How to Get Rid of White Powder Residue on Dishes

Thanks to my sister, Sarah, for taking time to post this useful info!

Last week, I called the dishwasher repair man to check out a suspicious noise. Fifteen minutes after he arrived and $100 dollars later, he handed me the toothpick he removed from the guts of my dishwasher. Trying to get the most out of the visit, I got him talking while he wrote up the invoice. As a result, I got these tips for getting rid of the nasty white residue on dishes that are supposed to be clean.


First, if you have a water softener, use it! Keep it filled.

Second, when it comes to dishwasher detergent, more is not better. Use only 1 TBSP in one receptacle-not both.

Third, before you run your dishwasher, turn on the hot tap in the kitchen. Let it run until the water is nice and hot. Then turn it of and start the dishwasher.

Fourth, the real kicker, run the dishwasher empty with 2 cups of white vinegar or a product called Lemmi-Shine. (I saw that Wal-mart carries it.) This scours the dishwasher. If you still get residue after the scouring, put a little Lemmi-Shine in with the detergent.

When I went to buy Lemmi Shine, the store was out, so I used the white vinegar trick twice. The dishes have never looked better. I call it the $100 shine!