Tag Archives: dishwasher repair

Does It Matter Which Way Dishes Face In A Dishwasher?

Dishwashers have a spray arm that spins around and cleans all the dishes on its path. With this knowledge, you must be wondering whether it matters the direction you place the dishes facing, right?

Well, for proper cleaning, it matters the direction your dishes or bowls face. Bowls always go to the top rack. Those in the rear should face forward, while those in the front should face towards the back. This way, water will effectively reach them and give them the clean look you want.

For the plates to get clean, place them facing the center of the bottom rack.

Other valuable tips to get the most from your dishwasher

Besides strategically placing your dishes and bowls, you should consider plenty of other tips to get the most from your dishwasher. These tips as given by appliance repair professionals include:

Load the dishwasher properly

Everything begins here as there is no way you will get the most from your dishwasher if you don’t load it properly.

Before you do the loading, scrape off all large food pieces. Please note that you don’t have to pre-rinse the dishes—scraping them off is enough as they tend to come out much cleaner this way as they have some soil for the detergent to cling to and lift away.

When placing the bowls, angle them in such a way that the dirties surface faces downward, while leaving enough space for water to flow up and around each surface. There should be no nesting.

When it comes to the silverware, mix them up in the holder or alternate the spoons with one handle up and another down, to prevent the spoons from nesting against each other, covering the surfaces from detergents.

Before closing the dishwasher door, confirm that the spin arms are moving freely without hitting any surface. You also should check that you haven’t blocked the detergent dispenser with any large item.

Use hot water

The water you use to clean the dishes significantly determines the quality of your results. Dishwashers perform the best when the hot water is 120 degrees Fahrenheit. At these temperatures, the dishwasher will clean the dishes and remove any stains that might be present.

The best way to ensure that hot water always reaches your dishwasher is to use a water heater. Before cleaning the dishes, turn on the hot water tap in your kitchen sink and let the water get hot.

Use the right dishwasher detergent.

Like water, the detergent you use on your dishes goes a long way in determining your results. As a rule of thumb, use the right amount of detergent and choose one that provides the necessary ingredients for a deep clean.

If you have hard water in your system, use more detergent for every load or a booster.

Ensure that the detergent you use is fresh and not clumping for the best outcome. If using liquids, give them a good shake before using. Also, break up any lumps in the powdered formulas.

Don’t overload

While the dishwasher saves you time and effort, don’t try to overdo it by cramming all the dirty dishes in the appliance, as it won’t do proper cleaning, and you will have to redo the cleaning, which beats the whole purpose of owning the dishwasher in the first place.

If your dishwasher is overcrowded, the detergent and water can’t effectively circulate to clean the dishes thoroughly. In some cases, the situation is even dire as the dishes don’t clean at all.

If you have large loads that need cleaning, don’t try to clean all of them at once—separate them into smaller loads. You can also roll up your sleeves and hand wash some items.

Use the right cycle settings.

Thanks to advances in water and energy usage, dishwashers have different settings ideal for different dishes. To tell which setting you should use for your dishes, refer to your manual.

Dishwasher repair Northern VA professionals highly discourage against using the standard setting for all your washing as it’s a recipe for disaster. For example, if you use the standard-setting on fragile wine glasses, there are chances of the glasses cracking and don’t want this, do you?

What Can Damage A Dishwasher?

Are you wondering what can damage a dishwasher? There are plenty of things that can do it. Some of these things as given by dishwasher repair professionals include:

Placing dirty dishes and plates in the dishwasher

The dishwasher is meant to clean the dishes, so you should put the dirty dishes here, right? While this is true, placing excessively dirty dishes here can clog the drain lines, pump assembly, and spray arms.

This provides a breeding ground for bacteria and prevents the dishes from getting cleaned properly.

To avoid this, make it a habit to scrape all the food off the plates and dishes before placing them in the dishwasher.

Some people say that you should rinse the dishes. No, you don’t have to. Scrape them off is enough as it leaves some residues on them that make the detergent work better.

