A washing machine and dishwasher are two different home appliances, but both require cleaning often. Several types of cleaners are available for each device. However, washing machine tablets and dishwasher tablets have mostly different ingredients.
If you want to use washing machine tables in the dishwasher, first you must know whether it is fine to do or not.
Although washing machine tables look similar to dishwasher tables, both contain different ingredients and are made for cleaning recommended appliances. In simple words, don’t use washing machine tablets in the dishwasher as the laundry cleaner produces more residue, has different chemicals, and can block the dishwasher drain system. Moreover, it is against warranty claims.
We’ve gathered everything you need to know before putting washing machine tablets in a dishwasher.
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What Happens If You Put a Washing Machine Tablet in your Dishwasher?
Washing machine cleaners such as tablets, soap, and power produce more form and residue in comparison to dishwasher cleaners. Both contain different qualities, ingredients, and chemical strongness.
If you put a washing machine tablet in your dishwasher, this can block the drain hose of your unit as it produces more form and residue. In addition, it would not provide the same cleaning results that we expect from dishwasher cleaners.
The number one difference is the pH level. A dishwasher requires a higher pH level in its cleaner to cut grease and food residue. But, washing machine tablets contain less pH level which is not sufficient to cut through grease and food residue on dishes.
Some ingredients between a washing machine tablet and a dishwasher table are the same, such as Sodium Carbonate and Sodium Polycarboxylate. But, all ingredients in a cleaner for dishwasher cleaning should have been missed in washing machine tablets.
Use dishwasher tablets only for your dishwasher washer instead of using any laundry cleaner.
Eventually, the washing machine tablet will not clean the dishwasher, but on the contrary, it is likely to damage the dishwasher components with chemical reactions and a lot of residues.
Now, you might be clear on whether you can use washing machine tablets in the dishwasher or not. But, if you have mistakenly used it already, then you must know what you should do after that.
Accidentally Put a Washing Machine Tablet in Dishwasher?
As it is recommended to don’t use washing machine tablets in a dishwasher. But, sometimes when people are not aware of this recommendation, they could mistakenly use the laundry detergent in a dishwasher, or sometimes they accidentally put laundry detergent in the dishwasher.
If you have done the same, you need to take some steps to remove laundry pod detergent effects from your device.
As we know, probably no one likes to have nasty residue spread over everything in the dishwasher which is caused by laundry detergent. Dishwashers can only break down and easily drain form and residue caused by dishwasher cleaner, but as the laundry tablets produce more form, their residue can be left inside the dishwasher even if the unit is drained to waste.
So, if you accidentally put the washing machine table in the dishwasher, simply run a cleaning cycle. If your dishwasher has self-cleaning features, run it, or if it doesn’t, run an empty cleaning cycle.
Set the temperature to hot, and must add some dishwasher cleaner to make cleaning easier. Doing these steps. The washing machine tablet cleaner will drain away from the dishwasher and your unit will be clean and ready to use again.
The other thing you can do is manually clean the unit components and remove the speeded residue with a clean cloth, no doubt it requires effort but provides better results.
Can I Use Affresh Washing Machine Tablets in my Dishwasher?
Affresh is a company that makes washer and dishwasher cleaning tablets, but they have separate products for laundry cleaning and dishwashing.
They offer two different products, one is Affresh washing machine tablets and the second is Affresh dishwasher tablets. Both products contain safety data and ingredients.
Affresh washing machine tablets are not compatible to use in dishwashers. This cleaning solution doesn’t contain pH level adjuster ingredients that are necessary to wash out dishes. On the contrary, this will make dish cleaning tougher. Thus don’t use them.
The number one thing that makes it recommended to avoid Affresh washing machine tablets in any dishwasher is the ingredients and safety data of this product.
Affresh washing machine tablets dissolve slowly in water and are not capable of cutting through grease and food residue.
These tablets have no citric acid and produce more form which becomes hard for the dishwasher to drain away easily. And because of these reasons, you will not get the same cleaning results as you may expect from this cleaning solution.
However, using a laundry cleaner is not beneficial in any way. A better cleaner solution for dishwashers has special benefits, such as descaling your dishes and glassware, leaving them sparkling.
Thus, Instead of using Affresh laundry cleaning solution in your dishwasher, you should use a dishwasher cleaning solution.
Can You Put Tide Pods in the Dishwasher?
Are you thinking of using laundry pods like tide washer pods in the dishwasher? If yes, don’t do this. Tide pods are only made for doing laundry, not for dishwashing.
Basically, tide washer pods are specialized and made for removing stains and stuck soil from your clothes, and cannot clean dishes properly. However, if you want to use them, you will end up having clogged dishwasher drains and improperly washed dishes.
Tide pods contain too much detergent which causes too much form, and in the dishwasher, it is not required. Excessive amounts of foam can clog the dishwasher drain hose, which will be an issue.
On the other hand, If you’re going to use Tide Cascade Dishwasher Pods, they are safe to put in the dishwasher as they are specially made for dishwashers. The thing that matters is to know which type of Tide pod you are going to use in your appliance.
Before getting a new tide pod for your dishwasher, you must check if it is only made for the dishwasher or not. Don’t use the laundry tide pod in your dishwasher.
However, Some dishwasher technicians don’t recommend using any pod in the dishwasher as it contains too much detergent and powder-form cleaner which build up residue and can affect the working of the unit. Most of the time low quality pods cause improper dishwashing.
Washing Machine Cleaner vs Dishwasher Cleaner:
When it comes to using a cleaner for a dishwasher and washer, it is beneficial knowing the difference between a washer cleaner and a dishwasher cleaner. Sometimes people accidentally or mistakenly use washer pods in the dishwasher and don’t know what will happen. So, by reading this section, you will know the characteristics of each cleaner type.
Washing machine cleaners are usually formulated to dissolve slowly in water during the wash cycle, and they contain ingredients that are used for removing stains and dirt from the fabric. However, laundry cleaners cannot cut the grease and stick food residue on dishes.
Dishwasher cleaners usually produce less form than laundry cleaners. They are specially formulated to cut stick food residue and to descale your dishes and glassware, leaving them sparkling. Contains pH adjuster chemicals, which we can’t get in washer cleaner.
The following are commonly used ingredients in washing machine and dishwasher cleaners:
| Washing Machine Cleaner Components | Dishwasher Cleaner Components |
| Sodium carbonate | Sodium carbonate |
| Sodium percarbonate | Sodium bisulfate |
| Sodium acetate | Citric acid |
| Fragrance | Sodium benzoate |
| Glucono-delta-lactone | Sodium gluconate |
| Polyethylene glycol | Polyethylene glycol |
| Sodium acetate | |
| Sodium polyacrylate copolymer |