Yes. If your machine is equipped with a water-softening unit, then we recommend you use Akiba salt. The consumption will be based on your settings, frequency of use, and how hard your water is in your area. Your dishwasher will always give the best results when the water is softened. Your glasses will remain clear, and your dishes will not tend to have spots and white film on them. Please refer to you user manual on how to adjust the water-softening unit. We suggest to use default settings first and observe if you need to change later, either up or down. NOTE: Put salt only inside the dedicated salt box and never on the main wash area.

Yes. If your machine has its own rinse aid dispenser, we recommend using Akiba rinse aid. This will help improve dryness and get that extra shine that only liquid rinse aid, dispensed at the right amount and at the right time of the cycle, can provide. Please refer to your user manual on how to adjust the rinse aid dispensing amount. We suggest to stick with the default settings first and observe if you need to dial up or down later.

The Akiba Bulilit is intended for small dishwashers up to 6-place settings, some of our clients use it for their 8-place settings. Full-size machines when run with partial loading can also use the Bulilit and get good results. Your mileage may vary as factors such as degree of scraping, pre-rinsing, amount of stuck-on food, and other load-related issues come into play. Keep in mind that hard water plays a major role as detergents become less effective as the water hardness increases.

The Akiba Redball is intended for full-size dishwashers running at or near full loads. It is relatively mild therefore most of our clients use it for their utensils that may or may not be dishwasher safe. Your mileage may vary. Always refer to your machine's user manual.

The Akiba Premium is for those who use only dishwasher-safe kitchen utensils. It is our most powerful product and may we remind you to please read the warning label first on what items can and cannot be loaded. The tablet is packaged in self-dissolving wrapper and is good for your pyrex, and metal pots and pans as well.

The Akiba PowderX is for those who want the flexibility of controlling the amount of detergent dosing on a per wash basis. It is less convenient compared to the tablets, but can prove to be less expensive in the long run. There is a risk of over or under-dosing though. It is also possible to use the PowderX in tandem with one of our tablet offerings, should there be a need for more detergent. Just sprinkle a bit on the door prior to closing and you've got your pre-wash detergent up and ready for action.

As the name suggests, it is for maintenance of your machine. It removes extra grime and reduces the build-up of hard water stains especially in areas where you cannot see them, such as the pump pit area. Use it as often as or as little as you want depending on the condition of your dishwasher's internals. The good thing about this product is it can be used together with your normal wash cycle, just place one tablet on the floor next to the filter and you're good to go. No need for an empty, dedicated run.

Akiba recommends the environmentally-friendly ECO mode for an awesome clean and shine while getting the most savings in water and energy. The only downside is a long cycle time.

No. There is no functional impact when the tablets are partially cracked or crumbled. In fact, a lot of our users with small dishwashers such as minis and tabletops split their Akiba Redball/Premium tablets into two pieces.

Yes. All our products have a 2-yr expiration date from the date of manufacture, except for the Akiba Premium which goes up to 3 years. You may refer to the package labeling to check out the production date and the expiration date. The format is dd/mm/yyyy.

The short answer is yes, but it's going to take some extra effort. We understand that you want drier and shinier utensils. You can interrupt the machine cycle just before the last rinse cycle. Add 10-20ml of rinse aid inside the wash area, not on the plates/utensils but on the floor. Then restart from where you left off, and wait until the overall cycle is done.

We have thousands upon thousands of delighted users who own dishwashers of different sizes and makes. From the obscure no-name ones all the way to the Mieles and Gaggenaus of this world. Just make sure that salt only goes into the water-softener. If yours doesn't have one, don't use salt. Likewise, make sure the detergents only go into the detergent dispenser or the floor, and never into the water-softener. Same with rinse aid, only into its dedicated dispenser, or you can interrupt and squirt some onto the floor if yours doesn't have its own dispenser. If you're using a mini dishwasher or tabletop from 2 to 6-place settings, then we normally recommend the Bulilit for the most convenience. Splitting the Akiba Redball or the Premium is also an option. Just safekeep the other half, away from sun and moisture, for next use. PowderX is also an option. If you're using a full-size freestanding machine, then the Akiba Redball or the Premium is what we recommend. PowderX is also an option, just mind the detergent dosing - try not to under/over dose.