Abusing the door

It’s fun to play with the dishwasher door at the end of a cycle and watch as the steam comes billowing out, but you shouldn’t as this weakens it.

You also should stop your kids and pets from playing with it.

You should only open the door when placing the plates inside and removing them. If you notice any issue with the door, get in touch with a professional and have it fixed as soon as possible.

Overloading the dishwasher

The other thing that will significantly damage your machine is overloading it. As much as you want to save some money by running a cycle with as many dishes as possible, overfilling the machine isn’t the way to go.

This is because it often leads to damage to the machine. The dishes also don’t clean as well as they should, and you might be forced to rinse them twice, which doesn’t save you time or money.

Overloading the machine also increases the chances of it leaking as the water inside the machine is diverted from the bottom of the tank and splashes out, under the door.

To avoid the dangers of overloading the machine, place just enough plates inside the dishwasher. Once full, close the door and run the cycle.

Using too much or wrong detergent

Did you know using too much detergent can damage your dishwasher? Using the wrong detergent builds up residue in the wash and rain pumps, clogging the appliance and creating a breeding ground for bacteria and other organisms.

To be on the safe side, be cautious about the detergent you use.

As a rule of thumb, use detergents specifically designed for your dishwasher. This means that handwashing dish detergent and other soaps shouldn’t find their way into your dishwasher.

When choosing the detergents, always go for powders instead of gels. This is because gels contain chlorine bleach known to dissolve gaskets and seals.

Gels don’t work well in hard water and clog the detergent dispenser, which can impede the appliance’s cleaning performance.

Even though you intend to clean the dishes, you shouldn’t use just any detergent—use a quality detergent that will give you excellent results. As a rule of thumb, avoid cheap, and no-name powders as chances are high they contain inferior cleansers that don’t clean the dishes as well as they should, and you are forced to run several cycles, which you can guess, leads to wastage of resources.

Other cheap cleaners contain sand, so they don’t offer any cleaning benefits.

To be safe, take time to research and find good quality cleaning products that will effectively clean your dishes and prevent the dishwasher from clogging up.

Hard water

Hard water causes the dishes to break and builds up mineral layers on the inside of the dishwasher and its pipes.

To prevent your dishwasher from getting damaged by hard water, soften the water using water filters, water softeners, water softening units, and conditioners.

Power surges

Rapid power fluctuations will also damage your dishwasher and other electrical items and appliances. To protect your appliances, get a surge protector.

Appliance repair Northern VA recommend that you go all the way out and invest in whole house surge protection that will protect your dishwasher and other appliances in the house.

How Long Do Dishwashers Last?

Are you wondering how long do dishwashers last? According to appliance repair professionals, they last an average of 9.5 years.

The appliance’s lifespan is hugely dependent on how frequently you use the unit.

An average household runs its dishwasher five times a week. This means that if you run yours more than this, it’s bound to have a much shorter lifespan and vice versa.

For example, if you run your unit more than five cycles a week, it will last for seven years, and if you run it fewer than five cycles a week, it will last for even 15 years.

How do you extend the life of your dishwasher?

Would you love your dishwasher to last for as long as possible? There are several things you can do. These things include:

Always load your dishwasher correctly

How you load your unit goes a long way towards determining how long it lasts. As a rule of thumb, you should never overload the unit, as you will inhibit its ability to clean the dishes properly. Overloading the dishwasher also creates unnecessary strain, which prevents the dishes from cleaning properly and makes the dishwasher overwork, which drives it to an early grave.

To be safe, learn how to load the dishwasher properly. This calls for you to place the different items in the right places.

Throw away the bones and food scraps before loading the dishwasher

While some powerful modern dishwashers in the market can handle food scraps, it’s still not safe to throw filthy food scraps and bones in the dishwasher as they prevent the dishes from cleaning as well as they should, so you should always remove dirty dishes.

There is also the risk of food getting stuck in the filters and causing significant damage over time.

Clean dishwasher safe items

Dishwasher companies will advertise that you can clean anything on the dishwasher, but this isn’t the case. There are some items that are hand wash only, and it’s for a good reason. This is because some of these items can damage your dishwasher.

