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.
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