As a senior who has lost his wife and trying to maintain the house, I have
little use for the dishwasher but an acquaintance has said I should use it
to keep it operational. Any thoughts?

"Charlie" wrote in message
...
As a senior who has lost his wife and trying to maintain the house, I
have
little use for the dishwasher but an acquaintance has said I should
use it
to keep it operational. Any thoughts?

Yes, for the same reason you should keep an automobile in use if it is
not actually being stored. It keeps the oil moving, keeps seals from
drying out, rubber from dry rotting.

As it so happens, I've got both situations: I run the D/W once a month,
but the old Honda hasn't been started in ...ohhh... about seven years.
=:O

Charlie wrote:
As a senior who has lost his wife and trying to maintain the house, I have
little use for the dishwasher but an acquaintance has said I should use it
to keep it operational. Any thoughts?


Hi,
Yes. If it does not get used from now and then, seals can dry out and
start leak then it's no good any more. Also cleaning with washer is
whole lot better than washing with hands.

On Thu, 3 Sep 2009 20:05:44 -0700, "Charlie"
wrote:

As a senior who has lost his wife and trying to maintain the house, I have
little use for the dishwasher but an acquaintance has said I should use it
to keep it operational. Any thoughts?

I use my dishwasher all the time. She is fantastic.

Charlie wrote:
As a senior who has lost his wife and trying to maintain the house, I have
little use for the dishwasher but an acquaintance has said I should use it
to keep it operational. Any thoughts?

I'm sorry for your loss, Charlie.

I found my dishwasher to be useful for other things.
My old box fan was just filthy. I removed the front
and back grills and placed them in the dishwasher.
While it was running, I attacked the chassis and fan
blades with a spray bottle of window cleaner and some
cloth rags.

Reassembled, the fan looks like new!

I had some glazed pots in the back yard holding cacti
for several years. I emptied out the pots and put
them all in the dishwasher. They turned out very
nicely, (very shiny) without one swipe of a towel.

I don't know if I'm actually making the dish washer
last longer by using it more but it does save me quite
a bit of elbow grease.

--Winston

Winston wrote:
Charlie wrote:
As a senior who has lost his wife and trying to maintain the house,
I have little use for the dishwasher but an acquaintance has said I
should use it to keep it operational. Any thoughts?

I'm sorry for your loss, Charlie.

I found my dishwasher to be useful for other things.
My old box fan was just filthy. I removed the front
and back grills and placed them in the dishwasher.
While it was running, I attacked the chassis and fan
blades with a spray bottle of window cleaner and some
cloth rags.

Reassembled, the fan looks like new!

I had some glazed pots in the back yard holding cacti
for several years. I emptied out the pots and put
them all in the dishwasher. They turned out very
nicely, (very shiny) without one swipe of a towel.

I don't know if I'm actually making the dish washer
last longer by using it more but it does save me quite
a bit of elbow grease.


Yep. I washed a chandelier made up of over a hundred bits of cut glass.

To fuss with all the pieces using Windex atop a ladder would have taken over
twenty minutes (until I tired of the exercise and said "To hell with it!").

Winston wrote:
Charlie wrote:
As a senior who has lost his wife and trying to maintain the house, I
have
little use for the dishwasher but an acquaintance has said I should
use it
to keep it operational. Any thoughts?

I'm sorry for your loss, Charlie.

I found my dishwasher to be useful for other things.
My old box fan was just filthy. I removed the front
and back grills and placed them in the dishwasher.
While it was running, I attacked the chassis and fan
blades with a spray bottle of window cleaner and some
cloth rags.

Reassembled, the fan looks like new!

I had some glazed pots in the back yard holding cacti
for several years. I emptied out the pots and put
them all in the dishwasher. They turned out very
nicely, (very shiny) without one swipe of a towel.

I don't know if I'm actually making the dish washer
last longer by using it more but it does save me quite
a bit of elbow grease.

--Winston
Hi,
I wash electronic air cleaner elements in the dish washer.
Easiest/quickest way of cleaning them.

