Dishwasher Salt in Australia: Do You Actually Need It?

Dishwasher salt has one job: it recharges the water softener built into some dishwashers. Most Australians don’t need it, for two reasons. Most of the dishwasher models sold here that we checked have no softener at all, and most Australian tap water is soft enough to skip salt even in one that does.

We checked the Australian manuals for 28 current Bosch dishwashers, and none has a softener or a salt reservoir. Nor do the Westinghouse, Electrolux, Asko, Haier and Fisher & Paykel drop-door models we checked. Miele, some Smeg and NEFF models and LG’s XD4B24PS do have one. Miele, Smeg and NEFF each publish a hardness setting at which no dishwasher salt is needed.

Then there’s your water. In WaterScore’s data, 81% of people in the suburbs we cover outside Perth get water under Miele’s no-salt line of 90 mg/L of hardness, and 88% get water under Bosch’s 110 mg/L. Adelaide is the exception among the capitals. This guide shows how to tell if your dishwasher uses salt, what setting your suburb’s water calls for, and where to buy dishwasher salt when you do need it.

What Dishwasher Salt Does

Hard water carries dissolved calcium and magnesium, which leave white film on glasses and scale on the heating element. A dishwasher with a water softener runs the incoming water through a bed of resin beads that swap those minerals for sodium. The beads fill up over time, and dishwasher salt washes them clean so they can keep working. Miele’s manual puts it simply: “In order to be reactivated, the water softener requires dishwasher salt” [5].

So salt is not a cleaner. It doesn’t touch your dishes, and it only works in a dishwasher with a softener and a salt reservoir. Dishwasher salt is coarse, pure sodium chloride, coarser than table salt so it dissolves slowly in the reservoir.

Does Your Dishwasher Use Salt?

Pull out the lower basket and look at the floor of the tub. A dishwasher with a softener has a large screw cap there, the salt reservoir. Its manual will have a “dishwasher salt” or “water softener” section and a water hardness setting. No cap and no hardness setting means your dishwasher doesn’t use salt, whatever the general advice online says.

These are the Australian models we checked:

Brand	Water softener?	What the manual says
Bosch (28 current Australian models)	No	No softener or hardness setting in any of them [2]
Siemens and most NEFF Australian models	No	No softener in the manuals we checked
NEFF S155ECX15E and S255ECX15E	Yes	Softener with settings H00 to H07 [1]
Miele	Yes	Factory set for very soft water, 0.36 mmol/L [5]
Smeg DWA6234X4 and DWAU6234X4	Yes	Settings h0 to h5, with h0 marked “NO SALT” [6]
LG XD4B24PS	Yes	Product page lists an “inbuilt water softening system (dishwasher salts)” [8]
Fisher & Paykel drop-door	No	Recommends a household softener in hard water areas [7]
Westinghouse, Electrolux, Asko, Haier	No	No salt section in the manuals we checked

Be careful with general guides. Bosch Australia’s dishwasher setup page tells owners to “Adjust the water softening system” and then “Top up the salt” [3], but none of the 28 Australian Bosch manuals we read has either. Your own manual is the one to follow.

Do You Need Dishwasher Salt Where You Live?

If your dishwasher has a softener, set it to your water’s hardness. The makers’ no-salt settings differ, so we have shown the two most common. Miele says that if your water is “very soft and constantly lower than 0.9 mmol/l (5 °dH - German scale) you do not need to add dishwasher salt” [5]. The table in Bosch and NEFF softener models puts 0 to 1.1 mmol/L in setting H00 and says that at that hardness “you can dispense with special salt for dishwashers and switch off the water softening system” [1]. Smeg’s softener models mark the same range “NO SALT” [6].

Australian utilities report hardness in mg/L. One mmol/L is 100 mg/L, so Miele’s line is 90 mg/L and Bosch’s is 110 mg/L.

City	Hardness (mg/L)	mmol/L	Miele (no salt under 90 mg/L)	Bosch, NEFF, Smeg (no salt to 110 mg/L)
Sydney	31–58	0.30–0.58	No salt	No salt
Melbourne	8–108	0.08–1.08	No salt, except 66 outer suburbs	No salt
Brisbane	53–115	0.53–1.15	Salt in the Brisbane zone	Salt in the Brisbane zone, just over
Gold Coast	34	0.34	No salt	No salt
Sunshine Coast	52	0.52	No salt	No salt
Adelaide	87–136	0.87–1.36	Salt for almost everyone	Salt in the north, Barossa and Willunga
Perth	29–228 by locality	0.29–2.28	Salt in 13 of 28 localities	Salt in 8 of 28 localities
Canberra	36–37	0.36–0.37	No salt	No salt
Hobart	18–80	0.17–0.80	No salt	No salt
Darwin	39	0.39	No salt	No salt
Alice Springs	217	2.17	Salt	Salt

Ranges are from the utility readings behind WaterScore’s suburb pages, and Perth’s are Water Corporation’s 28 supply localities. Your suburb can sit anywhere inside them, so look up its own water hardness page before you set the dishwasher.