To protect your unit from damage, take your time to analyze anything you put in the dishwasher. As a rule of thumb, don’t put anything there that doesn’t belong.

Keep the dishwasher clean.

The dishwasher is always clean as there is water flowing through it, right? Wrong. Like the other units in your home, you need to clean the dishwasher.

One of the parts you should ensure that is clean is the food trap. All dishwashers have a rubber trap at the bottom of the drain that prevents the drain from clogging. Every few months, remove the trap and clean it to keep it in top working condition.

You also should clean the dishwasher filters and door seals.

When doing the cleaning, always use vinegar as it not only removes the built-up gunk, but also gets rid of awful odors. To clean using vinegar, pour a cup of white distilled vinegar in the bottom of the dishwasher, then run an empty cycle. The vinegar will clean out any debris stuck in the crevices and throughout the machine’s interior.

Wash the dishes with hot water

When it comes to the water you use when washing the dishes, always use hot water. Hot water cleans the dishes and kills bacteria, so you have clean and safe-to-eat dishes. Hot water also prevents debris and residues from building up in the dishwasher, so you have an easy time cleaning it.

Use the right detergents.

Besides using hot water, you also should use the right dishwashing detergent. Dishwasher repair Alexandria professionals recommend you only use detergent meant for the dishwasher. And when using the detergent, don’t use a detergent that is more than the manufacturer recommended amount.

As much as a detergent might appear harmless, note that using the wrong one can lead to pipe, filter, and even drainage damage.

If you aren’t sure about the right detergent to use, get the input of a professional.

How Not To Load A Dishwasher—A Detailed Guide

There are plenty of guides on proper loading of the dishwasher, so it might be a bit cliché writing another one. This is the reason we have put together this detailed guide on how not to load a dishwasher.

Pre-rinse the dishes

You must have heard that to keep your dishwasher functioning optimally and keep away appliance repair professionals, you need to clear as many food particles from the dishes as possible.

While it’s true that removing most of the food particles will make the work easy for your dishwasher, you shouldn’t pre-rinse the dishes. This is because you will be wasting water and energy.

The dishwashing detergents are designed to cling to the food particles and separate them from the surfaces. This means that when you remove all the food from the dishes, there will be no place for the detergents to adhere to hence you might not get the clean dishes you are looking for.

The right thing to do is scrape off the large food particles instead of rinsing them.

You should only consider pre-rinsing the dishes if you aren’t planning to clean them immediately—you want to keep the dishes in the dishwasher until you have a full load.

By rinsing the dishes you prevent foul smells from emanating after the dishes have stayed in the dishwasher for a couple of days.

Load the pates in the top rack

The top rack looks great, and this is where you should put the plates, right? Wrong.

Dishes are meant to go to the bottom rack. This is why there are tines intended to hold the plates in place to maximize the number that fit and make sure that the hot water passes through for proper cleaning.

You can get away with having a plate or two on the top rack, but when you cram several of them there, you interfere with how other items fit and get cleaned.

Place glassware over the tines

The cups and glasses indeed belong on the top rack, but you shouldn’t place them over the tines. Instead, place them between the tines to prevent cracks and chips from occurring when they bump or rattle against each other during a cycle.

Place the dishwasher pieces facing the same direction

You should have all the dishwasher pieces facing one direction to maintain uniformity and have an easy time, right? Again, wrong.

For proper dish cleaning, you should place the dishes in opposite directions. This means that the dishes on the rear should face forward, and the ones in the front face towards the back.

The same thing applies to the spoons and forks—place them in varying positions in the utensil tray.

By doing this, you allow water to reach all the dishes and at the same time prevent the forks and spoons from nesting into each other.

For the best outcome, load the dishes so that they all face the center of the bottom rack.

Place the platters at the front.

Cutting boards, large platters, and casserole dishes belong at the back or sides of the bottom rack. This is not only to give you room to pack other dishes, but placing them in the front increases the chances of blocking the soap dispenser and preventing detergents from reaching the rest of the load.

