Tag Archives: dishwashing tips

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. 

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 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.