On Thu, 03 Sep 2009 21:09:56 -0700, Winston
wrote:

Charlie wrote:
As a senior who has lost his wife and trying to maintain the house, I have
little use for the dishwasher but an acquaintance has said I should use it
to keep it operational. Any thoughts?

I'm sorry for your loss, Charlie.

Yes, me too.

I found my dishwasher to be useful for other things.
My old box fan was just filthy. I removed the front
and back grills and placed them in the dishwasher.
While it was running, I attacked the chassis and fan
blades with a spray bottle of window cleaner and some
cloth rags.

Reassembled, the fan looks like new!

It's also very good for phone handset cords and extension cords and
loads of other things that are dirtier or harder to wash by hand than
dishes and glasses. Makes most of them look like new.

I had some glazed pots in the back yard holding cacti
for several years. I emptied out the pots and put
them all in the dishwasher. They turned out very
nicely, (very shiny) without one swipe of a towel.

I don't know if I'm actually making the dish washer
last longer by using it more but it does save me quite
a bit of elbow grease.

I can see that cork seals could dry out, and maybe natural rubber, by
why should water keep synthetic rubber from drying out? It's not
water-based!!

--Winston

mm wrote:
On Thu, 03 Sep 2009 21:09:56 -0700, Winston
wrote:

(...)

It's also very good for phone handset cords and extension cords and
loads of other things that are dirtier or harder to wash by hand than
dishes and glasses. Makes most of them look like new.

Extension cords! Why didn't I think of that!

(...)

I can see that cork seals could dry out, and maybe natural rubber, by
why should water keep synthetic rubber from drying out? It's not
water-based!!

I haven't seen the science regarding this, yet.

--Winston

Winston wrote:
mm wrote:
On Thu, 03 Sep 2009 21:09:56 -0700, Winston
wrote:

(...)

It's also very good for phone handset cords and extension cords and
loads of other things that are dirtier or harder to wash by hand than
dishes and glasses. Makes most of them look like new.

Extension cords! Why didn't I think of that!

(...)

I can see that cork seals could dry out, and maybe natural rubber, by
why should water keep synthetic rubber from drying out? It's not
water-based!!

I haven't seen the science regarding this, yet.

--Winston

Winston wrote:
mm wrote:
On Thu, 03 Sep 2009 21:09:56 -0700, Winston
wrote:

(...)

It's also very good for phone handset cords and extension cords and
loads of other things that are dirtier or harder to wash by hand than
dishes and glasses. Makes most of them look like new.

Extension cords! Why didn't I think of that!


Also:
* Coke-saturated keyboards

On Sun, 6 Sep 2009 06:51:44 -0500, "HeyBub"
wrote:

Winston wrote:
mm wrote:
On Thu, 03 Sep 2009 21:09:56 -0700, Winston
wrote:

(...)

It's also very good for phone handset cords and extension cords and
loads of other things that are dirtier or harder to wash by hand than
dishes and glasses. Makes most of them look like new.

Extension cords! Why didn't I think of that!


Also:
* Coke-saturated keyboards

You're the second one to mention keyboards. Hard to believe. I'll
have to get up nerve to wash my keyboard, but I guess I wiill. Once I
stop using a keyboard, there's no point in not washing it.

I got to hamfests and buy keyboards for 1 dollar for regular, and I
think it's now 2 dollars, sometiems more, for ones with extra keys.

BEcause I know the accelerator keys for browser functions, like cntl-R
for Reload, and alt-left (or right) arrow for Back (or Forward) I only
use the volume and mute keys, but they are much easier than clicking
on the icon in the systray. So I only use these enhance keyboard
now and my dirty fingers make them very dirty. And they are not so
easy to find at hamfests at that price. So I guess I'll try it.

Seems like it shoudl take several years to dry but maybe not!

When I was losing my hair, that got all over the keyboards too, but I
guess I was able to remove all that. I lost a lot of hair from age 50
to 56 or so, but I'm 62 and it stopped coming out a few years ago.

And I still have a full head of hair It's just about 60% (or maybe
more) thinner. But my hairline is just where it was when I was 20,
and my hair color is still brown. My beard has a little more grey,
where the blond used to be, but it's 60 or 70 or 80% brown too.