Overfill the dishwasher

You might have the impression that when you put all the dirty dishes in one cycle, you save water and energy, but this isn’t the case.

Like the washing machine or refrigerator, cramming your dishwasher full makes it run inefficiently. The water and soap also don’t circulate freely; hence the dishes don’t get as clean as they should.

To be on the safe side, you should only stock what is required—don’t load your dishwasher more than it can carry.

Load even non-dishwasher safe items

I know it’s easy to throw all the dirty dishes and cutlery into the dishwasher and forget about it, but you shouldn’t do it as you will be damaging them.

According to dishwasher repair Northern VA professionals, when you throw plastic containers in the dishwasher, the hot water can melt or even warp that plastic. There is also the risk of cracking wooden spoons and gold flatware discoloring.

To protect your dishes, always confirm whether dishwasher safe before putting them in.

How to Use a Dishwasher for the First Time

Have you just bought a dishwasher or moved to a house with a dishwasher and you have never used it before? Here is a guide given by dishwasher repair professionals on how to use a dishwasher for the first time:

Load the dishwasher

Everything begins here. After all, there is no way your dishes will get clean if you don’t load them, right?

To give your appliance an easy time, scrape any extra food from the plates before placing them in the dishwasher. Evenly space the dishes with the dirty side angled down towards the water jets, taking not to overlap the dishes, as doing so will prevent the water jets from reaching the insides for thorough cleaning.

Place the right items in the top and bottom racks for pristine cleaning.

For the top rack, load items such as cups, mugs, bowls, wine glasses, and even water bottles. Position the small bowls and plates between the tines and place the plastic container and lids on the top rack to avoid warping.

As you are placing the plastic containers, note that not all plastics are dishwasher safe, so check the bottom of your plastic ware to ensure that it’s safe.

When it comes to the bottom rack, place large kitchenware such as serving platters, dinner plates, stainless steel pots, dishwasher-safe baking dishes, and other heavily soiled dishes.

Position the pots and pans along the sides of the dishwasher or towards the back and add utensils to the dishwasher’s utensil basket. When placing the items in the basket, ensure that the sharp objects such as knives face downward, to avoid injury.

Before closing the dishwasher door, ensure that nothing is blocking the wash arms.

Load the dishwasher detergent

Once the dishes are in place and in their right racks, the next thing you should do is to load the dishwasher detergent.

While detergent dispensers vary depending on the model, you should follow the same procedure regardless of the nature and placement of the dispenser in your appliance.

Begin placing the detergent in the detergent dispenser, then add rinse aid to the rinse aid dispenser up to the point where it says full.

You should then close the lid and press firmly until it clicks shut.

You should note that the detergent you use on the dishwasher significantly impacts the results you achieve, so ensure that you use the correct one. As a rule of thumb, use detergents formulated explicitly for automatic dishwashers.

There are plenty of detergents you can use. From liquids, gels, tablets, packs to powders, you will be spoilt of choice. There is no right or wrong detergent to use—you only need to find the one that works the best for your appliance and use it.

Select a wash cycle

Now you have your dishes and detergent in place, the next task is to choose a wash cycle. Most dishwashers have at least three cycles: quick, normal, and heavy.

Quick: This cycle uses a lot of water, energy, and high temperatures, giving you fast results. Use this cycle when you have lightly soiled dishes and are in a hurry.

Normal: The normal cycle is the most commonly used, and it allows you to clean everyday messes without using extra water. Use this cycle on the day-to-day loads that aren’t heavily soiled.

Heavy duty: This cycle works best for loads that include pots, pans, and other heavily soiled items. As you might be guessing, this cycle will use a lot of water and higher temperatures.

The cycle you choose depends on the size of your load and how dirty your dishes are.

Setting a cycle is easy as all you need to do is use the buttons located on the top or front of the appliance.

Start the dishwasher

After setting up everything, the next thing you should do is to start the dishwasher. Before you fire it on, appliance repair Northern VA recommends you double-check and ensure there is nothing blocking the wash arms.

