Detergent and rinse aid

Washing results depend on the detergent and rinse aid used. Always use branded cleaner and branded rinse aid for the best rinsing and drying results. An unbranded cleaner may not clean your dishes and cutlery properly. Using separate cleaning components (detergent, rinse aid and salt) will provide better results than using combi-cleaners (tabs) without a salt and rinse aid. The interaction of the components ensures a smooth surface so that the water flows better. If you don’t use rinse aid, optimum drying results will normally not be achieved.

Use dishwashing salt if your local water is “hard”, that is, contains lime, which causes unsightly limescale. Before first use, test your local water hardness by using water test stripes. Consult the local water hardness table in the manual to see if and how much salt you need. Siemens dishwashers are set for use at 13 °- 16 ° water hardness. Your manual explains how to change these settings. Now adjust your dishwasher’s internal water softening system. Consult the manual's local water hardness table for the required setting. Follow instructions to save settings.

• See user manual to adapt water softener

For the water softening system to function correctly, it will need dishwasher softening salt. To fill up the salt, undo the screw plug on the dispenser and fill the dispenser with water (only required when using your dishwasher for the first time). Fill the dispenser to the top using a funnel. It is full when there is no more water running out. Replace the screw plug on the dispenser and turn the dishwasher on, or run a cleaning programme to ensure that salt overflow is washed away. Be careful never to fill the salt dispenser with detergent, as this will damage the water softening system.

• See user manual to find out how to fill up salt

For stain-free utensils and clear glasses, add rinse aid. Open the dispenser by pressing and lifting the cover plate. Carefully pour the rinse aid to the max line. Afther that close the cover until it clicks shut. To prevent excessive foam in the next rinse cycle, remove any spilt rinse aid with a cloth. Rinse aid quantity can be set at levels ranging from 0 to 6. The factory level is 5. Change the amount of rinse aid only if streaks (lower setting) or dishes have water (raise level). Adjust using operating instructions.

• Consult user manual to adjust rinse aid level

Use tablets, powder or liquid detergents for your dishwasher, but never use washing-up liquid. Always adjust the detergent dosage according to the degree of dirt. The graduated detergent dispenser will help you add the correct amount of detergent. Tabs such as “3-in-1”, “4-in-1” or “5-in-1” contain detergent as well as rinse aid, salt replacement substances and additional components like glass protection or stainless steel cleaner. These combination detergents usually function up to a water hardness degree of 21°dH . If your water hardness exceeds 21°dH, salt and rinse aid must be added.

If you have followed the tips, you may now run one hot cycle with your dishwasher unloaded. When the cycle is finished, your dishwasher should be ready for its first load.

Sometimes problems are easy to resolve with a few preventive measures. You too can ensure brilliant results every time by avoiding common mistakes that lead to poor results. Here, you will find comprehensive information on how to prevent the dishwasher from leaving a food residue or white residue on washed dishes, limescale marks, cloudy glasses or spots on cutlery.

A. The cleaner dispenser's cover is blocked, and the lid does not open completely. The tab drops into the upper basket handle when the cleaner is opened and dissolves there. For this to work, no items of any sort, and no fragrance dispenser should be placed in the top basket, and no crockery must be placed near the handle. Insert the tab transversely and not upwards to ensure dishes are cleaned properly. Load the dishes according to the user manual instructions.

B. The tab doesn't dissolve during the selected quick or short programme. Use cleaner powder and not tabs for quick programmes. "

• Check out tips for loading your dishwasher

Check that the hardness range is set correctly (no higher than 50 ° water hardness). Check the dishwasher’s softening system setting. Please check if the salt needs to be refilled, and that the lid of the salt container is closed properly.

A. If the spray arms are dirty and/or clogged, your Siemens dishwasher will not clean dishes. Please clean the spray arms.

B. Sometimes, food remnants remain on dishes after a wash cycle. A possible cause may be that the dishes have been pre-cleaned and the sensor system therefore sets a weak programme sequence. As such, stubborn stains will not be removed. Do not rinse the dishes, remove only coarse food and, if available, choose the Eco50 or an intensive programme.

