Hot Tip: Rinse Aid Alternative

While we've discussed what dishwashing detergent is best, what about their counterpart - rinse aides? Instead of buying a commercial rinse aid, there's something you probably already have in your cupboard that works even better to get your glasses from cloudy to clear...

...Vinegar! Vinegar continues to be one of the best cleaning solutions, and it just so happens to work great in the dishwasher.

Unfortunately, even with a great dishwasher detergent, people who live with hard water may still get cloudy and not so clean looking dishes. That's where rinse aids really are handy to finish off the job and make dishes sparkle. Just fill the rinse aid dispenser with a little white vinegar, or if you don't have a rinse aid dispenser just put a cup filled with vinegar upright in the bottom rack when you run the wash.

Anyone tried vinegar as a rinse aid before?

via Grist

(Image by Flickr member kevindooley licensed for used under Creative Commons)

Comments (5)

I live in an apartment with an old cruddy dishwasher. I tried vinegar and different cleaners even. Sadly nothing has come close to Cascade yet. =/

I have vinegar in a spray bottle and I spray the dishes, silverware and glasses immediately before I start the wash. They come out really shiny!

this is a great reminder...I plan to try the vinegar, which is taking a bigger role in my life every day, it seems.

btw, I use Method's smart tablets, a switch from Cascade, and I was surprised at how well they work. Been using them for about 8 mos.

I love the Method tablets, too!

Vinegar has been my rinse-aid for years now and I've never had a problem with it. A big part of your "success" with natural dishwasher products will be the type of water you have. Hard water leaves mineral deposits on glasses that make them look spotty and leaves behind lime scale that can interfere with the efficiency of your machine. Adding granular salt in with your detergent can help.

I've been making my own cleaning products for years now and dishwashing detergent is the one recipe I've never been able to master. Products like Cascade will probably always be the best at making your dishes sparkle because they use petroleum-based ingredients that rinse right off of dishes.

i've been using vinegar in my rinse cycle for awhile now! it works so good. my dishwasher isn't old, but i live in an apartment and i don't think it's exactly a "top-shelf" model. sometimes my dishes wouldn't come out clean. but, seriously, the vinegar makes everything come out so clean and shiny. i love using vinegar for all my cleaning.