On Sep 3, 10:05*pm, "Charlie" wrote:
As a senior who has lost his wife and trying to maintain the house, I have
little use for the dishwasher but an acquaintance has said I should use it
to keep it operational. Any thoughts?

It could break tomorow it could last 15 years unused. Why waste hot
water and electricity to wash a machine. I use mine about twice a year
its 10 yrs old.

On Sep 4, 7:41�am, ransley wrote:
On Sep 3, 10:05�pm, "Charlie" wrote:

As a senior who has lost his wife and trying to maintain the house, I have
little use for the dishwasher but an acquaintance has said I should use it
to keep it operational. Any thoughts?

It could break tomorow it could last 15 years unused. Why waste hot
water and electricity to wash a machine. I use mine about twice a year
its 10 yrs old.

generally washing dishes by hand uses more water than
dishwasher..........

just run full loads

sorry about your loss........

On Sep 4, 8:09*am, bob haller wrote:
On Sep 4, 7:41 am, ransley wrote:

On Sep 3, 10:05 pm, "Charlie" wrote:

As a senior who has lost his wife and trying to maintain the house, I have
little use for the dishwasher but an acquaintance has said I should use it
to keep it operational. Any thoughts?

It could break tomorow it could last 15 years unused. Why waste hot
water and electricity to wash a machine. I use mine about twice a year
its 10 yrs old.

generally washing dishes by hand uses more water than
dishwasher..........

just run full loads

sorry about your loss........

just run full loads

Sorry for your loss.

I know it might take some time to get to a full load, but check and
see if your unit has a "rinse now - wash later" feature. We use ours
on occasion when there won't be a full load for a while, but we don't
want what we have to dry out/smell. It just uses a little water to
rinse them until we're ready to do a full load.

As far as other uses for dishwashers, get a couple of these and put
your DW to work even when you don't have any dirty dishes.

http://www.fitsmybudget.com/product.php?productid=25336

on 9/3/2009 11:05 PM (ET) Charlie wrote the following:
As a senior who has lost his wife and trying to maintain the house, I have
little use for the dishwasher but an acquaintance has said I should use it
to keep it operational. Any thoughts?

Sorry about your wife.
Even though you are only using a few dishes and washing them by hand,
the unused ones in the cabinet can become dusty over time.
The dishwasher can be used for other than dishes. I once heard that it
is good for washing baseball caps, if you are a collector, or have a
bunch of them.
There are a lot of other things that need a good cleaning once in a
while and can't be put in a clothes washer because of possible damage
to, or from, the washer.

--

Bill
In Hamptonburgh, NY
In the original Orange County. Est. 1683
To email, remove the double zeroes after @

On Fri, 04 Sep 2009 09:43:43 -0400, willshak wrote:

on 9/3/2009 11:05 PM (ET) Charlie wrote the following:
As a senior who has lost his wife and trying to maintain the house, I have
little use for the dishwasher but an acquaintance has said I should use it
to keep it operational. Any thoughts?

Sorry about your wife.
Even though you are only using a few dishes and washing them by hand,
the unused ones in the cabinet can become dusty over time.
The dishwasher can be used for other than dishes. I once heard that it
is good for washing baseball caps, if you are a collector, or have a
bunch of them.
There are a lot of other things that need a good cleaning once in a
while and can't be put in a clothes washer because of possible damage
to, or from, the washer.

We had a renter use the dishwasher as a washing machine. It needed to be
replaced after only 1 month of such use.

Mike D.

On Sep 4, 11:25*am, Michael Dobony wrote:
On Fri, 04 Sep 2009 09:43:43 -0400, willshak wrote:
on 9/3/2009 11:05 PM (ET) Charlie wrote the following:
As a senior who has lost his wife and trying to maintain the house, I have
little use for the dishwasher but an acquaintance has said I should use it
to keep it operational. Any thoughts?

