A dishwasher is used for cleaning your dirty dishes. It works on its own, meaning you load the dinner and kitchenware inside, add detergent, adjust the wash cycle setting and turn on the machine. In the process, the dishwasher adds water, heats it at the right temperature, retakes detergent, sprays water, drains itself and blows warm air for drying the utensils.
Of course, the dishwasher is used every day, and so day by day it’s getting old. There will come a time where you will buy a new one when the dishwasher is unable to perform justly. After how long you will buy that, no one can tell, but what you can do is prolong the life of a dishwasher by following these points.
Remove Food Particles from Utensils before Dishwashing
The leftover food particles will remain on your plates, spoons, cups, glass, etc. Remove those visible hard bits before placing your dishes in the dishwasher. Avoiding scrapping can block the dishwashers’ drain hose, and can damage the filter and pump.
Place Fewer Dishes in Dishwasher
Do not overload the dishwasher by placing every single utensil inside. The more you keep the more water, detergent and time it will take to clean due to the dishwasher being unable to reach out to every single tightly packed utensil. Also, the life span of the machine will be affected, as its parts may wear out early when loads are overfull.
Use Correct Dishwasher Settings When Dishes are Super Dirty
Using low or light dishwasher settings may save time and water bills. Still, when your dishes have heavy stains or are super dirty, then you need to give the best cleaning performance, else you will undergo the cycle of over-pressuring the machine.
Remove Dishwasher Tray for Cleaning
Dishwashers have a removable piece down their base called the tray. In it, you will find tits and bits of food, hair, etc. Remove and clean it so that the dishwasher area is clean before a huge chunk gets build up.
Clean Spray Arms
Inspect the dishwashers’ spray nozzles and see they are clear from debris. If any, then remove them with a toothpick or pipe cleaner. Be gentle here, so the hole shapes do not change, else the spray pattern will vary. You can remove the spray arms from the base using a screwdriver for cleaning them.
Clean Dishwasher Seals with Wet Towel
Dirt gets accumulated on the dishwasher door seals around the rubber gasket or soap door. Use a wet towel to remove that tough dirt.
Set Ideal Temperature for Water Heater
Heating water between 120 and 125 degrees is enough. Turning to a higher temperature will cause water to dry instantly, avoiding it from rolling on the dishes, leaving the dirty ends.
Use Citric Acid Cleaner Instead of Hard Water
Hard water leaves discoloration and mineral deposits on the dishwasher ending the same on your dishes. Hard water has high amounts of calcium and magnesium which may damage the interior of the machine. Using citric acid-based dishwasher cleaner can get rid of such deposits.
Use Hot Water during winter in Dishwasher
Use hot water in the first dishwasher clean cycle instead of cold water. Hot water will save valuable time, especially in winter, as it takes a more extended period for the water to warm up due to the cold weather.
Avoid Rust Formation on Racks
When the plastic coat wears off the rack in the dishwasher, then get it repaired as soon as possible, else the stand will corrode, allowing small rusty pieces to enter the pump. Further, the clot will form, causing the machine to stop working.