How to use an Electrolux dishwasher?

After purchasing a new Electrolux dishwasher, you always want to immediately start using it for its intended purpose instead of studying the official instructions and recommendations of the manufacturer. However, such behavior can cause equipment breakdowns, break dishes, or even flood the floors and neighbors below. To prevent this from happening, we have prepared this material for beginners, with which they can learn how to use an Electrolux dishwasher.

We will remove factory dirt and start the washing machine wash.

Let's start from the very beginning - the equipment has been selected, paid for, transported to a new location and already connected to all communications. It seems that you can already start washing the first batch of dirty dishes, but this is not so. First of all, it is necessary to thoroughly rinse the “home assistant” by starting the work cycle without dishes. For this procedure we need special salt and powder. Today's first instruction is dedicated to this very action.

Open the PMM door, remove the lower basket and find the salt bin lid, which is located at the bottom of the washing chamber.
Remove the lid and fill the hopper to the brim with water.

Before the first start, it is very important to add a sufficient amount of water to the container, so feel free to pour the liquid and do not be afraid that water will spill out to the bottom of the machine.

Using a special funnel, add salt granules to the hopper in an amount suitable for your household appliances. Usually adding about 1 kilogram of salt is enough.
Remove any remaining water and salt from the bottom of the washing chamber that may have spilled out while loading the salt bin.
Close the reservoir lid.
In the dishwasher settings, select the hardness mode in order to fix the desired level of salt consumption.

You can find out the degree of hardness of tap water using special devices, test strips, or on the official website of the city water utility.

In the future, the salt granules only need to be renewed when they run out and the salt indicator is activated on the PMM control panel. Depending on the hardness of the water and the time of year, a pack of salt can last from a month to a year.

After the salt, add detergent powder. The tray for it is usually located on the inside of the door. You need to add much less powder than salt - only 15-20 grams, and then close the compartment with a lid. How often should you put salt in the dishwasher?

Before starting the test wash, check that the water supply tap is open and the equipment itself is connected to the network. Find the power button on the panel, which looks like a circle with a vertical stick, and turn on the unit. Please note that in free-standing PMMs the control panel is located on the facade, while in built-in versions the panel is located at the top end of the door.

Now all that remains is to turn on the operating cycle with high water temperature, for example, intensive mode. For each mode, the control panel has a separate key with its own icon to make it easier for housewives to work with equipment. In a situation where you have mechanically controlled equipment, you will have to turn the knob to the desired washing mode, but such devices are increasingly difficult to come by today.

Loading the PMM correctly

We've sorted out the controls, now it's time to properly arrange the dishes. Depending on the arrangement, the same tableware can be washed to a crystal shine or with residual fat and pieces of food on the walls. To prevent this from happening, carefully study the standard instructions for arranging dishes, which are included with the instructions for the dishwasher.

Another important rule for loading dishes is the need to pre-clean the dishes from food debris, seeds, napkins, etc., so that debris does not form a blockage inside the equipment.

There are usually no problems with dishes of standard sizes, because it is these parameters that manufacturers of household appliances most often focus on. Custom sizes are more difficult to work with, so please consider the following loading guidelines.

Load the bottom basket with your largest items first, such as pots, pans and large plates, before moving on to the top basket.
Place all plates in holders, keeping a small amount of debris between items so that they are washed thoroughly.
All dishes are placed with the inside facing the center. In this case, all large plates must be placed in the outer compartments of the basket, and all small ones in the center.
Pans with baking sheets should be placed on their sides so that they do not block the water supply to the upper basket.
It is recommended to wash large pots by turning them upside down.
If possible, do not wash pans and pots together with plates and fragile glasses.
Do not overload the PMM with tableware, otherwise the dishes will not be cleaned of dirt. It is better to divide everything into several washes.
Glasses, cups, containers and other small items should be placed upside down in the top basket.
Forks, spoons, knives and other cutlery should be kept in a separate basket or drawer at the top of the dishwasher.Larger items such as ladles and spatulas should be placed horizontally in the top basket.
Always make sure that the dishes inside the PMM do not interfere with the rotation of the spray arms, and also do not block the powder receptacle on the door.