Sorry about your wife.
Even though you are only using a few dishes and washing them by hand,
the unused ones in the cabinet can become dusty over time.
The dishwasher can be used for other than dishes. I once heard that it
is good for washing baseball caps, if you are a collector, or have a
bunch of them.
There are a lot of other things that need a good cleaning once in a
while and can't be put in a clothes washer because of possible damage
to, or from, the washer.

We had a renter use the dishwasher as a washing machine. *It needed to be
replaced after only 1 month of such use.

Mike D.

"It needed to be replaced after only 1 month of such use."

I hope the "it" was the renter.

You might think of running some vinegar in it when you do. That will
help the pipes.


--
Dymphna
Message origin: www.TRAVEL.com

On Sep 4, 9:43*am, willshak wrote:
on 9/3/2009 11:05 PM (ET) Charlie wrote the following:

As a senior who has lost his wife and trying to maintain the house, I have
little use for the dishwasher but an acquaintance has said I should use it
to keep it operational. Any thoughts?

Sorry about your wife.
Even though you are only using a few dishes and washing them by hand,
the unused ones in the cabinet can become dusty over time.
The dishwasher can be used for other than dishes. I once heard that it
is good for washing baseball caps, if you are a collector, or have a
bunch of them.
There are a lot of other things that need a good cleaning once in a
while and can't be put in a clothes washer because of possible damage
to, or from, the washer.

--

Bill
In Hamptonburgh, NY
In the original Orange County. Est. 1683
To email, remove the double zeroes after @

"good for washing baseball caps"

As I posted ealier...

http://www.fitsmybudget.com/product.php?productid=25336

Charlie wrote:
As a senior who has lost his wife and trying to maintain the house, I have
little use for the dishwasher but an acquaintance has said I should use it
to keep it operational. Any thoughts?

Sorry for your loss Charlie.

Long ago my Mom stopped using the dishwasher to save money. When she
went to use it again it had a leak. It was explained to me that there
should always be some water in the bottom so the seal/seals don't dry out.

More recently I found myself alone and washed the dishes by hand and
used the dishwasher as a rack for the dishes to dry. Now and then I'd
do a little rinse cycle. It was still working when I sold the house.

On Sep 4, 11:53*am, Tony wrote:
Charlie wrote:
As a senior who has lost his wife and trying to maintain the house, I have
little use for the dishwasher but an acquaintance has said I should use it
to keep it operational. Any thoughts?

Sorry for your loss Charlie.

Long ago my Mom stopped using the dishwasher to save money. *When she
went to use it again it had a leak. *It was explained to me that there
should always be some water in the bottom so the seal/seals don't dry out..

More recently I found myself alone and washed the dishes by hand and
used the dishwasher as a rack for the dishes to dry. *Now and then I'd
do a little rinse cycle. *It was still working when I sold the house.


I'd say it should probably be run once a month or more to keep seals
from drying out, etc. I'm single and love the dishwasher. It
really doesn't matter the family size, you just keep putting stuff in
unitl you have enough to run it or you run out a particular iten, eg
dishes.

I don't even do the rinse and hold cycle. I just place them in there
and run it about 2X a week and the items come out clean 98% of the
time.

On Sep 3, 11:05*pm, "Charlie" wrote:
As a senior who has lost his wife and trying to maintain the house, I have
little use for the dishwasher but an acquaintance has said I should use it
to keep it operational. Any thoughts?

He's right but why bother. I can wash my dishes by hand easier than I
can load the dishwasher. When ours broke we just didnt get another.
The place it was located is great storage for a slide out trashcan
rack.

Jimmie

On Sep 5, 7:58*pm, JIMMIE wrote:
On Sep 3, 11:05*pm, "Charlie" wrote:

As a senior who has lost his wife and trying to maintain the house, I have
little use for the dishwasher but an acquaintance has said I should use it
to keep it operational. Any thoughts?

He's right but why bother. I can wash my dishes by hand easier than I
can load the dishwasher. When ours broke we just didnt get another.
The place it was located is great storage for a slide out trashcan
rack.

Jimmie

"I can wash my dishes by hand easier than I can load the
dishwasher."

Really? I like to hear your process.

