Dishwasher Yutz?

[sapphirestar]

That is what we've been calling it around here... this light sandy-type stuff that sometimes gets left behind, especially in cups and mugs. Sometimes we get a load that is yutz-free, but often there is at least two glasses with this stuff in it, often more. It is hard to get out once it dries.

We are trying to figure ot what it is, and how to prevent it. Too much soap? I usually just fill one of the two soap containers in the dishwasher. Not enough soap? It doesn't look like soap at all, just sand.

Our dishwasher is a Maytag, about 7 years old. It runs pretty good and this has been our only problem. Any ideas? TIA!

[Shirley Panek]

We have the same problem! I can't tell you what it is, but if you figure it out, will you please let me know? :D

I thought using the dishwasher "rinse" would help, but am not sure if it does or not. Maybe it's not having the plates clean enough when they go in, but I'm not leaving chunks of food on them. I believe if you have to wash your plates to put them into the dishwasher you might as well just finish washing them by hand.

[Svadhisthana]

It happens to me too sometimes.
I found this online:

Hint: If you sometimes find a sandy residue on glasses and dishes at the end of the cycle, the sand is really undissolved dishwasher detergent. Throw it out and get a fresh box. As dishwasher detergent ages, it becomes less soluble.


Crystal










Found that quote here: http://www.epinions.com/content_3150553220

[123Alice]

Hint: If you sometimes find a sandy residue on glasses and dishes at the end of the cycle, the sand is really undissolved dishwasher detergent. Throw it out and get a fresh box. As dishwasher detergent ages, it becomes less soluble.

I get this stuff in the dishwasher even when I'm using brand new detergent...I wonder if the detergent I'm buying has been sitting around the store for ages?

[kristalsnow7]

I noticed this when I was using Cascade dishwashing detergent. Now I use the Trader Joe's brand, and sometimes Electrosol (sp?) and I haven't seen the residue. Maybe this could be the problem.

[Jazzmatazz49]

Have you tried using a liquid detergent? The granulated kind doesn't work well in our local water.

[little_bopeep]

Yeah, but I get the yutz when I DO use liquid detergent. :confused: :confused: :confused:

[ErinM]

I also get it when I use liquid dishwashing soap....I use Palmolive. I've also never had this problem before in either MN or AZ.

The only thing I can figure is that it reacts bad to leftover soy milk...I find the yutz only in glass that have contained that. Orange juice and raspberry lemonade V8 are fine.

That said, I am sick of washing my glasses twice, so if there's some way to get rid of this problem, I'm all ears!

[hannah_phi]

I have an imperfect solution to this problem. I got really sick of washing mugs two and even three times, so I started experimenting. I found that if I do not use the heated function, the "yutz" drips off with the water. I simply listen for the cycle to end, then run over, open the door and prop it ajar. Like I said, this is imperfect. Sometimes the yutz remains, but it is not as solidly stuck to the cups. Even if I have the heat drying off the yutz gets caked on, unless I open that door. This method means that I have to be present and awake when the dishwasher ends its cycle. I would love to hear of a better solution. I tried switching detergents and such things, but to no avail.

[sapphirestar]

Wow, what is with this stuff? It's everywhere!

I wonder if there would still be yutz if I ran the dishwasher with NO detergent? Maybe I'll try that tomorrow as an experiment. If it's not detergent, then what is it?

[Jill123]

We had the "yutz" until we switched to the detergent tablets (we use Electrasol Tabs).

No more yutz here.

(We also select Air Dry instead of Heat Dry -- it still dries everything pretty quickly and saves energy, too.)

[lisas3575]

Originally posted by Jill123
We had the "yutz" until we switched to the detergent tablets (we use Electrasol Tabs).

No more yutz here.

(We also select Air Dry instead of Heat Dry -- it still dries everything pretty quickly and saves energy, too.)

Ditto. Ditto. And Ditto. :p

[sapphirestar]

Just wanted to report in that I did do my experimental dishwasher run with no detergent, and no yutz! So now I will try to add maybe a Tablespoon or two of soap and see how that goes.

Any maybe those Tabs are the way to go... but for now, I still have a box of powder detergent.

[hlao23]

"Yutz" usually refers to a person. I think the word you're looking for may be "schmutz".

Wasn't that on Seinfeld once? :)

[Grace]

I was going to say the same thing. A "yutz" is the yiddish word for an idiot, as in "That guy is a real Yutz!" Schmutz is the yiddish word for dirt or crud.

[sapphirestar]

Ahhhh... yutz was one of those little words aimlessly floating around my brain,not particularly attached to anything. So *that's* where I'd heard it!

Schmutz sounds more like a person to me than yutz does, maybe because of the word schmuck. But I'll rename my yutz "schmutz" in honor of Yiddish providing us with some great-sounding words!

Thanks for the help!

[Grace]

Schmutz doesn't rhyme with schmuck or yutz...:rolleyes: Which is why it probably doesn't sound right to you! :D It rhymes with the "toots" part of the word "Tootsie". Then there's putz and futz and..... :D :D Yiddish really is great, isn't it??!! So many great words!!!

And to stick with the topic, I only occasionally get the "schmutz" on my dishes - but it seems to coincide with dishes that have lentils or rice on them. I take more care to rinse those dishes before putting them in the DW (I don't usually rinse my dishes at all), and that seems to help. Although I may try those tablet things. Costco had them on sale. Anyone try the ones that have the Dawn Dishwashing detergent sort of "gel pack" attached to the regular tablet? I wonder about those too....

[hlao23]

If it helps, "Schmutz" and "yutz" don't actually have the same vowel sound either. "Schmutz" has a longer "u" sound - almost an "oo" but not quite. Maybe like the "oo" sound in "Tootsie Roll"?

I did see a website that said "schmutz" was a combo of "schmuck" and "putz" but I've not heard it used that way before.

[hlao23]

Ooh...scary...

I would have posted mine more quickly except I couldn't think of a word with the right vowel sound. How funny!

[adoty]

The only way I got rid of it was to buy a new dishwasher.