cfz2882
Well-known member
found a salt cap inside my little 18" Danby-wondering if anyone has a favorite DW salt or if softener salt is good to use?
any fave DW salt?
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Finish
If I had to choose, it would be Finish.
If I had to choose, it would be Finish.
Dishwasher Salt
I'm wondering if any consumers on the U.S. market, where dishwashers with onboard water softeners are rare, run across mention of "dishwasher salt softening the water," search for and buy some brand that they find and add it to the tub or to the detergent dispenser with or in place of detergent ... not understanding that it does nothing directly regards to softening water. Its function, of course, is to refresh the resin bed during the regeneration cycle of models that have an onboard water softener mechanism.
Finish Dishwasher Salt at Amzn
Note that the product is not mentioned on the U.S. website for Finish products.
U.S. Finish Products
It is on the UK site - How to Use Dishwasher Salt
I'm wondering if any consumers on the U.S. market, where dishwashers with onboard water softeners are rare, run across mention of "dishwasher salt softening the water," search for and buy some brand that they find and add it to the tub or to the detergent dispenser with or in place of detergent ... not understanding that it does nothing directly regards to softening water. Its function, of course, is to refresh the resin bed during the regeneration cycle of models that have an onboard water softener mechanism.
Finish Dishwasher Salt at Amzn
Note that the product is not mentioned on the U.S. website for Finish products.
U.S. Finish Products
It is on the UK site - How to Use Dishwasher Salt
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When I had my Miele I used the Miele brand salt and I also used Somat. You can get both on Amazon. To me there is no difference since they are the same coarseness and color and both do their job well.
Reply #2
I actually came across someone on a UK deals forum saying that they put a little dishwasher salt in the dispenser with their tablet. They said it was more convenient than putting the salt in the softener unit, and filling the unit wastes salt, because salt water and a little salt that comes out when you fill it up!
I pointed out how salt/ a softener unit works of course, and that adding salt as they were doing would make the detergent less effective, not more.
What confused them was when dishwasher tablets were launched, the big selling point was you supposedly didn't need separate salt or rinse aid, as they included "salt action" or were "*with salt", as well as rinse aid.
I just buy the cheapest pure dishwasher/softener salt I can find when I need it, and check the ingredients list, because some supermarket own brand dishwasher salts used to contain the same free flow additives used in regular table salt, which you are not supposed to put in a softener unit.
I actually came across someone on a UK deals forum saying that they put a little dishwasher salt in the dispenser with their tablet. They said it was more convenient than putting the salt in the softener unit, and filling the unit wastes salt, because salt water and a little salt that comes out when you fill it up!
I pointed out how salt/ a softener unit works of course, and that adding salt as they were doing would make the detergent less effective, not more.
What confused them was when dishwasher tablets were launched, the big selling point was you supposedly didn't need separate salt or rinse aid, as they included "salt action" or were "*with salt", as well as rinse aid.
I just buy the cheapest pure dishwasher/softener salt I can find when I need it, and check the ingredients list, because some supermarket own brand dishwasher salts used to contain the same free flow additives used in regular table salt, which you are not supposed to put in a softener unit.
Brendan, what is your water hardness in GPG? You should program the dishwasher with your hardness level so that it regenerates the softener after an appropriate amount of water has passed through it. Depending on the hardness level you set, you would probably find that the 2 kg box of Finish salt for $16.40 that Glenn linked to on Amazon would last you an average of a year or more if you run the dishwasher once a day.
I am using Finish salt here in Spain, although the water here in Madrid is only 3 GPG, so that's below the threshold of requiring softening. So I've set the hardness level a little higher in order to trigger regeneration once in a while. The 2 kg of salt will last me thousands of cycles at this rate.
So I'd recommend ordering the Finish. According to what I've read, you could also use Morton Coarse Kosher salt too. Regular water softener salt (if pure) would probably work fine but you might as well just order the Finish as then you will know you're getting the right thing and the box will last you ages.
I don't have any American coins with me, so I've used a one-dollar bill to show the size of the Finish salt.
I am using Finish salt here in Spain, although the water here in Madrid is only 3 GPG, so that's below the threshold of requiring softening. So I've set the hardness level a little higher in order to trigger regeneration once in a while. The 2 kg of salt will last me thousands of cycles at this rate.
So I'd recommend ordering the Finish. According to what I've read, you could also use Morton Coarse Kosher salt too. Regular water softener salt (if pure) would probably work fine but you might as well just order the Finish as then you will know you're getting the right thing and the box will last you ages.
I don't have any American coins with me, so I've used a one-dollar bill to show the size of the Finish salt.
Finish dishwasher salt is usually about 4 quid for a 2 kg box here, competitors like Crystale are typically half the price, or less. I bought Lidl own brand (W5) salt recently, it was £ 1.15 for a 2 kg box, so less than a third the cost of Finish.
I do find it interesting that Finish still sell dishwasher salt and rinse aid, considering their advertising years ago, that used to claim their All-in-One tabs did away for the need for both. As far as I know they stopped selling Finish dishwasher powder in the UK some years back, so they don't do any non-all-in-one products now.
There may be some truth, if you've got really soft water, but here its about 340 parts per million, and I need the softener set to max.
I do find it interesting that Finish still sell dishwasher salt and rinse aid, considering their advertising years ago, that used to claim their All-in-One tabs did away for the need for both. As far as I know they stopped selling Finish dishwasher powder in the UK some years back, so they don't do any non-all-in-one products now.
There may be some truth, if you've got really soft water, but here its about 340 parts per million, and I need the softener set to max.
Salt for dishwasher water softeners
It’s certainly not gonna make any difference what kind of salt you use as long as it’s for water softeners.