Sydney, Canberra, Darwin and the Gold Coast are clear. Every Sydney Water suburb in our data is under 58 mg/L, and Canberra’s is 37 mg/L. Unitywater, which supplies the Sunshine Coast and Moreton Bay, tells customers on soft water to “Leave your water-using appliances on factory settings” and says “You do not need to add salt to the water” [10].

Melbourne is soft almost everywhere. The median suburb has 19 mg/L. The exceptions are 66 outer suburbs at 91 to 108 mg/L, mostly around Bacchus Marsh, Ballan, Gisborne and Macedon, which are over Miele’s line but under Bosch’s.

Brisbane sits on the line. The Brisbane supply zone, which covers about half of Brisbane’s suburbs including Chermside, measured 114.8 mg/L, or 1.15 mmol/L. That is just over Bosch’s H00 range, so a softener model would go on H01. Northern suburbs on the Moreton zone, such as North Lakes at 53 mg/L, need no salt.

Adelaide is where salt matters. Central Adelaide is at 97 mg/L, so 94% of Adelaide’s people are over Miele’s line. Bosch’s line is higher, and only the northern suburbs such as Elizabeth at 111 mg/L, the Barossa supply to Gawler at 129 mg/L and the Myponga supply to Willunga at 136 mg/L are over it. Our Adelaide water hardness guide has every zone.

Perth depends on the locality. Twenty of Water Corporation’s 28 localities are at or under 110 mg/L. The eight above it are in the north, from West Yokine at 114 mg/L to Two Rocks at 228 mg/L.

Some country towns need salt in any machine. Padthaway in South Australia measures 602 mg/L, Quorn 460 mg/L and Port Lincoln 275 mg/L. Tennant Creek is at 232 mg/L and Alice Springs at 217 mg/L. Outside Perth, 354 suburbs in our data, home to about 99,000 people, are over 200 mg/L.

Why Not Add Salt Anyway?

Adding salt you don’t need has costs. With the softener switched on in water that is already soft, the water can end up softer than it should be, and Bosch Australia warns that “If the water is too soft, mineral nutrients from the surface of the glasses will dissolve” [4]. Fisher & Paykel says soft water does no harm with the right amount of detergent, but “excess detergent combined with hot, soft water may cause irreversible etching on glassware” [16]. Etched glasses look permanently cloudy.

Salt can also damage the dishwasher. The BSH manual warns that “Special salt for dishwashers can damage the tub due to corrosion” and says to fill the reservoir just before running a programme so any spilt salt is washed out [1]. Miele says salt water that runs out “can cause corrosion in the wash cabinet and to the dishwasher load” [5].

In soft water, set the hardness to your real reading and leave the salt out. That is what Miele does at the factory: its Australian dishwasher ships set for 0.36 mmol/L [5].

Salt and All-in-One Tablets

Most all-in-one tablets contain a salt substitute, so in most Australian water they replace salt as well. Bosch Australia says “These combination detergents usually only work up to a water hardness of 21°dH. If your water hardness is higher, you’ll need to add salt and rinse aid” [3]. That is about 375 mg/L. Miele’s Australian manual sets the same line, 3.8 mmol/L [5].

Only 49 of the 8,092 suburbs in our data are harder than that, all in South Australia and the Northern Territory. Finish says tablets “often perform well without the need for additional salt” in soft or moderately hard water [9].

Can You Use Table Salt?

No. Every maker we checked says to use only dishwasher salt. Finish says table salt “often contains additives like iodine or anti-caking agents” that “may cause blockages in the machine’s water softening system” [9]. Miele lists cooking salt, rock salt, agricultural and gritting salt as unsuitable because they “may contain insoluble components which can cause the water softener to malfunction” [5]. The BSH manual says plainly: “Do not use table salt” [1].

Don’t put detergent in the salt reservoir either. Miele warns that “Dishwasher detergent will damage the water softener” [5].

Where to Buy Dishwasher Salt: Woolworths, Coles, Bunnings and Kmart

Dishwasher salt is harder to find than you might expect, given how many people search for it at Woolworths. On 25 October 2026:

Where	What	Price
Woolworths (Everyday Market)	Aktivo 2 kg tub, Electrolux 1 kg pack	$14.95, $11.95, plus $10 delivery
Bunnings (marketplace)	Same Aktivo and Electrolux packs	$14.95, $11.95
Kmart (online marketplace)	Finish 2 kg	$20.99
Amazon Australia	Finish 2 kg, or Aktivo 2 kg sold by Amazon	$21.73, $28.95
Coles, Aldi	None listed on their websites

The Woolworths and Bunnings listings are both from the same appliance spares seller, not the supermarket’s own range [11]. Harvey Norman’s website search returned dishwashers but no salt. Miele also sells its own dishwasher salt for its machines.

How long a pack lasts depends on your water and setting, and none of the packs we saw gives a figure. Finish says to keep the salt reservoir full and check it about once a month [12]. Most softener dishwashers also show a salt refill light.

