need some dishwasher help...

[capemom]

In an effort to use more environmentally safe products, I switched to Biokleen's dishwashing detergent about 3 months ago. Now, the inside of the dishwasher has a sort of brown color to it. The dishes seem clean enough and I wouldn't really care about the color of the dishwasher, but my husband and I regularly drink out of some insulated plastic cups (Tervis tumblers - if anyone knows what they are...). Anyway, they are clear plastic and they are also turning brown. So, when you put water in them, they are less than appealing. Anyone know why this is happening? Is this normal? Is there anything I can do about it?

Thanks!

[oldgirl,newtricks]

Do you have much iron in your water? Are you on a well by any chance?

Pick up a small container of Tang and put a cup or so in the bottom of the DW and run it through a cycle. If it's iron deposits, the citric acid in the Tang will remove it. We had this problem in one house and it was because of the iron in the water. We only had trouble in the DW, not the laundry. It may take a couple of cycles to get it gone and you'll have to do it every six months or so as it builds up again.

[capemom]

Yes, we are on a well. We've been told that our water is very acidic - if I don't clean the tubs often enough, they will turn a blue/green color - I guess it is from the copper pipes breaking down. We have had to replace pipes and fixtures and such in the house because of this problem as well. We need to invest in a system that will correct the problem so the water doesn't eat all our pipes, but it will be $2,000 - $3,000, so we just haven't done it yet. Wouldn't surprise me if it is my well water turning my dishwasher and cups funny colors. Did the bleach in the regular detergents keep this from happening?

Thanks for the Tang tip - I'll try it.

[oldgirl,newtricks]

Even using the reg. detergent, we got the build-up on the walls of the DW. I didn't notice anything on the dishes themselves, but I pretty much use Corelle and that is pretty hard to stain.

Obviously, the other place we noticed this was in the toilet bowl. I've not had any experience in acidic water, and since the Tang is an acid, it may not address your concerns. I don't think it could hurt, though.