Home Review: Lemi Shine

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Cleans my dishes of the hard water spots and keeps them that way

Cons: Nothing, nadda, zip, zero

The Bottom Line: 

Fighting hard water?

Lemi Shine to the rescue

Dishes sparkling clean

After Just One Use, I Became a Lemi Shine Convert

I have incredibly hard water.  I wind up with water spots on just about everything.  For a while, I thought I had it under control, but apparently they changed the ingredients of most dishwasher detergents to remove the phosphates, and my clean dishes started to get an unappetizing gray splotchiness to them.  That's when someone recommended Lemi Shine.  I wasn't convinced it would work, but I was desperate enough to try anything.  To my pleasant surprise, it worked wonders, and I've been using it ever since.

What Is It?

Lemi Shine is a dishwasher detergent additive.  Made with "real fruit acids and natural citrus oils," it's designed to fight hard water and leave your dishes sparkling clean.  (And those are the only ingredients listed on the bottle I just bought.)  They tout themselves as the hard water experts.  Based on what I've seen, they're right.

It comes in a plastic bottle that is 12 oz. in size and usually cost between $3 and $5 depending on where you buy it.  They claim that gives you up to 18 uses.  I've never counted, but I bet I get more than that out of it.

I'm a Guy, I Don't Need Instructions.  (Or, How You Should Use It and What I Do Instead)

The official instructions on the bottle recommend before you start using this with dishes that you run an empty dishwasher with just Lemi Shine in it to clean the dishwasher itself of the hard water stains.  I didn't do that.

They also recommend that, if you have two cups for detergent, you use your regular detergent (powder recommended) for the first cup and Lemi Shine in the second cup.  As an alternative, you can use half and half if you just have one detergent cup.

The thing is this is a detergent additive, not an actual detergent.  If it were a detergent, I would gladly follow their instructions, but I just couldn't bring myself to do that.  Instead, I fill both of my dishwasher's cups with a third to half Lemi Shine and the rest my regular detergent.  (Usually, that's Cascade powder).  I know ultimately it's the same mix as they recommend, but this way I feel like I'm getting the cleaning benefits of both wash cycles while still getting the spot fighting power of this product.

The Results Speak for Themselves

As I said, I was a little skeptical of their claims at first, and I didn't run an empty dishwasher before trying my first load of dishes.

The result was obvious right away.  My dishes actually came out of the dishwasher looking clean.  A few of the worst water spots were still there, but they were noticeably less.  And my glasses were clear instead of cloudy.  So I kept using this product with every load I did, and the results continued.  The remaining water spots went away, and the now dishes still look clean.

That was a year and a half ago, and I'm still happy with the product.  It actually works as advertised.  And my clean dishes look clean instead of looking like they got put away dirty.

So I'm happy I gave Lemi Shine a try.  This product belongs in the house of everyone who has hard water.

Home Review: Kenmore 1348 Dishwasher

Stars: 5 out of 5
Pros: Quiet yet effect at cleaning dishes without leaving hard water spots

Cons: None

The Bottom Line:

Keeping dishes clean

Is no longer a hard chore

I like this machine

Keeping My Dishes Clean Despite My Hard Water

When I bought my condo a number of years ago, it came with a dishwasher.  Frankly, the unit looked to be about 20 years old.  When it needed to be replaced, I did some research and got this Kenmore Dishwasher.  I've been very happy with it for a year now.

I know that if I wanted my dishes to be their best, I would rinse them off and run the dishwasher on a regular basis.  But I'm a lazy bachelor.  Heck, my roommates actually do more cooking than I do.  So this machine has some work cut out for it if it is going to get my dishes clean.

Another hurdle it has to overcome is the very hard water in my condo complex.  Frankly, the water in the entire town isn't the greatest, but it seems to be worse here.  My dishes had a layer of scum on them from the hard water thanks to my old dishwasher.  I was hoping the features of this unit could help with this issue as well.

Features

This is your standard one door, two rack dishwasher.  But it does have some nice features.  The water for the top rack comes in from the back, meaning you can use the entire bottom rack for dishes.  But the top rack is still fully adjustable.  I keep it in the upper position, leaving me plenty of room for stuff on the bottom.  But I never have trouble fitting things in the upper rack either.  The down side is the hooks on the rack to make this possible take up some room on the upper rack, so I have to make sure I put my small glasses there.  There is also a second shelf you can flip down to rest small tea type cups or to hold your long stemmed glasses.  Since I have neither, this is a feature I have never used.

The silverware basket is on the right hand side.  Frankly, I don't see this as a feature or a detractor.  What is nice, however, is the way it is set up.  It is divided into three sections you can take apart and remove if you need more room.  Each section has its own swivel cover, so you can load silverware and know it isn't near its neighbor, or swing the top up if you've got serving spoons that won't fit in the little slots.

Probably the biggest help to me is the rinse aid dispenser.  I realize most dishwashers have them these days, but it was new for me, and I think it has made a huge difference in how clean my dishes look.

As you would expect, there is a flip soap dispenser in the door.  Since the silverware holder is off to the side, you might be tempted to load something nice and big like a cookie sheet against the door.  DON'T GIVE IN TO TEMPTATION!!!!  I can tell you from personal experience that if you do this, the door won't be able to swing open.  The dishes might look clean when you are done, but you'll see soap still caked in the dispenser.