For your appliance to function optimally, ensure that the water temperature is 120ºF as it enters the dishwasher. Remember that if the water is too cold, it won’t clean the dishes as well as they should. At the same time, if the water is too hot, it might make the baked-in food harder to remove from the dishes and pots.

Does A Dishwasher Save Water?

A study published in the international journal of consumer studies looked at 200 homes with and without a dishwasher in four European countries. The study was done over two weeks, and during this period, the participants had to record every dishwashing process.

The researchers would interview and observe the participants concerning their dishwashing habits, and after the two weeks, the results showed that homes with a dishwasher used on average 50% less water and 28% less energy than those without a dishwasher.

So to answer your questions, does a dishwasher save water? Yes, it does.

Did you know you can save even more water by doing the right things? Here are some of these things as given by appliance repair professionals:

Use the right dishwasher

Everything begins here. When you are looking for a dishwasher in the market, buy one rated for energy and water efficiency. If this is the first time purchasing the appliance, learn to read the yellow energy guide label.

In most cases, the best appliances are those with the highest energy rating. Unfortunately, they tend to be expensive to buy.

Run a full load

When it comes to cleaning the dishes, don’t put just a few of them in the dishwasher—you should wait until you have enough of them so that you run the unit at maximum capacity. As you can guess, when you run the dishwasher at full load, you spend less water as you don’t have to run another load any time soon.

Some modern dishwashers have half-load programs to encourage homeowners to run their appliances even if they don’t have enough dishes for a full load. While these programs use less water and energy than a normal cycle, the amount of water they save isn’t half of what you would have spent had you run a full load.

Due to this, you should avoid using this program.

To save money, wait to have enough dishes for a full cycle, then select the eco or water-saving cycle. This way you will save water and energy.

Don’t pre-rinse the dishes.

Some homeowners have the impression that they get cleaner dishes and give their appliances an easier time when they pre-rinse the dishes. Unfortunately, this isn’t necessary as you end up spending too much water.

You can scrape off as much food and grease from the dishes before putting them in the dishwasher, but you don’t have to pre-rinse them.

Most modern dishwashers are powerful enough to remove as much dirt from the dishes, so you don’t need to do the pre-rinsing.

If you have heavily soiled dishes, pre-soak them instead of rinsing them under the tap.

Load the dishwasher efficiently.

Did you know how you load the dishwasher significantly impacts the amount of water the unit consumes? As much as you want to save as much water as possible, don’t overload the dishwasher as this might prevent some of the items from being thoroughly cleaned, and you are forced to redo it, which, as you can guess, means that you have to spend more water and energy.

The right way to go about it is to never load more items in the dishwasher than it’s designed to carry. When loading, load large items at the back and sides of the rack. Don’t place big plates at the front as they will stop the water from reaching the detergent dispenser.

Regularly tune up your appliance.

You will observe all of the above tips, but if your appliance is in bad shape, it will consume a lot more water than it should.

To avoid this, make it a habit to contact dishwasher repair Springfield professionals at least once a year to inspect the appliance and fix any issues it might be having,

To get the best service, ensure that the professional you hire is experienced and knows what they are doing. The last thing you want is to hire someone that comes to cause more problems than were originally there.

Besides hiring a professional once a year, make it a habit to fix the appliance whenever you notice even the most minor problems.

Do You Need To Clean A Dishwasher?

Since they use the dishwasher to clean their dishes, many homeowners think they don’t need to clean their dishwasher, so you will hear them asking, do you need to clean a dishwasher? After all, it’s clean all the time, right?

According to dishwasher repair professionals, you need to clean your appliance to get rid of any food and grime that might have built up and can seriously damage the appliance’s filter and pump, leading to expensive repairs.

Thankfully, you don’t need to clean the dishwasher too often (once or twice a year is enough) and doing so isn’t hard, and you can easily do it by yourself.

How to clean the dishwasher

For effective cleaning, you need to follow the cleaning procedure:

Begin emptying the dishwasher, then inspect the spinning arms to ensure that all the holes are open and water flows through them.

You should then clear any debris present using fine pointed or needle-nose pliers. If you don’t have these, use a toothpick or any other similar object. When doing the cleaning, take care not to scratch anything.

