Tag Archives: commercial dishwasher

6 Handy Tips To Keep Your Dishwasher in Top Shape

If you are like other homeowners, you want to get the most from your dishwasher. And the beauty is there are plenty of tips you can use to your advantage. Which are these tips? Here they are as given by appliance repair professionals:

Always start with a clean dishwasher

Before you place the dishes in the dishwasher, ensure that the dishwasher is clean. You should note that if you put the dishes in a dirty dishwasher, dirt and debris will get into the dishes, and you end up with even dirtier dishes than you started with.

Every few days, inspect your dishwasher and ensure no debris is hanging out in the bottom of the appliance. A great way to do this is to remove the screen and filter and rinse them. Thankfully they are easy to pop back in, and you can do it even if you have never done it before.

Besides this, make it a habit to place a cup of white vinegar in the top rack and run it in an empty dishwasher on a regular wash cycle. This will clean most of the gunk and deposits, leaving your appliance fresh and clean.

Soften your water

Hard water can sometimes be too hard on the dishwasher. Besides leaving hard-to-clean deposits, it can sometimes make it impossible to get sparkling dishes even after cleaning them for a long time.

Hard water leaves a white residue on glasses and silverware, which is off-putting.

To avoid this, soften the water before it gets into the dishwasher. If you can’t do this, regularly clean the dishwasher with vinegar to prevent deposits from forming. It also doesn’t hurt to use a special water softening rinse aid after cleaning.

Load it up right

How you load your dishwasher goes a long way toward determining the results you get. Of course, you come out with clean dishes if you load the unit properly. For you to properly load the dishwasher, you need to follow a set of rules that include:

Place the cups in the top rack and place them between tines. Never place the cups on top of the tines.

Plates and bowls go on the bottom rack, with the dirty side facing the water spray. As a rule of thumb, ensure that the dishes don’t all point in the same direction.

Place the pots, pans, and baking dishes angled down so the water spray can reach the insides.

If you will be cleaning larger items such as pans and baking sheets, ensure that you place them on the sides of the dishwasher. This way, you are sure they won’t block the spray arm or the detergent from the door.

Always stagger the utensils so that some are up and others down. Doing this ensures that the dishes don’t get nested together, and every inch of the utensils gets clean.

Use the right amount of detergent.

You might have the impression that using huge amounts of detergents will make your dishes much cleaner, but this isn’t the case. Using too much detergent costs you a lot of money, scratches your dishes, and makes the glasses cloudy.

Whether using powder, liquid, or pods, always use less detergent than is recommended in the package.

Run the sink first

Before pressing the start button on your dishwasher, run hot water in your kitchen sink first. Doing this ensures that the water is already hot when the cycle starts, and your dishes get cleaner.

Don’t shy away from cleaning other items.

The dishwasher is only meant to clean dishes, right? Well, this isn’t the case. Besides your standard cookware and serve ware, you can clean plenty of other household items susceptible to germs.

These include baseball caps, plastic toys, golf balls, plastic combs, cabinet handles, etc.

While you can clean other items with the dishwasher, dishwasher repair Springfield professionals recommend you don’t mix them with the dishes. As a rule of thumb, run a separate, gentle load.

There are plenty of items you can clean with your dishwasher, but there are equally many others that shouldn’t see the insides of your unit, as they will get damaged or even damage the appliance. Before you put anything inside the dishwasher, first confirm that its dishwasher safe.

Dishwasher Repair: 5 Valuable Dishwasher Cleaning Hacks

Since you use the dishwasher for cleaning, you don’t need to clean it, right? Wrong. Like other kitchen appliances, you need to clean your dishwasher to keep it in top working condition. How do you do it? Here are valuable dishwasher cleaning hacks as given by dishwasher repair experts:

Run a cycle with white vinegar

Do you live in an area with hard water, and you have noticed your dishwasher building up mineral deposits? You should run a cycle with white vinegar. Put two cups of white vinegar on the top rack then run a complete cycle without adding dishes or detergent.

The vinegar will remove the trapped particles, detergent residues, and built up minerals, so the dishwasher looks and functions as good as new.

To prevent the deposits from coming about, make it habit to run the cycle once every three or four weeks.

Remove built-up food and debris with a steam cleaner.

Got built-up food and debris in your appliance? You should try removing them using a steam cleaner. After preheating the appliance, use the steam cleaner to clean the insides of the dishwasher. Focus on cleaning the corners and hinges as well as the sprayer holes and tracks.

Use the brush attachment to remove built-up material, ensuring you don’t scratch the machine. If your appliance has hard to reach tight areas, use a steam cleaner along with an old toothbrush.

For a deeper clean, use a multipurpose spray along with the steam cleaner. Once you are done with the steam cleaner, run a short cycle to rinse out the dishwasher.

Clean the filters

Your dishwasher most likely has a trap at the bottom to catch large food particles, preventing them from washing down the drain. The dishwasher filter is the same in most appliances where it resembles a mesh screen that you can take out, shake it off and rinse.

It also resembles a grate above the drain hole. If you have a more modern appliance, you could be having a device that catches the food particles the same way. You should remove, clean, and replace it.

