Can I Use Water Softener Salt In My Dishwasher?

If you have installed a water softener in your home, then you no longer need to worry about using salt in your dishwasher. Softened water is ideal for use in the dishwasher since it has a number of benefits.

Not only will it leave your dishes looking and feeling cleaner, but it also helps maintain the performance and longevity of the machine. Plus, softened water doesn't cause cloudy or gritty glassware like hard water can.

When using softened water in your dishwasher, you won't need any additional salt on dishes and may even save on detergent or rinse aid. It will also reduce or completely stop any limescale build-up which can block up the system and cause problems over time.

What Exactly Is Water Softener Salt?

Water softener salt is an integral part of any water softening system, and it works to remove the excess minerals that cause hard water - magnesium and calcium. It's typically made of Sodium Chloride (NaCl) and it converts these hard minerals into a soluble form that can be removed from the water.

This makes the water easier to use and can help keep your home appliances working more efficiently. The type of Water Softener Salt that you choose will depend on the needs of your softening system, as well as the levels of hardness in your water.

It should be added to your water softener every 4-6 weeks, although this may vary depending on the size of your system. It's important to regularly check the table salt levels and top up when necessary.

While Water Softener Salt doesn't go bad, it can absorb moisture from the air, making it harder to dissolve. In a 24,000-grain tank, a 40-pound bag of salt will typically last around one month.

Ingredients Of Water Softener Salt

When looking to soften your dishwasher water, it is important to know the four ingredients commonly found in water softener salt: calcium chloride, sodium chloride, potassium chloride, and magnesium chloride.

• Calcium chloride is highly effective at softening water but also runs a high risk of causing corrosion.
• Sodium chloride works by binding with the minerals in hard water, rendering them unable to form deposits. However, it does run the risk of being corrosive to certain metal pipes.
• Potassium chloride is the most expensive type of regular salt but is also the most effective and doesn't run much risk of damaging any pipes.
• Magnesium chloride is an adequate solution for most areas but isn't as powerful as sodium chloride or calcium chloride and has a lower risk of causing corrosion.

Water Softener Salt Varieties

When buying salt for water softeners, there are several varieties available to choose from.

• Rock salt is the most commonly used variety and is made from evaporated seawater, containing high levels of magnesium and calcium and being the most affordable option.
• Potassium chloride is produced as a synthetic product not containing minerals but is the most effective and expensive one.
• Solar salt or evaporated salt which comes from evaporated seawater is very common while having similar characteristics to rock salt with the difference of costing more money.
• Solar salt is another type created from evaporated seawater, also containing high levels of sodium but costing more than rock salt and is easier to find in most areas.
• Block salt is a third type made also from evaporated seawater, containing high levels of sodium, magnesium, and potassium.

How Much Water Softener Salt Should I Use?

When it comes to using expensive water softener salt in a dishwasher, how much you should use depends on your usage and the type of water softening system you have.

On average, a household of four people uses approximately 300 liters per day, but this will also depend on the hardness of your water. It's essential to check your levels of normal salt at least once a month, to ensure that they are always at optimum levels.

Why Is Dishwasher Salt Required?

When dealing with hard water regions, certain minerals and impurities in the water can cause problems when combined with dishwasher soap and result in spots on dinnerware.

To avoid these issues, dishwasher salt is added to the machine to chemically bond with calcium and magnesium and strip them from the water.

This process results in a soft water type that allows the soap to clean dishes properly with the desired sparkle finish. Without the use of dishwasher salt, dishes simply won't come out as clean and may be spotted due to mineral deposits.

So, when looking for sparkling clean dishes, cap off your cycle with an appropriate amount of dishwasher salt for optimal results.

What Happens To The Salt?

If your dishwasher has a dedicated salt compartment, then you can use chloride water softener salt in it. This compartment is usually found on the bottom of the higher-end dishwashers, not on their doors. Using the salt helps to soften the water for better quality cleaning and eliminates the need for a separate water softener.

But what happens to the salt? Well, when you add it to the machine, it starts to dissolve slowly and gets absorbed by the hard water molecules.

This, in turn, helps to soften up the water and make it easier for detergents to perform their cleaning wonders. The indicators help remind users that they need more salt when necessary as well.

Will My Food Turn Salty?

Your dishes won't taste salty unless you don't get all the salt into the salt reservoir or fail to close the lid properly. In this way, some effective water softener salt can potentially get into the cycle and make your food taste salty.

However, if this does happen then it shouldn't be a problem for people who are on reduced-salt medical diets as there won't be an excessive amount of salt intake from this small mistake.

Additionally, you don't need to worry about consuming too much sodium through dishes washed with a water softener. All in all, though, your food will not be turning salty from using a water softener in your dishwasher.