Follow it up with wiping around the edges of the door and the gasket using a damp cloth or mild spray cleaner. Use an old toothbrush or a soft household brush to remove debris in the corners and under the gasket.

Once you are done, clean under the bottom of the door. This is a dead spot in most dishwashers, and water doesn’t go here, so it tends to accumulate a lot of debris, so you need to be cautious and ensure you remove all of it.

Take a look at the bottom of the dishwasher around the drain. There will be a grate or grill under the arm, and this is where the wastewater exits.

Pay close attention to the contents here and remove as much solid matter present as possible. Of major importance, pay close attention to the bits of food, gravel, broken glasses, and dishes present and get rid of them.

Are there any hard water deposits or scales on the dishwasher? Get rid of them. To do this, you need to run one cycle of your dishwasher empty with mild, food acid of your choice.

Avoid using bleach and detergents containing bleach if your appliance has a stainless steel interior or door.

Spray the dishwasher’s front with a mild spray cleaner of your choice and wipe it with a sponge or soft cloth. When doing it, pay attention to the controls and the handle. Also, don’t miss the little ledge between the panels as they tend to collect dirt.

Once you are done, refill the dishwasher rinse aid dispenser.

Other ways to keep your dishwasher in top shape

Besides cleaning the dishwasher, there are plenty of other ways you can keep your appliance in top shape. Some of these ways include:

Get rid of the excess gunk

The dishwasher’s cleaning ability will be significantly compromised when you deposit too much food into the system. To avoid this, scrape off any leftover food from the plates before putting them in the dishwasher.

Some homeowners go to the extent of pre-rinsing the dishes to give the dishwasher an easy time, but you don’t have to. Getting rid of the excess food residues is enough.

Properly load the dishwasher.

How you load the dishwasher affects how clean the dishes become and impacts the lifespan of the appliance, so you should be cautious of how you load it.

The right way to go about it is to follow the manufacturer’s recommended loading recommendations. As a rule of thumb, avoid overloading or crowding the dishwasher as it can block the spray arms and prevent the water from reaching all the surfaces.

Use hot water

Hot water cleans the best so ensure that your dishwasher is receiving the hottest water possible.

The best way to tell your appliance is getting enough hot water is to check the water temperature at the kitchen faucet using a meat or candy thermometer.

For proper cleaning, appliance repair Alexandria professionals advise that the temperature should be at least 120 degrees.

Why Is My Dishwasher Not Starting?

Imagine this. You have guests over, meaning that you have countless dishes to clean. You rush to the kitchen, put the dishes in the dishwasher, and push the start button. You count on the dishwasher to immediately light up and do the dirty work, but it doesn’t.

Why is my dishwasher not starting? You wonder. According to dishwasher repair professionals, this will happen due to plenty of reasons such as:

There is no power supply

There is no way your dishwasher will work if there is no power supply. When your appliance fails to start when you expect it to, you should check the power plugs. In most appliances, the plugs are hidden behind the cabinets or under the sink.

You should inspect them and confirm they aren’t kicked.

If you can’t access the plug, look at it and ensure that it’s securely in the wall and there aren’t any signs of damage or fraying on it or the cord.

You also should check the circuit and confirm that it hasn’t tripped. Also, confirm that the appliance is properly plugged into the wall outlet.

Take a look at the door latch.

The door latch tells the dishwasher that the door is sealed shut and it’s safe to start the waterworks. Like other parts of the appliance, plenty of things can go wrong with the latch. For example:

The latch can jam: You need to check whether old soap or food gunk is in the door latch itself. If the latch is jammed or clogged with old gunk, there is no way it’s going to click shut. This means that there is no way the switch will trigger the dishwasher to start.

The latch can break: The door latch or latch switch can also break. And when this happens, the door won’t click and hold itself closed anymore. This means that the dishwasher can’t start and run safely. In such a case, you have to replace the door latch and even the switch.

The child safety setting might be on: Some dishwashers have child latches meant to keep the children from accessing the dishwasher or accidentally trapping themselves inside.

