# The inside of my dishwasher is orange. **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 10, 2006, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-inside-of-my-dishwasher-is-orange/363895 "2006-07-10T17:10:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2006, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-inside-of-my-dishwasher-is-orange/363895/21 "2006-07-11T14:39:56Z")
A browning agent common to well water besides Iron is Manganese\*. This happens to a be a fairly common chemical in well water in the North East at least. Iron is the most common staining agent and as mentioned a large amount of tomato sauce could cause problems but is not likely. Jim {BTW: Glisten works well for Iron & Manganese staining and no, I do not work for or own stock in said company} - Manganese should not be confused with Magnesium. ---
**Author:** ![crazyjoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f14d63/32.png) [@crazyjoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crazyjoe)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2006, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-inside-of-my-dishwasher-is-orange/363895/22 "2006-07-11T14:44:04Z")
[QUOTE=WhyNot] 😕 Why the hell do you care if the inside of your dishwasher is orange? Does it still wash dishes? (I turned the inside of the dishwasher orange once. It washed itself off in about three washes, without any fancy cleaners or scrubbing. There’s very little out there more caustic or better cleaning than dishwasher detergent itself.) [/QUOTE] Because, y’know, it’s…orange. And the rest of it is white. Why do I care if the toilet bowl is orange if it still flushes the poo down? Well, it’s an aesthetic thing. Anyhow, someone here at work told me about this product called Glisten…why didn’t any of you guys mention THAT? ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2006, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-inside-of-my-dishwasher-is-orange/363895/23 "2006-07-11T14:47:25Z")
[QUOTE=crazyjoe] Because, y’know, it’s…orange. And the rest of it is white. Why do I care if the toilet bowl is orange if it still flushes the poo down? Well, it’s an aesthetic thing. Anyhow, someone here at work told me about this product called Glisten…why didn’t any of you guys mention THAT? [/QUOTE] Well, yes, but my guests will see the inside of my toilet bowl at some time or another. I don’t have them load my dishwasher for me, as a rule. 😉 Seriously, I know what you’re saying, and I do get it, I just don’t get it. My mother used to obsess over strange hidden bits of housekeeping that would just drive me nuts, and my husband’s the same way. I just worry about the stuff everyone sees or could potentially make people sick. This isn’t either, so I wouldn’t worry about it. YMM,obviously,V ---
**Author:** ![crazyjoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f14d63/32.png) [@crazyjoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crazyjoe)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2006, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-inside-of-my-dishwasher-is-orange/363895/24 "2006-07-11T17:41:36Z")
[QUOTE=CalMeacham] You say this, but I speak from experience in stating that you water may be discoloring your dishwasher even if this doesn’t manifest itself elsewhere in the house. My wife’s family’s house used treated and filtered well water. The interior of their disdhwasher was an unbelievably dark and disgusting brown color. This showed up in none of the sinks or bathrooms (although the old bathtub _did_ have bluish-green staining, presumably from the copper). In our current house, using Massachusetts water ultimately from the Quabbin reservoir, our dishwasher has stained a light orangish brown, which we don’t see elsewhere. I gather that this came on suddenly, though. If so, I don’t know what caused it. But is it possible this has been going on for some time, and you just noticed it? [/QUOTE] Interesting info. Yep, it came on suddenly, and the dishwasher is relatively new (less than 6 months old). Also, nothing like this has ever happened to our old dishwasher, even before I installed the filtration system and we’d occasionally get orange water. It’s also city water, which is chlorinated, fluoridated, and fornicated (not really) 6 ways to midnight. So I don’t expect this sort of thing to be a result of the water. ---
**Author:** ![vetbridge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5e925/32.png) [@vetbridge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vetbridge)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2006, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-inside-of-my-dishwasher-is-orange/363895/25 "2006-07-11T20:02:49Z")
If tomatoe sauce is the culprit, I would advise _Tincture of Time_. Either that, or _Glisten_. ---
**Author:** ![WAGinWNY](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/22d042/32.png) [@WAGinWNY](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WAGinWNY)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2013, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-inside-of-my-dishwasher-is-orange/363895/26 "2013-07-06T23:46:23Z")
> [@vetbridge](#): > > If tomatoe sauce is the culprit, I would advise _Tincture of Time_. Either that, or _Glisten_. I registered just so I could thank you all for cracking me up. (I needed that!) 😃 ---
**Author:** ![deltasigma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e5b9ba/32.png) [@deltasigma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/deltasigma)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2013, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-inside-of-my-dishwasher-is-orange/363895/27 "2013-07-07T01:03:48Z")
Since it’s 7 years down the road now, I wonder if the OP has gotten a new dishwasher. I highly recommend the kind with a stainless steel interior. Mine always looks shiny and new regardless of what I throw at it. ---
**Author:** ![crazyjoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f14d63/32.png) [@crazyjoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crazyjoe)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2013, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-inside-of-my-dishwasher-is-orange/363895/28 "2013-07-07T04:15:29Z")
He has. And it has a stainless interior. ---
**Author:** ![nion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c5a1d2/32.png) [@nion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nion)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2013, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-inside-of-my-dishwasher-is-orange/363895/29 "2013-07-07T05:27:08Z")
But tell us… Did you try Glisten? ---
**Author:** ![moriah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b2d939/32.png) [@moriah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/moriah)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2013, 5:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-inside-of-my-dishwasher-is-orange/363895/30 "2013-07-07T05:29:03Z")
Does it glisten? ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2013, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-inside-of-my-dishwasher-is-orange/363895/31 "2013-07-07T14:52:32Z")
Step 2, don’t buy a dishwasher with a plastic tub next time. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2013, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-inside-of-my-dishwasher-is-orange/363895/32 "2013-07-07T16:40:08Z")
> [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#): > > Step 2, don’t buy a dishwasher with a plastic tub next time. 🙂 Stainless can stain also from some minerals in well water, but yes stainless is better. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2013, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-inside-of-my-dishwasher-is-orange/363895/33 "2013-07-07T16:51:26Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#): > > Stainless can stain also from some minerals in well water, but yes stainless is better. I know, we have well water as well - as well as a decent whole-house softener and conditioning unit, which makes a big difference. I have to run a de-lime cycle on the unit a couple of time a year to clear the haze from the metal. Having had all three, I would avoid a plastic-tub dishwasher at almost any cost. Enamel is heavier and a bit fragile, but even more durable than stainless, and at around the same cost as most plastic units. I got rid of my last plastic-tub unit (a cheapie that came with our last house) right after it stained just like the OP describes. ---
**Author:** ![Enola\_Straight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dec6dc/32.png) [@Enola\_Straight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enola_Straight)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2013, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-inside-of-my-dishwasher-is-orange/363895/34 "2013-07-07T17:12:48Z")
When Batman is prepared to go down the bottom of the Marianas Trench with his 1920s style Death Ray for, say 20 minutes or so…humming along to DuranDuran’s “RIO”…he uses Glisten in his dishwasher. ---
**Author:** ![california\_jobcase](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@california\_jobcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/california_jobcase)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2013, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-inside-of-my-dishwasher-is-orange/363895/35 "2013-07-08T02:42:47Z")
If the stain is on the interior of the dishwasher and stays there without transferring to the items being washed, I don’t see a problem here, unless you’re worried about about really snoopy house guests. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-inside-of-my-dishwasher-is-orange/363895.md?page=1)