I have a manual for GE dishwashers built back in the 70s. They still had a plasticsol interior that had a water softener system built in it I think for the European market and they said just use table salt in it, which should work fine, but is a bit more expensive obviously.
John L
It’s certainly not gonna make any difference what kind of salt you use as long as it’s for water softeners.
I have a manual for GE dishwashers built back in the 70s. They still had a plasticsol interior that had a water softener system built in it I think for the European market and they said just use table salt in it, which should work fine, but is a bit more expensive obviously.
John L
What about the coarse, presumably much less refined salt used with ice cream freezers? Is it viable for use in DW softener systems?
I've certainly seen dishwasher manuals that say you can use softener salt pellets or salt crystals. You could even go all out and get yourself a massive 40 lb bag of Morton Pure and Natural water softener salt crystals or pellets! Or just pick up a box of Morton Coarse Kosher salt at any supermarket. I wouldn't personally use extremely fine salt that's designed for salt shakers, especially if it contains other additives, as I've seen some manufacturers warn against that even though it might be perfectly fine for all I know.
Miele says: "Only use special coarse-grained dishwasher salt or other pure kitchen salt for reactivation. Other salts may contain insoluble additives that can impair the functioning of the water softener." So it seems Miele is giving the green light for any kind of pure kitchen salt.
[this post was last edited: 4/21/2025-15:24]
Miele says: "Only use special coarse-grained dishwasher salt or other pure kitchen salt for reactivation. Other salts may contain insoluble additives that can impair the functioning of the water softener." So it seems Miele is giving the green light for any kind of pure kitchen salt.
[this post was last edited: 4/21/2025-15:24]
Table salt contains anticaking agents and typically iodine as a nutritional additive, and is finely-ground to dissolve quickly. All of which are contraindicated for water softening units.
Dishwasher salt is a different formulation, more pure of additives, and coarse-ground so it doesn't dissolve so quickly.
Water softener salt may also be formulated in some instances with additives for specific water conditions.
If you really want a more bougie dishwashing experience, get yourself a box of 100% pure pink Himalayan salt crystals. They would also work perfectly, if a little extravagant.
When I had my Miele dishwasher the manual explicitly said not to use any other salt but dishwasher salt since it was pure. The reason being was the media in the water softener unit would be damaged if any other salt was used. I always used either Miele branded salt or Somat dishwasher salt and never , ever had any issues with the unit. The Miele dishwasher auto sensed the water hardness and that came in handy since the water hardness would vary with the seasons back in Mass or when the water source would be changed. I don't have a water softening unit in my current LG dishwasher but there are times that I do miss having that feature since our water here in FL is a tad hard.
Our first dishwasher, a Hotpoint (UK) branded Bosch also had a similar warning against using other than dishwasher salt.
It also explicitly warned against using table salt because of the anti-caking (free-flow) ingredients and other impurities it contains would damage the media.
I was rather annoyed quite some years ago when I read the ingredients of a packet of supermarket own brand dishwasher salt after filling the softener unit, as it listed a free flow ingredient it should not contain, I think it was from Tesco, and they hadn't sold their own brand dishwasher products for very long. The only reason I read it was the salt was a mix of fine cubic grains and the more normal coarse grains you'd expect, like someone had mixed dishwasher and table salt. That's why I now always check dishwasher salt packets for any list of ingredients before I buy.
I believe dishwasher salt is supposed to be >99% pure, most that state their purity are 99.8 or 99.9% pure.
Water softener salt should be fine, but softener tablets might be a bit large to get many in a small dishwasher softener unit.
I prefer dishwasher salt with large grain size because it sinks better in the water when I fill the softener unit, so I waste less.
It also explicitly warned against using table salt because of the anti-caking (free-flow) ingredients and other impurities it contains would damage the media.
I was rather annoyed quite some years ago when I read the ingredients of a packet of supermarket own brand dishwasher salt after filling the softener unit, as it listed a free flow ingredient it should not contain, I think it was from Tesco, and they hadn't sold their own brand dishwasher products for very long. The only reason I read it was the salt was a mix of fine cubic grains and the more normal coarse grains you'd expect, like someone had mixed dishwasher and table salt. That's why I now always check dishwasher salt packets for any list of ingredients before I buy.
I believe dishwasher salt is supposed to be >99% pure, most that state their purity are 99.8 or 99.9% pure.
Water softener salt should be fine, but softener tablets might be a bit large to get many in a small dishwasher softener unit.
I prefer dishwasher salt with large grain size because it sinks better in the water when I fill the softener unit, so I waste less.
Mike, do you remember the model number of your Miele dishwasher? My vintage Miele G550 from 1975 auto senses the hardness. I have so far never seen any other dishwasher that has auto hardness sensing.
Interestingly, the current models on the UK Miele website and the Miele Spain website state in their manuals that pure kitchen salt can indeed be used. But the manuals on the US Miele website say that only special softener salt should be used, as other types may contain insoluble components.
Interestingly, the current models on the UK Miele website and the Miele Spain website state in their manuals that pure kitchen salt can indeed be used. But the manuals on the US Miele website say that only special softener salt should be used, as other types may contain insoluble components.
Some of the G1000 and G2000 dishwashers had sensor softeners where "The water softener sets automatically to the local water hardness." as the manual stated.
That's really great to know. Thank you, Alex. I had been wondering about this ever since getting my G550.
Mark
Mark
Bosch/Siemens also had sensor-controlled softeners, indicated by a feature called OptoSensor. I do have the service manual but in German only. (Very) basically, a beam of light was sent through a glass coil. A receiver would register the amount of light that was absorbed by build-up that would start to form if a regeneration was due.
The TOL G2000 model did auto sense, we had a G2220XXL that was still manual configuration.
Our G6905XXL which is TOL is back to manual water softener config.
Our G6905XXL which is TOL is back to manual water softener config.
