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Signs It’s Time to Clean Your Dishwasher

Sometimes some homeowners go for a long time without cleaning their dishwashers, which is wrong because it not only makes the appliance work too hard than it should but also brings many other problems. 

How do you tell that you have ignored your appliance for too long and it’s time to show it some love? Here are things you should look out for as given by dishwasher repair professionals. 

Your dishes come out dirty and cloudy.

It’s annoying to wait for a washing cycle to finish and then find that your dishes are still dirty or have a white, cloudy film. 

Dirty and cloudy dishes can be a sign that you need to clean your dishwasher more or use dishwasher soap made for hard water.

Residue on dishes or other items can also be a sign that your dishwasher needs some attention. In some cases, it can also be a sign of other problems. To be safe, check on your dishwasher and clean it at least once a month.

In addition to checking the filter and racks once a week for buildup, you should take the racks and filter or screen out and clean them with warm water and dish soap.

You also should look for a film or rough coating on the inside of the dishwasher. Here check to see if the holes in the spray arms are clogged, and give the arms a push by hand when the machine is off to see if they spin easily.

The dishes come out with a weird smell.

If you don’t keep an eye on your dishwasher filter and clean it regularly, it’s easy for it to get full of food bits. These food pieces give off an awful smell that makes your house uncomfortable to live in. The food pieces can also cause bigger, more expensive problems. 

To prevent these problems, check and clean the filter after every use and sanitize your dishwasher at least once a week.

You also should consider filling a bowl with white vinegar, putting it on the top or bottom rack, and running a normal clean cycle with hot water. 

When done, use a simple mixture of water, dish soap, and white vinegar to clean the door locks and the inside of the dishwasher. 

The dishwasher doesn’t drain as well as it should

If you’ve ever seen a pool of water at the bottom of your dishwasher or water spilling into your sink, this may not only be a sign of a clog that needs clearing but also that your dishwasher might need to be replaced altogether.

Bring in the experts if you’ve cleaned out the filter basket, and there is still standing water, or your dishwasher continues to be slow-draining.

A step-by-step guide to cleaning your dishwasher

To prevent the issues that come with poor care, you should regularly clean your dishwasher. To help you out, here are the steps you should follow:

Remove all the dishes and pans.

Empty out your dishwasher of lingering plates, pans, cups, or utensils. You want to avoid getting in the way of deep cleaning, especially if you haven’t cleaned your dishwasher in a while.

Remove and soak the removable parts.

If you’re overwhelmed by cleaning your dishwasher, remove the removable parts first. Cleaning the utensil holders and dishwasher racks is a great place to start. 

Give them a good rinse with a paper towel or damp cloth first. If these parts look extra dirty, you can soak them in your sink with warm water and 2 cups of white vinegar while you take care of the rest.

Get rid of food debris.

You should put on those cleaning gloves if you haven’t already. Get a paper towel and start picking up any food still stuck. You should remove all the debris before you take the next action. 

Run a hot cycle

Again, distilled white vinegar comes to the rescue. Pour 1 cup of pure white vinegar into a bowl that can go in the dishwasher. Put it on the top rack of your empty dishwasher with the right side up. Run your dishwasher on the hottest setting and leave the door open when it’s done.

Clean the drains

Most of the time, the drain will be on the bottom of your dishwasher. It can also cause clogs, water back-ups, and food bits to stick around. 

To clean it, mix 2 tablespoons of baking soda with 2 tablespoons of warm pure white vinegar and pour the mixture down the drain. After about 15 minutes, slowly pour hot water over the mixture to clear it.

Clean the filter

Every dishwasher is different. Some modern appliances have screens that clean themselves. Check your manual to see if yours has a filter that cleans itself. If not, your dishwasher’s manual will tell you how to remove the filter for cleaning.

Once the filer is off, clean it out with a wet paper towel or microfiber. You should then clean it with warm water, soap, and a toothbrush. The purpose of doing this is to ensure that you scrub and get even into the small areas.

Pay attention to the inside door.

Clean that toothbrush, swirl it around in hot water, and then use it to wipe and scrub around the inside of the door.

Allow your dishwasher to air dry.

If your dishwasher still feels wet after the run, let it dry completely before closing it. Put back the parts that you had taken off. 

For a fresh-smelling dishwasher, repeat this process at least once a month or as needed.

Parting shot

These problems come from failing to clean your dishwasher as often as possible. To prevent the issues, make it a habit to clean your unit at least once a month. 

