While dishwashers may not be essential to everyday life, they certainly help! Of course dishwashers can be a fairly hefty investment so knowing how to take care of it properly is important. This week we'll be discussing tips to clean and maintain a healthy dishwasher.
1. Clean your filter
Most dishwashers have a removable filter inside the dishwasher in the base. This filter can be clogged a number of ways. Plastic and food stuffs can get trapped, residue can build up on the screen, and mold can start to grow. It's best to clean it at least every other week. If it's been a while, or you haven't cleaned it before, the best way to clean it is a vinegar bath overnight. If you've cleaned it lately just a little soap and warm water will do it.
2. Cleaning the tub and internals
Most people probably wouldn't think their dishwasher needs to be cleaned but it can be an important step to maintaining a dishwashers health and keeping away bad odors. By not cleaning the dishwasher periodically you can build up soap scum and food waste particles in your houses and the little nooks and cranys. We recommend cleaning your dishwasher every two months. To do this throw in a cup of vinegar and run the dishwasher empty on the hottest cycle.
3. Cleaning your door seals
The seals along the edge of the tub are the only thing standing between you and a kitchen full of dirty water every time you wash. Fortunately keeping them clean is relatively easy. After every wash, take a clean damp towel and run it along the edges of your door and the seal to make sure there's no hair or debris that could get stuck and prevent your unit from making a water tight seal.
4. Keep the door open
Much like your washer, as we've discussed before, keep the door open or at least slightly ajar after every wash. We've all seen the moisture build up in dishwashers after use. If you were to close the dishwasher completely after use you'd be giving bacteria a chance to grow in that moisture and create all kinds of odor.
5. Clean out the wash arms
The wash arms on your dishwasher work by having the circulation pump push water up into the unit through plastic tubing and spraying out of angled holes on each wash arm to spin it. These holes can accumulate debris over time. Fortunately these arms are made to be disconnected to accommodate easy cleaning. A good scrub with soap and water every two months is usually enough to keep them clean and working properly.
6. If you suspect a problem, call a professional
If you follow all these tips your dishwasher should stay healthy and working for much longer. That being said, nothing is fool proof. If you suspect something might be wrong with your unit or that it's not cleaning like it used to please call us at (719) 546-0442 and schedule service today. As we always say, we at Royal care about the health and safety of you and your family and we want to help. This month only we are offering 5% off any appliance work when you mention the blog and the weekly code. This week's code is DISH24. No longer valid after close of business Friday 4/19/2024.