Hah! I had watched this just last night. I have a Fisher & Paykel Dishdrawer so this prompted me to check the instruction manual and sure enough, I had been putting Rinse Aid in the pre-wash area. I don't even really know what Rinse Aid is honestly but it's fun having some things be a black box. Turns out the correct spot is turning a knob, pulling it out and pouring it down a hole containing a glowing red light. I had assumed there was just some sort of circuitry down there and doing so would be a horrible idea. Thanks Technology Connections!

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analog31 11 hours ago | parent | next [-]

It's a volatile surfactant. Thus, it allows water to drip off your dishes before drying, so you don't get spots, but also doesn't produce a residue of its own.

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hammock 9 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

I wouldn’t use rinse aid. It’s not good for you - damages your gut and may contain dioxane byproducts. I also would avoid detergents with ethoxylated alcohols (AEs).

What to look for is any powder or powder-filled pod with a) no AEs and b) does contain amylase and protease , two food-eating enzymes that are often omitted for who knows why.

365 Whole Foods brand pods are my go-to

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dundercoder 7 hours ago | parent | next [-]

We absolutely need rinse aid here, even with a water softener. But we make our own with ethanol and citric acid. For us works just as well as the pricey stuff and costs us…. A large bottom shelf bottle of vodka (sorry, don’t drink and don’t buy this enough to remember) and about $0.50 in citric acid will last me 6 months.

	▲	brewdad 4 hours ago \| parent [-]
		Yeah, I have very soft water. I tried using a liquid rinse aid when I switched from a name brand pod with a rinse aid to the cheap Kirkland pods. The rinse aid made things worse and I did end up with a residue on my glassware. It’s cheap enough to try it and see if it helps but don’t feel obligated to use it if it doesn’t.

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HumanOstrich 9 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

[Several citations needed]

	▲	selcuka 8 hours ago \| parent [-]
		Household usage levels are probably fine [1]. That being said, we don't use rinse aid and I don't see any issues with glasses. I can see how it could be a problem in areas with harder water. [1] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36464527/

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potsandpans 9 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

The guy in the video disagrees with you. From his other video, 23 mins in,

> next, rinse aids. use them. this isn't a scam.

I'll trust the dishwasher expert until there's some proper citations.

You have to realize that every time you sip a glass or eat off a surface that's provided by a commercial entity, you're getting items that have come in contact with industrial appliances that dispense rinse aid.

I have a difficult time believing that something so ubiquitous is as harmful as you claim, but I'm open to being convinced.

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selcuka 8 hours ago | parent | next [-]

"This isn't a scam" means that rinse aid works. It doesn't imply anything regarding its safety.

There is some research (see my other comment) hinting that industrial level use can be harmful (households dilution levels are probably fine).

	▲	y-curious 4 hours ago \| parent [-]
		Wait til you hear about the dangers of using industrial amounts of dihydrogen monoxide :p

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stephen_g 8 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

I think this is the research that suggests possible damage - https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36464527/

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bilsbie 8 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

Do they make a powder?