In most cases, you must clean the appliance by yourself, but if you encounter a problem, let a professional appliance repair Springfield look at it. 

When hiring a repair professional, ensure they are experienced and know what they are doing. 

Tricks to Get the Most from Your Dishwasher

Since dishwashers have been around for a long time, you might think you know everything about them, but this isn’t the case. According to appliance repair professionals, there are plenty of things you can do to your appliance to get the most from them. These things include:

Use the dishwasher to clean more dishes

You need to change how you think about your dishwasher to get more out of it. If you only use it to load dishes, you only use a small part of what it can do.

Your dishwasher can clean many things around the house, like makeup, plastic hair, nail clippers, razors, toothbrush holders, and soap dishes.

You can also use it to clean fake plants, flowers, and plastic toys for kids. With a quick cycle, it’s easy to clean dog leashes, plastic pet toys, and tools from the garage that are dirty or greasy.

The dishwasher can also clean many things in your closet, like baseball caps, flip-flops, and rubber rain boots.

Many things in your kitchen, like sponges and silicone oven mitts, could use a good cleaning. Even the plate from your microwave and the knobs from your stove can go in the dishwasher.

As you clean the various items, remember that whatever you put in the dishwasher will get wet and that whatever you put on the bottom rack will be closer to the heating element.

If you’re worried about fragile items, you can choose to run your dishwasher without soap or heated drying.

If you have small or light things like Legos or pacifiers that could fly away when hit by the water jets, put them in a mesh bag from your laundry room.

Understand the chemical reactions going on inside the dishwasher

Chemical reactions are happening in your dishwasher; if you understand how they work, you can get more out of them.

One reason is that modern detergent is made to react with food. Because of this, you shouldn’t rinse the plates before putting them in the dishwasher. Instead, you should leave the food on the plates.

When you put stainless steel and silver-plated flatware in the same bag, a chemical reaction can happen. Silver ions can leave pits and marks on your silver when they react with detergent and moisture. Even when washing silver by itself, use a detergent, rinse aid that doesn’t contain acid or phosphates, and a low heat setting.

Do you want your dishes to be clean and shiny? You can go with rinse aids, which speed up evaporation by changing the surface tension of water droplets. There are fewer spots and lines on the glass when there is less water.

Plastic takes longer to dry than glass, even with rinse aid, because it repels water. If you want a natural alternative to rinse aid, you might want to know what vinegar can do.

It can help dry dishes better and get rid of hard water spots. You need to pour a little in before you turn on the machine, fill the rinse aid compartment with it, or put a bowl of vinegar on the top rack.

You can also roll some aluminum foil into a ball and put it on the top rack of your dishwasher. It will cause an oxidizing reaction, letting your glasses and silverware dry to a sparkling shine.

Unload the dishes on autopilot.

Dishwashers make it easier to wash dishes, but every time you need to empty them, you have to jump through hoops.

Did you know you can set up your dishwasher to empty itself? The beauty of doing this is that you don’t have to think about it.

Start by emptying the section for flatware, then the bottom shelf, and finally, the top shelf. If you empty the top rack first, drips might fall on the dishes below, which is not good.

Dishwasher repair Alexandria advises that you make room above the dishwasher on the counter. You should spread out a dish towel and then spread the dishes there in piles that go together

With this method, you don’t have to move around your kitchen as much, and any dishes that are still wet can dry.

Why Is It Better To Run Dishwasher At Night?

If you are new to dishwashers, you must have learned that you should run them at night, right? And this is true.

Why is it better to run your dishwasher at night? There are plenty of reasons. Here they are as given by dishwasher repair experts:

You save energy

This might come as a shock to you, but it’s true. Since most people aren’t using electricity at night, this time is regarded as off-peak, which means that the electricity consumed at this time attracts lower fees.

This means that when you run your dishwasher at night, you save money compared to running it during the day.

Set your dishwasher to run at the energy-efficient setting or cycle to save even more energy.

You reduce noise pollution.

Most old appliances are noisy, and this includes dishwashers. This means that when you run the appliance during the day when there are people running chores, you are bound to make plenty of noise that can be off-putting to them.

To cut on the noise, consider running the dishwasher when everyone is asleep and can’t hear the noise.

Place the dishwasher away from the bedrooms or behind a closed door to avoid disturbing anyone.

If the dishwasher still makes plenty of noise at night to the extent that some people wake up, consider getting a newer, quieter appliance.

