'I broke the cardinal rule for running a dishwasher and paid the price'

Every now and then I read a story or social media post that surprises me with the sheer lack of basic life skills.

We have all laughed at the person who didn't know you need to separate your whites from your colours when washing clothes. I once had a friend who put aluminium foil in a microwave, despite her mother implicitly telling her not to.

But this week I amazed myself with a life skills fail so spectacular I am almost too embarrassed to admit to it.

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We have all at one time or another reached into the cupboard for a dishwashing tablet, only to discover the box was empty.

This happened to me this week, and after two days with still no supplies, I found myself with no clean cups for my morning coffee, or even a teaspoon, so decided to throw caution in the wind.

Without first conducting a simple Google search that would have advised against it, I decided to squirt a dash of dishwashing detergent into my dishwasher's liquid compartment and press Start, before disappearing upstairs to work.

Luckily, my husband was still at home and later found a tsunami of water had erupted from the dishwasher, flooding the kitchen floor.

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After alerting me, I ordered him to turn the dishwasher off to stem the flow and lay out numerous towels to soak up the water.

It was only after I finished work for the day that I gingerly opened the dishwasher to find it awash with copious amounts of suds still sitting there hours after it had been switched off.

Then I began the task of removing every dish, which I needed to wash and dry by hand, add some vinegar to help break down the bubbles (a tip I read on Google but I am not sure if it worked), then run a rinse cycle before opening the dishwasher and using more towels to soak up the remaining suds and water.

I am not even certain I have got all the remaining detergent out of the machine, or if they will be a repeat of the carnage once I run the dishwasher again.

But I do know that my little timesaving trick saved me exactly zero time and in fact left me with a good hour of work, a wasted dishwasher cycle, water wastage due to hand washing, and an added laundry cycle as I was left to wash the soaked towels.

Why you can't use dishwashing detergent in a dishwasher

So why can't you use dishwashing detergent in a dishwasher?

It's because of the level of agitation of the dishwasher, which makes the soap bubbles foam up much more than if you were washing dishes by hand in a sink.

A bit like when a prankster puts detergent in a fountain.

According to a 2025 blog post by Victorian kitchen manufacturer Industry Kitchens, even the smallest amount of regular dishwashing detergent is enough to not only make a mess, but harm your machine.

It warned "you should never put dish soap or liquid dishwashing soap in your dishwasher".

"It might seem harmless, but it can negatively impact the dishwasher's performance," the blog said.

"Using regular dishwashing soap in your dishwasher can lead to a bubbly disaster, a disrupted rinse cycle and reduced performance.

"Unlike proper dishwasher detergent, hand-washing liquid is made to foam – and foam it does.

"Those thick suds can lead to excessive suds that overflow, block the detergent compartment, and leave behind soapy water or food particles on your dishes.

"It may feel like a quick fix when you're out of detergent, but it creates thick suds that can overflow mid-cycle and damage internal parts.

"Using the wrong detergent, especially ordinary dishwashing soap combined with other substances, may leave your dishes dirty and your machine needing clean-up – not worth the shortcut."

Not the first

I am not the first to find it's "not worth the shortcut", and probably won't be the last.

Two years ago, a mum took to the Facebook page Mums Who Clean to reveal she had made the same rooky mistake, and appealed for advice on how to fix the problem.

While tips ranged from adding salt, vinegar, fabric softener, or even olive oil or milk, a Choice appliance expert warned against trying any of these hacks when contacted by Nine.com.au at the time.

Why is dishwasher detergent OK?

Whether powder or tablets, specific dishwasher detergent contains anti-sudsing agents that stop them foaming up and overflowing the dishwasher.

"Dishwasher detergent relies on chemical formulas suited for high-pressure spray arms and long rinse cycles," according to the Industry Kitchens blog.

"Automatic detergents contain enzymes and degreasers. These break down food particles and remove grease, without the foam.

"Dishwasher detergent is low-sudsing. It's designed to avoid bubbles that disrupt the dishwasher cycle."

What to do if you use dishwashing liquid

According to the Industry Kitchens blog, it is a fairly common mistake and can be rectified by following the steps below:

• Stop the machine right away as allowing it to operate will produce more foam and more mess.
• Disconnect or turn off the power of the unit to prevent foam or water from reaching electrical parts
• Carefully open the door and absorb the foam using dry towels to clean out the suds and wipe down the inside of the door.
• Rinse the detergent compartment from the tray.
• Add baking soda or salt to absorb excess soap and reduce foam quickly.
• Run a rinse-only cycle to flush out remaining soap and reset the machine.

Finally, only use dishwasher-safe detergent and never substitute with regular dishwashing liquid again.

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