How to Add Dishwasher Salt

1. Check your manual’s hardness setting first and set it to your water. If the manual says no salt is needed at your setting, stop here.
2. Fill the reservoir with water the first time. Finish and Bosch both say to do this before adding salt to a new machine [3][12]. After that, the reservoir stays full of water.
3. Pour the salt in with the funnel that came with the dishwasher until the reservoir is full, and screw the cap on tight. Miele’s reservoir holds up to 2 kg [5].
4. Wipe up any spilt salt and run a programme straight away, so salt water doesn’t sit in the tub.
5. Top up when the salt light comes on.

What You Can Do

1. Find out if your dishwasher has a softener. Look for the screw cap under the lower basket, or search your manual for “salt” and “water hardness”.
2. Look up your suburb’s hardness. Every suburb with data has a WaterScore hardness page, for example Parramatta or Elizabeth. The water hardness calculator converts mg/L into the mmol/L and German degrees that dishwasher manuals use.
3. Test if you’re on the line. Test strips read in ppm, which is the same as mg/L, but they jump from 50 to 120 or 125 ppm, so use your utility’s figure if you are close to 90 or 110 mg/L.
4. Set the softener to the reading, not the default, and leave salt out if your manual’s no-salt setting covers your water.
5. Deal with scale at the source if your water is hard. Our hard water vs soft water guide covers household softeners, and our kettle white residue and coffee machine descaling guides cover the other appliances hard water affects. For drinking water, the Adelaide filter page matches a filter to your suburb’s readings.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need dishwasher salt in Australia?

Only if your dishwasher has a water softener and your water is harder than its no-salt setting. Most Australian models we checked, including all 28 current Bosch models, have no softener. Where there is one, most suburbs still don’t need salt: 81% of people in our data outside Perth get water under Miele’s 90 mg/L line. Adelaide, Brisbane’s main supply zone, northern Perth and parts of regional South Australia and the Northern Territory are the exceptions.

How do I know if my dishwasher needs salt?

Pull out the lower basket and look at the floor of the tub. A dishwasher with a water softener has a screw cap there for the salt reservoir, and its manual has a dishwasher salt section and a water hardness setting. If there is no cap and no hardness setting, your dishwasher doesn’t use salt.

Can you use normal table salt in a dishwasher?

No. Finish says table salt often contains additives such as iodine or anti-caking agents that may block the water softening system. Miele says cooking, rock and agricultural salt can contain insoluble parts that make the softener malfunction. Use coarse dishwasher salt only.

What happens if I run my dishwasher without salt?

In soft water, nothing changes. In hard water, a dishwasher with a softener runs out of softening capacity once its resin is spent, and Fisher & Paykel says glasses and dishes then become spotted or covered in a white film. If your dishwasher has no softener, salt was never part of how it works.

Do I need dishwasher salt if I use all-in-one tablets?

Usually not. Bosch Australia says combination detergents usually work up to a water hardness of 21 °dH, about 375 mg/L, and Miele’s Australian manual says salt isn’t needed with them below 3.8 mmol/L. Only 49 of the 8,092 suburbs in our data are harder than that, all in South Australia and the Northern Territory.

Where can I buy dishwasher salt in Australia?

The Coles and Aldi websites list none. On the Woolworths and Bunnings websites, dishwasher salt is only sold by an appliance spares seller: a 2 kg Aktivo tub for $14.95 and a 1 kg Electrolux pack for $11.95. Kmart’s online marketplace has Finish 2 kg for $20.99, and Amazon Australia has it for $21.73.

Summary

Dishwasher salt only matters if your dishwasher has a water softener, and most Australian models we checked don’t. If yours does, set it to your suburb’s hardness. In Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, Hobart, Darwin and the Gold Coast that is the no-salt setting. In Adelaide, Brisbane’s main zone, northern Perth and the hard-water country towns, dishwasher salt keeps the softener working.

Sources

1. NEFF S155ECX15E user manual, water softening system and special salt — BSH Hausgeräte
2. Bosch SMS6HAI02A user manual (Australia) — BSH Hausgeräte
3. Your dishwasher journey — Bosch Australia
4. Get crystal clear glasses — Bosch Australia
5. Miele G 5210 SCU operating instructions (Australia and New Zealand) — Miele
6. Smeg DWA6234X4 instruction manual and dishwasher FAQs — Smeg
7. Fisher & Paykel DW60U dishwasher user guide (New Zealand, Australia, Singapore) — Fisher & Paykel
8. LG XD4B24PS dishwasher — LG Australia
9. Can I use normal salt in my dishwasher? and Do you need dishwasher salt with all-in-one tablets? — Finish
10. What’s in your water — Unitywater
11. Aktivo Dishwasher Softener Salt 2kg — Woolworths Everyday Market
12. Dishwasher Salt 2kg — Finish
13. Water hardness in Perth — WaterScore, from Water Corporation locality data
14. Australian Drinking Water Guidelines — NHMRC
15. How WaterScore calculates its ratings — WaterScore methodology and data sources
16. DishDrawer user guide — Fisher & Paykel