It’s convenient

Let’s be honest. Daytimes are busy, even if you are a stay-at-home dad or mom. This is because you have plenty of chores to run.

Getting the dishes using the dishwasher isn’t a matter of throwing the dishes in and waiting for them to get clean—you need to load them properly and wait until they are thoroughly clean. This means that when you decide to clean them during the day, the task might come in the way of your daily activities.

On the other hand, when you decide to run the dishwasher during the night, you will have been done with your daily activities, which means that you won’t be disrupting anything.

As a result, you are more likely to be involved with the cleaning as you won’t be in a hurry to complete running the dishwasher so that you can run to other activities.

You have enough water to do the cleaning.

Like electricity, water is in high demand during the day. This means that even if you were to run your appliance at this time, you wouldn’t have enough water for optimal cleaning. When you do dishwashing at night, most people will be asleep, meaning there won’t be a high demand for water.

This means you will have all the water you need to clean your dishes properly.

Best practices when running the dishwasher

You need to do several things to get the most from your dishwasher. These things include:

Run the dishwasher at the right settings: Different dishwashers have different settings that vary depending on different models. You should always check your user manual and confirm that you are using the right cycle for the type of dishes you are cleaning.

Always sort the dishes: Before putting them in the dishwasher, always sort them out and place them in different compartments where they will be properly cleaned. This means the plates and cups shouldn’t sit in the same compartment.

Scrape the food off the dishes: To give your appliance an easy time to do cleaning, always scrape the food from the dishes before you put them in the dishwasher. Some people will advise you to clean the dishes, but this isn’t wise as it removes the surface where the detergents are meant to adhere. Scrape the excess food, and you are good to go.

Load the dishes properly: As mentioned above, you need to sort your dishes to achieve ideal results. Sorting isn’t enough—you also need to load the dishes properly. This calls for you to place the glasses on the top rack and the pots and pans on the bottom rack.

Parting shot

These are some of the reasons you should run your dishwasher at night. To keep your appliance in top working condition, have it checked by a qualified appliance repair Springfield professional at least once a year.

How Many Years Should A Dishwasher Last?

When you get a new house, you want the appliances to last for as long as possible to minimize the amount of money you have to spend on appliance repair and replacement.

The dishwasher being an integral part of the kitchen, you must wonder, how many years should a dishwasher last? On average, dishwashers last between 9-10 years. Of course, several factors will influence the appliance’s lifespan such as:

Frequency of use: In an ordinary house, the dishwasher will cycle five times a week. If you have fewer people living in the house or you are rarely in the house, you will use the dishwasher less often, meaning the appliance will last for a much longer time.

Quality: Like other products in the market, dishwashers are of distinct qualities that vary depending on different brands. As you might guess, high-quality appliances from reputable manufacturers will last for a much longer time than poor-quality units from an unknown company.

Maintenance: How well do you take good care of your appliance? You should expect a well-maintained unit to have a much longer lifespan than a poorly maintained one.

Price: Although expensive doesn’t mean better, in most cases expensive appliances have longer lifespans. This is because they are often of better quality. Besides this, expensive appliances save you a lot of money as they operate more efficiently.

Can you expand the dishwasher lifespan?

Yes, you can definitely do that. Here are tips on how to do it:

Keep the appliance clean

Going for a long time without cleaning the dishwasher causes different parts to become grimy, which reduces the appliance’s cleaning power and efficiency.

Built-up residue can also cause the dishwasher to clog up and even breakdown.

To avoid this, make it a habit to routinely wipe down the door seals and food spills using warm water, mild soap, and a soft piece of cloth.

Every few months, open up the appliance and clean the food trap and filter.

Don’t overload the machine

You might have the impression you are saving money and time when you cram many dishes in the dishwasher, but this isn’t the case. Overloading the machine will restrict the water spray patterns, preventing proper cleaning.

Since the dishes won’t get clean enough, you have to rewash them. Running the machine unnecessarily reduces the appliance’s lifespan.

The mechanical parts also wear out more frequently, forcing you to keep on hiring a repair technician to repair and replace them.

To avoid all this from happening, load your dishwasher with just enough dishes. Remember, you are better off having two full cycles than many partial cycles.

Only use the dishwasher to clean the dishes

When you scour the internet, you will come across videos of people cleaning different things with their dishwashers. Don’t do this.

Don’t clean your car parts with the dishwasher as the parts are greasy and the dishwasher and detergent aren’t designed to handle that amount of grease.

