Sorry! I should've posted this on the cleaning forum so will move it over there.

Jet Dry is a soap (alkaline). Vinegar is acetic acid.

SS is used in restaurants (sinks, tables, etc.) in the kitchens and vinegar/acids are routine....can't imagine it being a problem.

Thanks for your responses.

Vinegar has proven to be the best and ONLY effective rinse agent in my Bosch dishwasher. Stainless steel is resistant to acids.

Miele say in their instruction manuals that you can use vinegar (or citric acid) without any problem - it just won't dry as well as rinse aid. Same applies to Bosch units.

Alex

Whirlpool puts the following in all their dishwasher manuals:

"A white vinegar rinse may remove white spots and film. Vinegar is an acid, and using it too often could damage your dishwasher."

All dishwashers use rinse aid and all manufacturers will tell you in order to get BEST results to use rinse aid. It is perfectly ok to not use rinse aid if you are not looking for best results. Most rinse aids have a citric acid base.

The amount of rinse dispensed by a rinse aid dispenser is usually no more than a teaspoon when set at the highest setting.

As to vinegar damaging the d/w... full strength vinegar may damage the dispenser seals if they are made of a material that is not resistant to acetic acid.

It also depends on your water. I don't use rinse aid or heated dry in my DW and there is sometimes a tiny bit of water left in deep bowls or cups but nothing that bothers me. Everything else is completely dry. Then again, I have soft water. If I had hard water I'd probably need to use either rinse aid or heated dry to get acceptable drying.

The problem I have heard with using vinegar in DWs is damaging the seals, not the stainless.

Does vinegar do anything to promote evaporation of moisture?ÃÂ Keep in mind that's what rinse aid does regards to enhancing drying performance of the dishwasher.

I really don't get this obsession with "chemicals". Vinegar is a chemical - C2H4O2.

I imagine the function of rinse aid is to reduce water surface tension so that water will more easily sheet off the glassware and hence the remainder will minimally spot due to water hardness. This also aids the evaporative drying scheme that is used. A really high-end dishwasher that had a final rinse with RO water might not need rinse aid to avoid water spots.

kas

You can adjust the amount of rinse aid. With my bosch I have 5 settings. I find level 3 works best. Try different settings so you use the least amount to still get the desired results.

You can also dilute your rinse aid. I tried turbo finish rinse aid and found it was over kill. I also have diluted the regular finish rinse aid a little with water and I still get good results.

I use the rinse aid to get dry dishes with the condensation drying.