If your appliance isn’t starting, check whether you have activated the settings.

The control panel isn’t working.

The control panel of your appliance is made up of buttons, minicomputers, and settings that control the wash cycles. Like other appliances, when something goes wrong with the control panel, the dishwasher is bound to start acting up or even failing to start.

In most cases, you can’t tell when the problem is with the control panel unless you have faced the problem before. And to be on the safe side, let an expert handle it.

You have problems with the internal components.

Your dishwasher buttons, door latch, and control panel can be working properly but fail to start when the essential internal components are broken.

One of the most common parts that fail to work is the thermal fuse.  The thermal fuse prevents overheating of the control board, and when the fuse blows, electricity stops making it to the control board, which comes in handy at stopping fires and burning the electrical equipment in the event of a malfunction.

When the thermal fuse is blown, the dishwasher will hardly start unless you replace it.

Motor start relay

The motor start relay tells the dishwasher motor to start working. In other words, it relays the start signal to the motor. If the start relay isn’t functioning, the rest of the dishwasher won’t get the “Go” signal from the control panel.

Drive motor

The drive motor provides the power to swish the water around the inside of the dishwasher. When the drive motor is out, there is no serious water action which means you won’t have clean dishes, and you most likely won’t get the dishwasher to start.

The drive motor is complex, so it’s good to leave it to an appliance repair Northern VA professional to look at it and find out what is stopping the dishwasher from working.

When hiring the repair professional, ensure that they are experienced and know what they are doing. You don’t want to hire someone that will introduce more problems to your appliance.

How Do I Get Rid Of Standing Water In My Dishwasher?

Water standing in your dishwasher is one of the most common dishwasher problems you will encounter as a homeowner. As you can tell, it’s annoying and unsanitary for the dishwasher to have standing water. Besides the water being a breeding ground for mold and bacteria, it also gives off smelly odors that are off-putting.

How do I get rid of standing water in my dishwasher? Well, there are plenty of ways to go about it without requiring special tools or skills. These ways, as given by dishwasher repair professionals, include:

Run the garbage disposal

Sometimes a full garbage disposal or an air gap in a connecting hose can prevent water from properly draining out of the dishwasher. To drain the stagnant water, run the disposal for about 30 seconds.

Clean or replace the filter

If you have gone without cleaning the dishwasher’s filter for a long time, the dirty filter might prevent the water from draining. Refer to the owner’s manual and see where the filter is located on your dishwasher and instructions on removing and cleaning it.

In most dishwashers, you will find the filter on the inside bottom of the appliance. Some will require you to unscrew them, while others won’t.

If the filter is too dirty or worn out, the best way out is to replace it. When getting a new unit, ensure that it’s the right size for your appliance. It also should have a high-energy star rating to function efficiently and last for a long time.

Check for blockages

If the filter is clean and functioning correctly, check the bottom of the dishwasher for items or pieces of food that might have fallen from the rack to block the water flow. If these items are present, get rid of them immediately.

Inspect the drain hose

Check the drain hose connecting to the sink and garbage disposal. If there are any kinks, straighten them, and hopefully, the problem will go away. Besides straightening the kinks, also blow through the hose or poke a wire hanger through to check for clogs. You also should ensure that the seal is tight enough.

Take a look at the supply line.

You need to locate the supply line under the sink and place a bucket underneath to catch any falling water. Then disconnect the plumbing line feeding into the main drain.

While allowing the water to drain into the bucket, inspect the line for clogs and run a snake through the pipe to dislodge it. After removing all the clogs, attach the plumbing line again and run an empty cycle through the dishwasher.

Try vinegar and baking soda.

Mix one cup of baking soda and one cup of vinegar and pour the mixture into the standing water at the bottom of your dishwasher. Let the mixture sit for 20 minutes and see what happens.

If the water starts to drain, rinse it with hot water, then run the dishwasher’s rinse cycle. This will loosen the clogs or any debris that might be preventing the dishwasher from draining properly.

How do you prevent standing water in the future?

