what the fuck is "dishwasher salt"
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@Felthry Ah, here we are. Dishwasher salt is a consumable maintenance supply, intended for dishwashers with built-in water softeners.
Source: https://fredsappliance.com/service/dishwasher-salt-use/
@LexYeen We've never seen a dishwasher with included ion-exchange columns but according to someone else who answered it's just not really a thing in the US
I kind of wonder why, considering that softer water = better clean with less detergent needed
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@Felthry Yeah, I've never seen one either, and I'm wondering why too.
My gut feeling, however, is saying capitalism. If people are getting a better clean with less detergent, then there's less detergent being sold and the possibility of fewer service calls for wear and tear.
@LexYeen Yeah, it would mean one other product you can sell (the salt to recharge the ion-exchange resin with) but that probably isn't as profitable as people wasting detergent
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@LexYeen then again how profitable *is* detergent in the first place, it's not like we at least go through it very fast
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@Felthry Judging by history? When it comes to capitalism and the behavior of capitalists, never underestimate the draw of vertical integration or the attraction of perverse incentives.
@LexYeen i'm sure those detergent pods they make now are pretty profitable given how overpriced they are, but i mean.... you get a box of regular detergent for like $3 and that gives you some 50-to-100 washes
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@Felthry Apparently it's a british thing? Some of their dishwashers have mini water softeners in them to treat hard water, and the dishwasher salt is basically coarse salt somewhat similar to what goes in brine tanks for whole house water softeners.
@Felthry Guessing you saw the Technology Connections video?
@starseeker yes
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@Felthry That is an excellent question that I'm looking for an answer to now.