Mine is:

1 - Open door
2 - Insert dishes
3 - Add soap
4 - Close soap door
5 - Push button

And that's for a sink full of dishes from a 4 person dinner.

DerbyDad03 wrote:

On Sep 5, 7:58*pm, JIMMIE wrote:
-snip-
He's right but why bother. I can wash my dishes by hand easier than I
can load the dishwasher. When ours broke we just didnt get another.
The place it was located is great storage for a slide out trashcan
rack.

Jimmie

"I can wash my dishes by hand easier than I can load the
dishwasher."

Really? I like to hear your process.

Me too. Aside from the fact that the dishwasher does a better job
than me without glasses, or with fogged up glasses.


Mine is:

1 - Open door
2 - Insert dishes
3 - Add soap
4 - Close soap door
5 - Push button

And that's for a sink full of dishes from a 4 person dinner.

If it is hot I'll go a step further and push the delay button so it
heats up the kitchen at 2am.

Jim

on 9/5/2009 10:38 PM (ET) DerbyDad03 wrote the following:
On Sep 5, 7:58 pm, JIMMIE wrote:

On Sep 3, 11:05 pm, "Charlie" wrote:


As a senior who has lost his wife and trying to maintain the house, I have
little use for the dishwasher but an acquaintance has said I should use it
to keep it operational. Any thoughts?

He's right but why bother. I can wash my dishes by hand easier than I
can load the dishwasher. When ours broke we just didnt get another.
The place it was located is great storage for a slide out trashcan
rack.

Jimmie


"I can wash my dishes by hand easier than I can load the
dishwasher."

Really? I like to hear your process.

Mine is:

1 - Open door
2 - Insert dishes
3 - Add soap
4 - Close soap door
5 - Push button

And that's for a sink full of dishes from a 4 person dinner.


He has a one person dinner. Wash the few items by hand, rinse and place
them in the dish rack, and use them again the next meal.

--

Bill
In Hamptonburgh, NY
In the original Orange County. Est. 1683
To email, remove the double zeroes after @

"willshak" wrote in message
"I can wash my dishes by hand easier than I can load the
dishwasher."

Really? I like to hear your process.

Mine is:

1 - Open door
2 - Insert dishes
3 - Add soap
4 - Close soap door
5 - Push button

And that's for a sink full of dishes from a 4 person dinner.


He has a one person dinner. Wash the few items by hand, rinse and place
them in the dish rack, and use them again the next meal.
Bill

That is true for a fried egg or hot dog and beans, but when you have four
mixing bowls, utensils, pots, etc, put the stuff for couple of meals
together and push the button.

It is well documented that you use less water in a full machine than doing
the equivalent by hand. With two of us, the machine is full and runs
usually every other day, sometimes more.

on 9/6/2009 10:47 AM (ET) Ed Pawlowski wrote the following:
"willshak" wrote in message

"I can wash my dishes by hand easier than I can load the
dishwasher."

Really? I like to hear your process.

Mine is:

1 - Open door
2 - Insert dishes
3 - Add soap
4 - Close soap door
5 - Push button

And that's for a sink full of dishes from a 4 person dinner.


He has a one person dinner. Wash the few items by hand, rinse and place
them in the dish rack, and use them again the next meal.
Bill


That is true for a fried egg or hot dog and beans, but when you have four
mixing bowls, utensils, pots, etc, put the stuff for couple of meals
together and push the button.

It is well documented that you use less water in a full machine than doing
the equivalent by hand. With two of us, the machine is full and runs
usually every other day, sometimes more.

How about electricity? My dishwasher runs for 40 minutes, electrically
heating the water and pumping it through the sprayers.
Hands don't use electricity to run.

--

Bill
In Hamptonburgh, NY
In the original Orange County. Est. 1683
To email, remove the double zeroes after @

BTW, I read that putting a cellphone that's gotten wet or gone
underwater, into a ziploc bag with a bunch of uncooked rice will draw
the water out of the phone -- I'm sure of that -- and make the phone
work some times. Might work for a machine washed keyboard too,
although you'd need more rice.