, on the other hand, we pay for the car once, and salt must be bought constantly. And naturally, everyone here needs to find their golden mean. Therefore, a good advice is to take into account all the pros and cons before using regular kitchen salt or buying an expensive special salt.
Why is special salt called regenerating salt?
The term dishwasher regenerating salt is often used to refer to specially produced salt. It is associated with its composition and the principle of its action.Regeneration takes place in the ion exchanger: calcium, which forms scale, is replaced by sodium, harmless to the machine, by special sodium-containing resins. To recover the sodium “washed out” from the resin during the cycle, the ion exchanger is flushed with a highly concentrated saline solution. After rinsing, the sodium content in the resin is restored and our machine is ready to wash a new batch of dishes. Therefore, salt is called "regenerating".
How much salt should I put in the dishwasher?
A special compartment is provided for it, and in the instructions for each model it is written how much it needs to be filled. Add dishwasher salt according to these instructions. Periodically, of course, you need to check its quantity and, if necessary, replenish it in order to soften the water.