In addition to these recommendations, remember that not all items are machine washable. To avoid accidentally damaging your appliances or cutlery, review the list of items that are incompatible with dishwashers.

Shall we choose the right remedy?

Let's move on to the next point, which often raises many questions among new PMM users. There are many types of household dishwashing chemicals available in the market from a variety of brands. How to figure out whether it is better to wash with gel, powder or 3-in-1 tablets? Basically, the use of detergents directly depends on how much money you are willing to regularly spend on household chemicals.

For example, combined tablets are definitely more convenient than any other detergents, but they are much more expensive. Powder is much cheaper, but it is quite difficult to load into the unit. Therefore, any product has pros and cons, but experts still recommend not using combined products, but using detergent chemicals separately. To support their words, they give the following arguments: put dishwasher tablets in the machine

It’s cheaper to buy powder, rinse aid and salt separately than 3-in-1 tablets;
you yourself will be able to dose the detergents depending on how much you plan to wash the dishes and how dirty they are. With experience, you will be able to add the right amount of powder, gel or rinse “by eye” for each specific situation, but this will not work with tablets, because they always have the same dosage;

If necessary, users sometimes even have to break the 3-in-1 tablets into several pieces if they have a small “home helper,” which causes the detergent to crumble and go to waste.

both the powder and the gel dissolve very quickly during washing, so it is recommended not to use the tablets for short work cycles;
The tablets contain a strictly limited amount of salt, which is not enough to combat hard tap water. Therefore, in conditions of poor quality water, additional salt will have to be added so that the ion exchanger does not fail, and this is only additional expense.

To choose a brand of detergents for your equipment, study reviews from experts, as well as customer reviews.

What modes are found in PMM Electrolux?

Now the most important thing remains - starting the work. It is very important to correctly select the operating mode for a specific situation so that the machine works as efficiently as possible. Not only the degree of contamination is important, but also the type of dishes that need to be washed. Basically, in modern Electrolux PMMs, the user can choose from the following modes:

Standard mode with water temperatures up to 60 degrees Celsius, necessary for dishes with an average level of soiling;
Economy mode that heats water up to 50 degrees, and also saves water and electricity. Suitable for lightly soiled dishes;
Intensive mode with water heating up to 70 degrees, aimed at the most dirty dishes, say, pans, pots and plates with dried food;
Delicate mode for fragile glassware, crystal and other delicate materials;
Automatic mode, which automatically selects the water temperature, operating time and other parameters.

The operating time of the dishwasher depends on the mode and model of the appliance, so it can take from 45 minutes to 3.5 hours.

In addition to operating modes, dishwashers also have additional functions necessary for special situations. For example, the half load mode was created to work with small batches of cutlery items to avoid hoarding of dishes. The pre-rinse mode will allow you to wash dishes better, especially those that have been dirty for a long time. And the hygienic mode is perfect for disinfecting baby bottles and other baby utensils.

Remember the basic rules

Finally, there are a number of recommendations for caring for the machine after washing. They are also important if you do not want to often pay for PMM repairs or buy a new device or cookware. There are few tips, but they are worth remembering.

After completing the working cycle, you need to not only turn off the dishwasher from the network and remove the dishes from the baskets, but also remove the baskets themselves and remove the mesh filters from the bottom of the washing chamber. These filters must be rinsed thoroughly under powerful tap water.
Use a dry cloth to wipe the wet walls of the washing chamber, and also remove all food debris under the door or rubber band.
The door of the machine must be left ajar for several hours so that the equipment dries out from the inside and an unpleasant odor does not form inside it.

This is how, after finishing washing, in just 10 minutes you can ensure the constant cleanliness of the PMM, which will have a positive effect on the longevity of the product. You also need to clean the device from grease and scale at least once a quarter, using a special cleaner.This procedure will remove plaque, grease and other dirt from the dishwasher chamber, hoses and pipes, and will also prevent blockages.