Prevention is always better than cure, so to avoid having to get rid of the water now and then, there are several things you should do. Some of these things include:

Always use the correct dishwashing detergent

As much as they look the same, different dishwashers require different detergents. Whether your dishwasher uses powder, pods, or liquid detergent, ensure that you use that specific detergent to avoid clogging the drains.

Load the dishwasher properly

According to appliance repair Alexandria professionals, improperly loading the dishwasher can make it hard to drain during a complete cycle so ensure that you properly load it. If you don’t know how to go about it, read the manufacturer’s manual.

Pay attention to your dishwasher.

Most appliances, including dishwashers, give you signs that they are about to malfunction. If there are buzzing, humming, or clicking sounds, these might indicate that your appliance has an underlying problem, and it’s time to look into it.

Does Hard Water Cause Dishwasher Problems?

If you live in an area with hard water, you must be wondering, does hard water cause dishwasher problems? Unfortunately, it does. Some of the common problems as given by dishwasher repair professionals include:

Residues on the dishes

Here the clear glassware and dishes have a strangely cloudy or chalky residue after removing them from the dishwasher. The cloudy appearance is usually from the mineral deposits in the water.

Although, the glasses and utensils coated with the residue are technically safe to eat with, they can send the wrong picture to the guests. The cloudy dishes also don’t look good sitting in your kitchen.

Residues coating the insides of your dishwasher.

Besides the minerals in the dishes, you are also bound to have the minerals coating the insides of your dishwasher so that you have a cloudy dishwasher.

While the residues on the dishes aren’t of much concern, you have a reason to worry when you have the minerals on your dishwasher, as it’s a matter of time before your dishwasher gets damaged when large deposits build up.

To prevent the minerals from building up too much, make it a habit to clean them with cleaning vinegar. Fill a dishwasher-safe bowl or grass with a cup of cleaning vinegar and place it in the dishwasher. Let the dishwasher run once on a short cycle, and the buildup will go away.

This works because vinegar contains acid that breaks down the minerals on your water and helps the dishwasher flush them out on its own.

Rusting of the dishwasher

When your dishwasher is exposed to hard water for too long, it’s bound to start developing rust patches. There is nothing good about a rusty dishwasher—it’s not sanitary to clean your dishes in the rusty water, and it’s a matter of time before the dishwasher becomes too rusty and breaks.

Hard water causes rust because some of the minerals in hard water are salts that begin corroding the dishwasher when exposed to water and oxygen.

The dishwasher fails to clean the dishes.

It’s one thing for the dishes to come out of the dishwasher with mineral residues on them and an entire ballgame for them to continually come out dirty with bits of food still stuck to them.

When you allow a lot of mineral deposits from the hard water to build up inside the water lines of your dishwasher, they restrict water flow, which significantly reduces the ability of the dishwasher to clean the dishes.

How do you deal with the hard water problem?

To avoid the problems that come with hard water, there are several things you can do. Some of these things include:

Soften the water

Softening the water takes care of the problem from the source. To soften the water, you need to install a water softener that will lower the levels of calcium and magnesium in the water and provide your entire house with softer water.

Use more detergent

If you don’t want to go through the trouble of installing a water softener, consider adding more detergent when running your dishwasher. To tell how much is more, refer to your user’s manual.

Run the dishwasher with vinegar

As mentioned above, vinegar does an excellent job at clearing out hard water stains in the dishwasher. As soon as you notice a calcium scale on the bottom of your dishwasher, fill a cup with vinegar and run a cycle with the cup on the top rack.

Add a rinse aid

The purpose of the rinse aid is to get rid of the spotty and streaky dishes. Upon adding the aid, the dishes come out clean—they aren’t cloudy. When using the detergent, consult your user’s manual to find out the amount of rinse aid you can add to your dishwasher without causing any damage.

There you go

As you can see, hard water is not only harmful to your dishes, but the dishwasher as well. While there are plenty of temporary solutions to the problems brought about by hard water, it’s better to fix the problem once and for all. Work with an appliance repair Springfield professional and find out the best way to go about it.