A. The spray arm cannot rotate unimpeded as it is blocked by crockery. Please observe the instructions for loading the dishwasher.

B. The crockery is too closely packed into the crockery baskets, and not all the crockery is cleaned during the rinsing process. There is too much crockery in the dishwasher. This will prevent a dishwasher from cleaning correctly. Please observe the instructions for loading the dishwasher.

C. High narrow vessels are not adequately washed out in the corner area. Do not place narrow vessels on an inclination or in the corner area. Observe the loading instructions.

Always rinse glasses by hand before putting them in the dishwasher.

• Use dishwasher-safe glasses.
• Use high-quality glasses.
• Use the dishwasher glass protection programme.

Good to know: A shot of vinegar or citric acid in hot water cleans cloudy glasses

Tips: If glasses have water droplets after a wash, check rinse aid levels, and make sure items are stacked so water can run off. Incorrect detergent dosage and badly stacked dishes can streak and smear delicate glasses. Too much rinse-aid can also smear glasss. If so adjust the amount of rinse aid each wash cycle according to the manual.

A. Cutlery can rust if it is not sufficiently rust-resistant. Knife blades are often more vulnerable. Use stainless-steel cutlery and do not rinse rusty items in the dishwasher.

B. Cutlery can become rusty if washed with other rusty items. Replace damaged cutlery baskets, which can be ordered in the online shop using the spare parts search.

C. A high salt content in the rinsing water can cause rust. The salt container may be closed tightly enough or salt may have spilled during refilling. When refilling the salt, make sure that no salt remains on the bottom of the container.

The cutlery is not loaded correctly. Droplet formations can occur where cutlery is packed too closely. Avoid such droplets by loading the cutlery individually. Follow the loading instructions in the user manual.

• More about loading baskets
• Check out user manual

How do you ensure dry dishes? Many factors prevent thorough drying. These could include the dishes used (e.g. plastic), not using enough rinse aid, selecting a dishwashing programme that doesn’t include a drying feature, “3-in-1” tab use, the way in which you unload your dishwasher and even opening the dishwasher too early or before the programme has ended. Are some items not as dry as they should be? Ensure rinse aid levels are topped up and that all items are stacked so that water can run freely off them. If your plastic is not dry, use the “extra dry” function if your model offers this.

Plastic dries less effectively because it has a low heat storage capacity and a water-repellent surface. Rinse aid levels and programme selection can influence this further. If there is no rinse aid or the aid dispenser is set too low, the drying results for plastic will be worse than for porcelain or glass. The correct programme selection is also important to ensure dry plastic dishes. Choose the “Intensive Dry” option. Also make sure that plastic items are not removed too early from the dishwasher. Wait for programme to finish to enable sufficient drying.

Please use rinse aid to ensure good drying results. If the LED light is indicating that rinse aid is not present, please replenish the rinse aid. The rinse aid dosage may be deactivated or set on a low level. In this case, please activate clear rinse dosing or increase the setting. Check the filling quantity in the final rinsing container and the dosing quantity. Rinse aid contributes to a good drying result. The differences in quality between rinse cleaners and substitutes such as vinegar or eco-rinse aid can contribute to poor drying results.

Due to condensation, drops may form in the dishwasher container. This may be especially noticeable on the left-hand side of the container. This is not a device failure; water droplets form due to the principles of condensation drying. The moisture in the air condenses on the inside walls, runs off and is pumped out. However, water may drip from the cutlery or crockery forother reasons. For example, if water collects in depressions on cups or if items are badly stacked.

If the programme or option button, “without drying” is selected, little or no drying takes place. For more effective drying, choose a programme that includes drying, for example “Intensive”, “Strong” or “ECO”. Note that some other options, such as Variospeed, will also reduce drying.

A combination detergent (e.g 3-in-1) often results in poor drying. Use a different combination tab with better drying performance. The additional use of rinse aid will also increase the drying performance. "

Avoid water dripping onto dry dishes by unloading the dishwasher correctly: first the lower basket, then the upper basket.