Miele DW: Rinse aid absolutely necessary?

13 years ago

Hi all,

Dishwasher dilemma: I'm putting in a new kitchen and am busy researching all appliances. For the dw, I really want the third rack. I've seen the KA's cutlery racks and they seem a bit flimsy and not to hold as much as the Miele's. But I HATE rinse aid. When I use it in my (poor) Kenmore Elite, it seems to stay on the glassware. I can taste it in a glass of water and there are small bubbles when I fill the glass. Maybe that wouldn't happen in Miele? Is rinse aid absolutely necessary in a lower level Miele? Is the KA third rack really okay?

Thanks much!

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Comments (14)

plllog
13 years ago
I am totally with you there. This is why I didn't even consider getting a Miele. That said, some, if not all, Miele models have adjustments for water hardness, and built in softener (salt) and all kinds of other fanciness. Plus it's a fancy new German engineered dishwasher.

What I can tell you is that if there's enough soap left on your glasses to bubble (rinse aid is a surfactant which breaks the surface tension of water drops, i.e., it's soap), your old DW was using WAY too much of it and inadequately rinsing. So the Miele really might be fine.

Is there a Miele showroom near you? Or an applaince showroom where they have one installed (with plumbing) where you can try it out? Sometimes they can even find someone in your neighborhood to put you in touch with.
weissman
13 years ago
Short answer - Miele and other European brands require rinseaid if you want dry dishes. KA and other American brands have heated dry and don't require rinse aid.
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ca_mom
Original Author
13 years ago
Thanks plllog. I will check out the showroom...there's one nearby. I'll bring my dishes too. (btw, just bought the 610 model Gagg induction for what I think is a good price...tell me I'll love it please! The Miele touchpad wasn't always my friend in the showroom.)

Thanks weissman. When I use my Kenmore overnight and select no heat dry things are dry enough...just a few puddles in bottom of mugs and such. Do you think I'd have similar results in a Miele w/o rinse aid?
plllog
13 years ago
You'll LOVE it!!! Really! Guess who's cooking lunches in July? And lifting the knob to clean? Just don't lose the knob!

Congrats on the purchase! And good luck at Miele.
ca_mom
Original Author
13 years ago
Thank you plllog. I'll sleep better tonight!
weissman
13 years ago
If you leave it to sit overnight, you'll probably get dry dishes. If you want dry dishes at the end of the wash, you'll either need heated dry or rinse aid.
tired_99
13 years ago
Hi

Just want to say I have a brand new Miele and this is my only complaint with it - there is no way to adjust the amount of rinse aid dispensed, and I can see bubbles when a fill a glass and "taste" it (although, to me, it's not so much a taste as a weird, slightly burning sensation). It is particularly bad in the first week of refilling rinse aid.

Wet or dry finished dishes aside, will it actually damage my machine if I just stop putting the rinse aid in? The taste is yucky and I really don't care to consider the chemical residue on everything we eat from now!

Tired
weissman
13 years ago
No, it won't damage your DW if you leave out the rinse aid. I'm really surprised the Miele doesn't have a way to let you dial down the amount of rinse aid dispensed - most other brands do.
tired_99
13 years ago
All I can find in the booklet is a sentence about the machine determining the proper amount to dispense (as opposed to the discussion about the salt dispensor, which has a lot of detail about how to adjust). If I missed the memo on how to adjust it, someone feel free to enlighten me - I'm not proud!
User
13 years ago
tired - what model Miele DW do you have? They ALL have adjustments.
tired_99
13 years ago
I have the Optima G 2472.

Thanks!
User
13 years ago
Get out your owner manual and look on page 15, there is half a page devoted to "adjusting the dosage".

While you're at it you should set the water hardness in case your installer forgot to. You will need to test your water or contact you water provider for the hardness reading.
ras9999
13 years ago
One post said the rinseaid is needed for al german dishwashers.

What about the Bosche dishwasher?
We are debating between that and the Thermador (to make it look the same as the others) but want something real easy to manage (with 3 kids)

any advice?
User
13 years ago
9999 - the Bosch and Thermador DW's are the same except for the labels and price and they both need rinse aid.

All German and European designed DW's need rinse aid to work effectively. That said - you don't have to use it, the machines will clean fine, but they might leave you with damp dishes after a cycle without it.

Miele DW: Rinse aid absolutely necessary?

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Miele DW: Rinse aid absolutely necessary?

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