Dishwasher

Dishwasher Maintenance Tips

DO Rinse Your Dishes

Before placing your dishes in the dishwasher, it’s a good practice to give them a quick rinse. As the saying goes, “garbage in, garbage out,” and while some manufacturers suggest leaving food on dishes to aid in cleaning, it doesn’t yield the desired results.

Rinsing your dishes before loading them into the dishwasher helps keep your appliance in better condition. A cleaner dishwasher means a fresher smell and a longer lifespan. Additionally, with less food residue accumulating, your plates will come out of each cycle much cleaner.

Use Quality Soap

Avoid the temptation to buy low-quality soap, as it can lead to clogs in your dishwasher. The repair costs resulting from using cheap soap can far surpass any initial savings. When it comes to soap, don’t compromise on quality. Personally, I’ve had positive experiences with newer packet-style detergents like Cascade and Finish.

Use Rinse Agent

Modern dishwashers require rinse agent as much as they need soap. Due to their energy-efficient design, they don’t reach the high temperatures they once did. Heat used to play a critical role in drying dishes, and it still does, but not as effectively. To prevent unsightly spots on your dishes, they now rely on a little extra help.

If you opt for soap packets that already contain rinse aid, you can skip adding additional rinse aid to the door dispenser. Adding extra rinse aid in this scenario might lead to new issues.

Check You Filter

Regularly inspect your filter; it’s located at the base of your dishwasher. Its purpose is to capture debris like food particles, broken glass, toothpicks, coins, and screws—I’ve seen it all. Make it a monthly habit to examine and clean the filter.

If anything manages to slip past the filter, it can obstruct the small holes in the spray arms, preventing them from spinning freely. If you notice any obstructions within the spray arm holes, be sure to clear them out.

Monitor Water Temperature

Cold water isn’t effective at cleaning your dishes because soap cannot dissolve properly in cold water. To ensure your dishwasher performs optimally, start by running hot water from the sink faucet next to the dishwasher until it reaches a high temperature. This is crucial because there can be a substantial amount of cold water in the line leading to your dishwasher.

Clean Your Dishwasher

To maintain your dishwasher’s cleanliness and enhance the shine of your glassware, run a cup of vinegar either on its own or alongside your dishes. If you notice a lime or chalky buildup forming on the heater coil or spray arms, it’s crucial to use CLR to remove it promptly. Neglecting this issue could result in your dishwasher becoming little more than a dish storage unit.

Prioritize Safety

Attempting to repair a dishwasher without proper training and adherence to safety standards can be highly dangerous. Appliance repairs should be entrusted to skilled professionals with the knowledge and experience to carry them out safely. The combination of water and electricity can pose significant risks. Prioritize your safety and ensure your dishwasher operates at its best by contacting Quality Appliance Service Inc. at 636-240-4739

A Standard 115 volt wall outlet can easily carry 150 times the current needed to kill a person.

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