Is your Dishwasher Filled with Bubbles?

Has someone put dish washing fluid in the dishwasher rather than the usual fare or is it just filled with bubbles? There is unfortunately a strong distinction between the soap you use to hand wash dishes and dishwasher soap.  Dishwasher soap is formulated so that it does not produce many, if any, suds or bubbles. While turning your Dishwasher into a bubble monster may bring joy to any children that see it it's not very practical and most new models of dishwashers will have a sensor that will stop it from running at all if there are too many suds.

Here is how to fix it:

Option 1: The Oil Method

This is a much easier method than the other but requires oil to work. As long as it is oil that you can consume, it is safe to use. Cooking oil or vegetable oil is best but olive oil will work just fine; it's just expensive by comparison. This option is the one most recommended by manufacturers aside from using specially formulated tabs.

• Add a 1/2 cup of oil to the machine and run on a rinse cycle or a light one
• Stop about mid cycle to check on the number of suds; add some more oil if needed
• If suds remain at the end of the cycle run it again with some more oil

Option 2: The Cinderella Method
This method is named after Cinderella as it involves some hand scrubbing. This is much more involved than the Oil option but you are more likely to have everything needed on hand. Be very careful of the heating element; if you ran a load recently it will still be hot.

• Remove as much of the suds and water in the machine as possible using buckets (or pans or cups... whatever you have)
• Wipe down the interior with a clean cloth (not one used for cleaning dishes or the counter and absolutely not a sponge that has been used before! Those things hold soap like nothing else)
• Wipe down the interior with a different dry cloth to get any more remnants
• Add 1/2 a cup to 1 cup (125-250 mls) of white vinegar to the dishwasher and then sprinkle salt on top of that; be generous you should use at close to a 1/2 cup of salt
• Start the dishwasher on a rinse cycle or light load and stop it after approximately 10 minutes; if there are still a lot of suds add more vinegar
• Continue starting, stopping, and adding vinegar if needed
• If one cycle completes with a very small amount of suds simply run it again with nothing in it to ensure the drain lines have cleared out

Vinegar can be used in washing machines that have too many suds as well; go easy on the salt though. You can also use the formulated tabs to clean out washers and dishwasher but the other techniques are far cheaper and shouldn't require a trip to the store; not to mention the tabs will use chemicals to get results.