Little-known dishwasher compartment could be making your glasses look foggy

Your dishwasher could be making your glasses foggy.

If you've got a dishwasher and have finally said goodbye to washing up by hand, you'll know how annoying it can be when you take something out of the dishwasher to find that it's not completely .

This most commonly happens with grime on pots and dishes you've cooked with, as the dishwasher doesn't always dislodge every stubborn stain. But what about when things that should be come out looking worse than when they went in?

Glassware, specifically drinking glasses, doesn't tend to be that dirty when it goes into your dishwasher. However, you can sometimes find that they come out looking foggy - even if all you used them for was a glass of water.

It turns out that this problem can actually be caused by a compartment in your washing machine, and some people had no idea it even existed.

The revelation was made on Reddit after one man asked for help with rectifying his foggy glasses. He said he has a "pretty new dishwasher" that used to work great, but now his glasses and mugs come out with "a layer of what seems like grit and dirt".

Commenters were quick to tell him that the problem was most likely the salt level in his dishwasher - something that some people had no idea existed.

One person said: "Check the salt level again and see if it needs refilling." And a confused commenter responded: "I have NEVER heard of dishwasher salt. I feel like I'm reading a post from an alternate universe because so many people mention it."

The man said he was hesitant to put more salt in the dishwasher compartment as it felt as though his glasses were "covered in salt", but some commenters told him that the marks were caused by hard water stains, which the salt would resolve.

Dishwasher salt is made of sodium chloride, the same chemical that makes table salt and sea salt. However, it's not recommended that you use table salt for your dishwasher, as it's much finer and can damage it.

What does dishwasher salt do?

Dishwasher salt can prevent spots and watermarks from appearing on your dishes. This means no more foggy glasses and plates that still look dirty after a cycle. The salt helps to soften the water that flows through your dishwasher, meaning deposits of limescale don't accumulate on your dishes.

This is also true for the appliance itself. The salt helps prevent limescale from building up in your dishwasher, giving you a machine that runs better for longer.

How to use dishwasher salt

Many dishwashers have an indicator light that will let you know if it's running low on salt. If the light is not on, that usually means your machine has enough salt to wash another load of dishes.

It's easiest to top your appliance up with salt when it's empty. You first need to locate the softener unit, which is usually toward the bottom of the dishwasher by the drain.

Simply unscrew the cap and pour the salt in, leaving about 1cm under the lip so the cap can screw back on comfortably.

Dishwasher salt can be bought from most supermarkets for around £1.50 for a 1kg bag.