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Home - Garden
Here's What All Of Your Dishwasher Settings Really Mean
By DANIEL FEININGER
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1. Quick Wash
The quick wash cycle is a great place to start when evaluating the full functionality of your dishwasher, and running it is exactly what its name implies.
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It typically runs from 20 minutes to an hour and is ideal for lightly used dishes and other kitchen essentials, but it won't remove heavy staining or caked-on food material.
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2. Eco Cycles
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The eco setting offers similar low-soil cleaning but it also saves energy by reducing the volume of water required and the temperature to which the cleaning solution is heated.
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Unlike a quick wash, which uses full power but at a reduced time, an eco wash will take the same amount of time as a standard cleaning cycle
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3. Delicate Wash Cycle
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Many homeowners opt to hand wash their glassware, crystal, and fine china, but that isn’t necessary if you use the delicate wash setting on your dishwasher.
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This setting uses lower temperatures and a light spray to produce a gentler approach to scrubbing and ensures that items won't move around during the cycle.
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4. Prewash
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Prewashing settings provide the opposite effect. Instead of creating a delicate rinsing sensation that protects fragile items, this approach hogs the pieces inside.
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Prewash settings add heavy rinsing action that mitigates the need to soak soiled dishes before placing them in the dishwasher, which
is great for pots
and pans.
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5. High Temperature/Heavy Wash Cycles
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High-temperature settings and the heavy wash cycle require additional water and its higher temperatures are great for breaking down caked-on, dried, and sticky food particles.
A dishwasher filled with dirty dishes.
The heavy wash requires extra cleaning time, sometimes as much as four hours and it’s not suitable for more delicate glassware that you use regularly.