Cycles and Other Options

My dishwasher has six cycles.  I pretty much use two of them.  When I've got a full load, I run a quick rinse to get the worst of the grime off and give the rest a few minutes to get loosened.  It doesn't use detergent and takes about 10 minutes, or just long enough to make me forget I plan to run it.

When I remember to get it started, I use the Smart Wash cycle.  This cycle uses a censor to gage how dirty the water is.  If it seems really dirty, it keeps washing the dishes until they become clean.  It certainly seems to work well as most everything is clean.  Yes, the occasional dish that has really tough caked on grime might need to go through again, but everything else is clean.

The other options include Pots and Pans, Normal, and Light wash.  Like the Smart Wash cycles, these take somewhere between 90 minutes and two hours to run from start to finish.  The final cycle is the Fast Wash, which takes 30 minutes.  I've never used it, but it seems like you'd want to have the dishes pretty well clean before you start it, so what's the point?

There are some other options you can use when it's time to wash your dishes.  If you want to load it and get it ready to go, but run it later, you can delay start by two, four, or six hours.  Since my hot water heater is so far from my dishwasher, I never use these options.  I want to get it started when I know I've got hot water running into it.

You can also choose to increase the temperature of the water during the wash cycle and create a sanitary rinse.  Finally, you can have the dishwasher use heat to dry your dishes instead of just air drying them.  I always use all these options because I heard it helped with the spotting caused by my hard water.

But How Does It Work?

I love my new dishwasher!  As I mentioned earlier, it gets my dishes clean without me even worrying about it.  Only the occasional really stuck on piece of food doesn't come out.  But that would be true with every dishwasher.

And it doesn't leave the hard water spots!  I'm sure the rinse aid has something to do with that since I had never tried that before, but I'm giving the dishwasher some of the credit here, too.  I made sure to run all my dishes through in the first couple of months, and the old spots are gone as well.  Frankly, it used to be embarrassing when friends came over and saw my "clean" dishes.  No more of that problem.

This dishwasher is quiet, too.  Yes, I still hear it when it is running, especially if I am in the living room, which is right next to the kitchen.  But it is easily half as loud as my old one.  You can talk on the phone or watch TV with it running with only a minimum of noise distraction.  In my bedroom with the door closed, I don't hear it at all.

Conclusion

Would I buy it again?  In a heart beat.  A year later, and I am still quite happy I went with this Kenmore dishwasher.

Home Review: Arm & Hammer Baking Soda

Stars: 5 out of 5
Pros: Works well for baking and eliminating odors

Cons: None for me

The Bottom Line:

Works well in baking

Eliminates bad odors

What is not to love?

For Baking and Cleaning, Arm & Hammer Baking Soda is the Way to Go

Okay, so I'm a bachelor.  That means my place is often a mess.  (Actually, often may be too nice a word.)  But that also means I am always on the lookout for simple yet effective ways to deceive people into thinking the place is in better shape than it is.  And one thing I have found that works very well for odor control is Arm & Hammer Baking Soda.

Refrigerator Savior

I actually first discovered the odor eliminating effects of baking soda when I was looking for a way to get the fishy smell out of my refrigerator.  Someone suggested baking soda, and I have been hooked every sense.

And the solution couldn't be simpler.  All you need to do is stick a box in your refrigerator.  As the air circulates, the chemical compound that is baking soda draws the odors from the air into itself, leaving the rest of the refrigerator smelling clean and keeping the foods from gaining any unwelcome odors.

There is a downside, however.  Food that should have been thrown away can sometimes sit longer in the refrigerator than it should.  I recently threw away an old box before I had a replacement.  Within a couple of days, my refrigerator started to stink.  I soon discovered some food that was months old and looked like a science experiment gone very wrong.  It was a former roommate's who had moved out several months before.  Once I threw it away, the problem was solved.  Now I make sure to keep an eye open for things like that.  My refrigerator is a place to store food, not a place for science experiments.

Other Cleaning Options

While I myself do not have pets, I have several friends who got puppies in the last few years.  All of them swear by this stuff.  Before the dogs were housebroken, they used it to clean up the accidents around the house.  They would mix a little with water and sponge at the spot.  It must have worked, too, because I never smelled anything when I was over to visit.

According to the company's website, this stuff is supposed to be great for general cleaning.  Again, mixed with water, it is abrasive enough to clean most surfaces (it isn't recommended for aluminum), without ruining the surface.  In fact, if you look, you can find many items that include baking soda in the ingredients.

Don't Forget Baking

Hey, this stuff is called baking soda for a reason.  And in the little bit of baking I do, I have used some as well.  I've noticed it is used when you want something to rise a little bit, but not too far.  But remember, I'm a bachelor.  I could be wrong on why it is used.

Either way, I have always had whatever I put it in turn out well, so it must be doing its job.

How does it work?

Baking soda is the naturally occurring chemical element sodium bicarbonate.  It helps regulate the pH balance in things.  Don't worry, my eyes glazed over a little too as I wrote that.  It's been a long time since chemistry.  The simple explanation is it keeps things from going to either extreme.  Its goal of balancing acidity is what makes it such a great odor eater.  When you use it in baking, it mixes with acidic elements, creating air, which makes things rise.

Because it is natural, it is safe for the household uses I've talked about as well.

Conclusion

Honestly, I don't care why it works.  All I know is it works quite well whenever I need it for a recipe or to eliminate an odor.  And that's enough for me to recommend Arm & Hammer Baking Soda.