To clean the filter, you need to shake it out over the trashcan and rinse it under the sink. If you are still unsure where to find the dishwasher filter, check around where the water seems to drain.

Pay attention to the spray arms.

If your home taps bring in hard water, chances are there is a lot of mineral buildup around the spinning parts of the machine that spray water. To clean the spray arms, use a pipe cleaner around the holes. If the mineral buildup is substantial, soak the arms in vinegar.

Be cautious, moving the dishwasher arms as they aren’t designed to move easily. Sometimes you have to remove them entirely to give them a good clean.

Get rid of smell using baking soda.

Baking soda is not only effective at cleaning the dishwasher, but also at deodorizing it. Have you noticed a unique smell in your appliance? Consider getting rid of it with baking soda.

Before you apply the baking soda, ensure the dishwasher is already clean. You should then remove the racks and remove any gunk or food residue present. Can you remove the drain? Remove it and give it a thorough cleaning.

You should then measure one cup of baking soda then sprinkle it across the bottom of the dishwasher. Follow it up with a short cycle on the hottest setting possible. If you have done it right, your appliance will have a fresh smell and look brighter.

You don’t need to run another cycle after using baking soda. Continue using the dishwasher as you normally do.

If you don’t want to go through the trouble of cleaning using baking soda, place one lemon peel in the basket cutlery, and it will fight the bad smell.

Remove rust from the latch.

If you have had your appliance for a couple of years, chances are the latch has begun to get a little rusty. To fix it, rub it down with a stainless steel cleaner and steel wool. Appliance repair Northern VA professionals advise you to rinse the latch and buff it dry with a cotton cloth.

To complete the look, coat the latch with clear fingernail polish. This will waterproof the metal and prevent rust from coming about.

Dishwasher Repair: 7 Ways To Keep Your Dishwasher In Top Shape

dishwasher repair

The dishwasher is one of the modern appliances that make life easy. Unlike most of the appliances in the market, the dishwasher is easy to maintain. According to dishwasher repair professionals, some of the proper dishwasher maintenance practices include:

Keep it level

A dishwasher should be level. If it isn’t, it could leak. For you to tell whether the unit is level, open the door and place an air-bubble level along the edges. If the dishwasher isn’t level, raise or lower either side by adjusting its “feet.” You can also add a wedge to balance it correctly.

Inspect the sprayer arms for clogs

When you go for a long time without cleaning it, food particles, mineral deposits, and other debris are bound to clog the holes in the sprayer arm. For the dishwasher to function more efficiently clean these small holes.

At least once every month, remove the sprayer arm and soak it in warm vinegar to loosen any obstruction. You should then clean out each spray hole with an awl or pipe cleaner.

Check the gaskets for cracks and other signs of damage

Gaskets are rubbers of plastic seals you find along the dishwasher door. Their purpose is to provide a water-tight seal when you close the doors.

Signs of faulty gaskets include water around the dishwasher. If the gasket is damaged, remove it by unscrewing it using a screwdriver. You can get a replacement gasket from a hardware store. You can also order one from a manufacturer.

Before you install the new gasket, soak it in hot water to make it more flexible.

Check and clean the screens and filters

Each dishwasher has a screen or filter located above the food drain. Its purpose is to catch large food and debris. For you to prevent clogs from coming about, clean it regularly.

If you have never cleaned it before, take a look at the owner’s manual for instructions on how to go about it. If you inspect the filter and it has holes, you have to replace it to avoid harming the other parts of the dishwasher.

While you are at it, also inspect and clear out any food or debris that might be trapped in the food drain.

Keep the dishwasher plugged

Plenty of accidents have been reported when dishwashers electrocute homeowners. Dishwashers have inbuilt water heaters and motors that consume a lot of electricity. The unit also uses a lot of water. If the unit isn’t properly wired, you are at more risk of being electrocuted.

For you to be safe and protect your family members from any danger, you should plug the dishwasher into a grounded outlet.

Watch out for the socket you connect it to. As a rule of thumb, ensure that it’s rated adequately to handle large loads that are required by most dishwashers.

Watch the water temperature

The temperature of the water greatly determines how efficient the dishwasher is. To improve the efficiency of the unit, reduce the amount of hot water you need to clean the dishes.

Studies show that up to 80% of the energy goes into heating the water. If the water is too cool, it doesn’t clean the dishes as well as you should. If the water is too hot, you end up wasting a lot of energy.

Set the water temperature at 130 degrees Fahrenheit. Water at this temperature will effectively remove all the food particles and residues without wasting a lot of energy. Place a thermometer inside the dishwasher. If above or below 130 degrees, adjust the hot water heater.

Use the right detergents

Not all detergents and soaps are designed for dishwashers. Wrong detergents produce large amounts of foam, suds, and bubbles that leak from the dishwasher and spill onto the floor.

For you to be safe, use detergents and soaps designed for dishwashers. Appliance repair Alexandria professionals recommend that you use powder detergents instead of gels. This is because gels contain chlorine bleach that has been shown to dissolve seals and gaskets.

Gels also don’t work well with hard water. They also clog the detergent dispenser thus impeding the cleaning performance. Gels also leave more spots and cloudiness on glassware so that it looks dirty after removal.