I'm surprised this worked....

[turquoisedude]

OR "Never underestimate a vintage KitchenAid dishwasher"!

 

Yesterday, I was busier than usual in the kitchen.  I made a batch of strawberry jam in addition to the usual daily cooking.  So I figured I'd put the Utility and Utensil cycle to a test... LOL

 

Yep, it's another 'Turquoisdude's Totally Unscientific Dishwasher Test'  

 

[turquoisedude]

I tend to fill up one dishwasher then run it, but sometimes I wind up with overflow items, so I pop them in the dishwasher that happens to be empty.   Usually, the bigger and bulker pots and pans get the Maytag Jetclean treatment, but the 'Tag was nearly full so I figured I'd put what I could in the KA Superba portable. 

 

A load like this, in theory, should not have worked in a one-arm wonder...   The top rack load is not unusual for a machine like this, but that lower rack looks like a big no-no. 

 

[turquoisedude]

Yet, the whole darn load got clean using just one run of the Utility and Utensil cycle! 

 

Full disclosure - that frying pan has been burnt, charred, and scorched so many times it has become discoloured - it may not look clean, but the spaghetti sauce I made in it was fully washed out. 

 

To be fair, I think I must have left enough space between items to allow for decent water movement.  I'd probably be disappointed with a larger mixed load.  

 

However, I am really amazed at how well the ol' Big Blue performed and it was sure nicer than struggling with that big kettle on a hot humid day.   I am starting to get reckless with my vintage dishwashers.... LOL 

 

[tomturbomatic]

I have noticed the same thing with my 14, although I generally did not make a practice of loading the lower rack like that. The 6 "Moving Walls of Water" seem to fan out enough that they spray far more than just up.  I tend to think of the Utilititty and Utensil cycle as an early energy-saver cycle since it shortens the dry time, but if you open it at the end of the dry, the things will dry in a short amount of time. I used it in the summer to avoid putting extra heat into the house.

 

If you use some stainless steel cleaner on the inside of those pans, you can bring them back to showroom new brightness.

 

[gansky1]

When in doubt, push start and pray...

Me too! I challenge mine, ok recklessly load it, quite often with some of the strangest loads you can imagine and it always performs great.

 

[quincyman]

Barkeepers Friend/Helper, sold in the aisle with all the cleaners would make that pan shine like new. Good thing to keep in the house.

 

[turquoisedude]

I'll have to try to remember to get some next time I am stateside...  I venture into Vermont often because I keep a PO Box there.  Is Bar Keepers Friend something that would be found in a grocery store like Shaw's or Price Chopper?  

 

[firedome]

Hi Paul!

It was great to see you the other day at Phil's! We even had our own mini-Wash-In!

My favorite d/w ever! I think people underestimate the old Cast Iron Wonder and 4 Way HydroSweep models, especially folks that never had one! We used a KA 17 series for over 15 years and it always performed well... Hobart had more experience with producing d/ws than anyone, and they made them that way for decades. They were more effective than most would imagine, even when loaded in less than optimum fashion, but obviously one shouldn't completely block the water flow to the upper rack by a big cookie sheet sitting at an angle or other such silliness, it's just common sense!

 

[tomturbomatic]

cookie/baking sheets in KAs

I have had great results slanting them so that the dirty side faces the wall of the tank. If you angle them so that the long side of the sheet rests between the second set of pins on the right hand side in an 18's lower rack or in a similar position in a 14, the side with food on it gets a really powerful spraying from the outside jets on the arm and at that slant and at that angle, it does not block water to the top rack and does not interfere with the upper wash arm in 18 and higher models. It fits nicely between the side of the upper rack and the tank, too.  Have the lip at the front so that it does not scratch the porcelain as the rack is moved in and out.

 

In the KD2P, you can remove one of the side sections of the upper rack and stand cookie sheets on end for great washing.

 

[DADoES]

 
Doesn't surprise me per how we packed the KDI-17 ...

 

[classiccaprice]

I still say that is the most beautiful dishwasher ever built, imo, Paul. Glad to see it's working well for you!

 

[rpms]

I buy Bar Keepers Friend at Home Hardware. I am sure Canadian Tire would have it too.
It works great on fiber glass tubs.

 

[norgeway]

Any One Arm KA

Will to my mind outwash ANY 2 arm machine...for the simple reason the force of the water is so much greater, it makes that water do things seemingly impossible!I saw a advertisement in a old magazine of a one arm top load KA portable running with the lid open and the water was spraying probably 15 or so feet in the air, a old 2 arm machine might sprat 5 feet or so and anything new barely sprays enough water to reach the top of the tank..hence they have to run 3 hours!

 

[quincyman]

Yes. It can be found in most grocery stores. I use it for many things. Amazing and safe.

 

[ken]

Bar Keepers Friend site

I bought a bottle of the paste rather than the powder a while back. Works very well.

Home

Bar Keepers Friend cleaning products tackle rust, mineral deposits, baked-on food, and other stains with gentle, bleach-free formulations.

www.barkeepersfriend.com

 

[electronicontrl]

What year is the KA ?

I love your turquoise KitchenAid dishwasher! I'm guessing 1962 or there about is the year?
And what model Maytag do you have?

 

[turquoisedude]

The Kitchen is indeed a 1962 - good eye!!  

 

The Maytag currently in St-Lib is a WU404, I think it's an early 90s model.  Someday a turquoise machine will replace it...  No, really, I just have to decide between a 63 GE drop-door, a 58 Frigidaire spin-tube, or a recently restored 59 GE Princess pull-out.  OR I could go totally random and put in a '64 Kenmore with a Roto-Rack or the pink 56 Hotpoint.

 See what keep me up at night??  LOL 

 

[petek]

Check out your Home Hardware, they carry BK's Friend at the local ones here. And they sometimes have hard to find vac bags and belts if it's an older store. 

 

[jetcone]

Sweet washing Paul

The power of those machines is always impressive to me.