When you frequently clean the car parts in your dishwasher, it’s a matter of time before you clog the filter and ruin the pump.

You also shouldn’t wash candlestick holders with the dishwasher as the hot wax embeds into the different crevices and you end up destroying the machine components.

A good rule of thumb is to never clean anything that isn’t dishes.

Rustproof the racks

The racks are covered in a plastic coating that prevents rust from coming about. When rust develops on the racks, it gets to the pump and since the pump is the heart of the dishwasher, the rust flakes can get to the pump and clog it.

To prevent this from happening, regularly inspect the racks, and if the plastic coating has worn off, repair it immediately.

Follow the owner’s manual

Every dishwasher comes with a playbook (also known as the owner’s manual) which contains valuable information on how to use and maintain the machine. To avoid issues, follow the manual’s wisdom.

Fix problems as soon as they come up

Even with the best care, it’s common for the dishwasher to develop problems. When this happens, hire dishwasher repair Springfield professionals to fix it as soon as possible.

Dishwasher Repair: 7 Ways You Might Be Loading Your Dishwasher Wrong

Dishwasher Repair

According to dishwasher repair professionals, one of the prime reasons dishwashers develop problems is because homeowners load them improperly.

Do you give much thought to how you load your appliance? Here are some of the ways you might be loading your dishwasher wrong:

You group each type of silverware together

It seems logical to keep the knives in one compartment, forks in another, and spoons in a third, right? While you have an easy time removing the items from the dishwasher, the practice makes that the silverware nestle together.

The forks wind up with their tines pressed up against one another and the spoons, well, they spoon. This impedes the water flow making it harder for each item to get adequately clean.

What should you do instead?

You should mix up the silverware in each compartment of the cutlery basket. When doing it, take care you don’t crowd the rack.

You place the pans and bowls randomly

Due to their awkward design, mixing bowls, pans, and casserole dishes are hard to place in the dishwasher. Due to this, many homeowners put them randomly in the dishwasher. This is wrong.

The best way of going about it is slipping large plates, pans, pots, and bowls against the perimeter of the bottom rack where there is more space.

You should then place larger items along the sides and corners of the appliance. Do you have smaller mixing bowls and saucepans? Lay them face down along the side of the top rack.

By doing this, you ensure that the suds and water easily reach even the dirtiest places.

You put large items in the wrong spot

since their size, many homeowners don’t know where to put metal or plastic serving spoons and spatulas. Most of the homeowners end up placing them in the wrong place.

Placing large items at the wrong place not only prevents the water from reaching all the utensils, but it also puts the appliance at the risk of developing dishwasher problems.

The best place to put the dishwasher is flat on the top rack. If your dishwasher has a rack specifically designed for large utensils, use it.

You place bowls and cups on their sides

When the cups and dishes aren’t entirely upside down, the water jets can easily flip them onto their back, which makes them end up collecting food residues instead of getting clean.

The right thing to do is to place the cups and bowls upside down. Also, remember to secure them tightly on the rack.

You load non-dishwasher safe items

When buying the dishwasher, it comes with a manual that you should follow for you to tell the items to put in the dishwasher and those to avoid.

When you go for a long time without going through the dishwasher, it’s common to forget the items that are dishwasher safe and those that aren’t.

You should note that the hot water from the appliance can warp or even melt plastic containers, discolor gold flatware, and crack wood spoons, so these items should never see the insides of the dishwashing machine.

You place glass items in the bottom rack

Your fragile wine glasses and serving pieces have high chances of chipping or breaking when you put them at the bottom shelf.

This is because the rack is closest to the strong water jet, which increases its chances of moving around during a wash cycle.

You overload the machine

It’s common to want to clean all the dishes in one go, but should you do it? Absolutely not! When you cram too many dirty dishes in the machine, the water and detergents don’t circulate to clean the dishes properly, so you end up with dirty dishes even after running them through a cleaning cycle.

In some cases, some of the dishes bang each other and crack.

To avoid this, load just enough dishes in the dishwasher. If you aren’t sure of the maximum to load, refer to the manufacturer’s manual.

You group plates by size

When you do this, you prevent maximum water movement, so you end up with dishwashers that don’t get adequately clean. For water to get to all the utensils, appliance repair Northern VA professionals recommend you alternate small and large plates.

This way, the soap, and water get to all the items hence cleaning all the dishes evenly instead of bouncing off the biggest dishes.