Yes, if you want nothing but the best results. All-in-one tablets have components in them that provide rinse aid action, which is to reduce the surface tension of water so that water on your utensils can easily slide down with gravity. However, keeping your rinse aid dispenser always loaded will give much better results because the injection of rinse aid happens during the last rinse cycle - at which time your tablets are fully dissolved already and shall have been drained during the previous wash/rinse cycles. The last rinse cycle (just before the dry cycle) is the most opportune time to inject rinse aid so that bubble formation on your tableware and utensils have a very low probability of happening (water will easily slide down), hence the stark difference in dryness and shine. You may want to check the actual output and decide if you're happy already with just the all-in-one tablets or wish to elevate your experience further. Since rinse aid also helps counter the ill effects of hard water, we strongly recommend its use in hard water areas.

No, you certainly don't. Best practice is to just scrape off the leftovers from the plates without using running water. Use a wide plastic implement or a foam for quick results. You don't want bones or pieces of vegetables left as these will tend to clog your filters. You can have a minimal amount of rice or starch, and trace amounts of proteins as these will be broken down by the enzymes in your Akiba detergents.

If you have the space, buy a full-size one so you're more flexible in what loads you can put in, like pots & pans, and bakeware, heck even those slimy range hood filters will fit. If not, then a tabletop should be good enough. I would recommend having a dedicated water inlet and discharge/drain so that your kitchen sink is usable even when the dishwasher is running, aside from the day and night difference in aesthetics. You may need professional installers to do this for you. If you live in a hard water area, especially if your source is deepwell water, I would definitely recommend buying a machine that has its own water-softening unit so you can use salt to get excellent results. If you want really dry dishes that has an amazing shine, then go for a model that has its own rinse aid dispenser.

Water hardness is the amount of dissolved minerals in water, particularly calcium and magnesium. The higher the water hardness the less effective the detergents become. These minerals will mix with the detergent and create a solution that may stick to your dishes and other kitchen utensils. Glassware washed in hard water, through time, will become opaque, and your dishes will become spotted and tend to have a white, sometimes sticky, film on them.

The most important things would be: a) Ensure your filters are clean, and there are no blockages on the rotating arms b) Stack your dishes and other utensils properly - this is the most common mistake that new users make. Please refer to your dishwasher manual on how to load your machine properly. c) Make sure all rotating arms are not impeded in any way and confirm they can spin freely prior to closing the door d) Ensure nothing is blocking the detergent dispenser so that the tablet is free to jump out into the tablet catcher e) Top-up your Akiba salt whenever you get the empty alarm - this ensures that your water-softening unit can regenerate its resin beads to displace the unwanted minerals, Ca and Mg f) Use Akiba rinse aid to get shinier and drier dishes ready to be taken directly to the cupboard g) Use high-quality detergents such as Akiba Redball, Akiba Premium, Akiba Bulilit, and Akiba PowderX h) Do regular inspection and maintenance by cleaning your filters and using Akiba Machine Cleaner as often as necessary i) If you're new to dishwashers, please read your operating manual - it does help! j) Subscribe to this website and talk to our friendly staff who are ready, willing, and able to be of service.

Yes, I use a full-size freestanding Bosch. I am a big fan of the Akiba Redball because I can load anything with it, even those that are supposedly not dishwasher safe, but this is just me. Also, I love the neutral scent because I don't see a need for added chemicals just to get a strong scent that has nothing to do with cleaning or getting things dry and shiny. I use Akiba Salt eventhough we're on MWC water, because I want consistency in my dishwashing and I believe their water hardness fluctuates quite a bit. I let my dishwasher's water softener take care of this for me automatically - I haven't seen the need to change the default settings. I also use Akiba Rinse aid so that everything dries up really well (plastics included), and it's always nice to see our very old collections of tableware looking brand-spanking new day in and day out. Whenever I need to do a partial load run (happens a lot) I use the Akiba Bulilit, it also never ceases to amaze me. On occasions that there are a lot of pots & pans, and bakeware that need cleaning and warrants its own run, this is the time I chuck in an Akiba Premium, it really is extra-powerful.

Absolutely! Email us a description of the problem/s preferably with pictures at info@akiba.com.ph and we'll get back to you ASAP.