Picture this. It’s been a long day. You’ve cleaned the entire house and just got done eating a huge dinner that you cooked for the family. The only thing left before you can finally unwind with your favorite tv show are the dishes. You open the dishwasher and….ew. The smell is off, but you don’t have time to worry about it. You load up the dishes, start the washer, and run off to the couch. The next morning, you go to unload the dishes and they aren’t even clean! What the heck?! You’ve spent so much time cleaning everything else in the house that you’ve rarely even thought about cleaning the inside of your dishwasher. Routine cleaning for your kitchen and other home appliances is crucial to them lasting a long time and working like they should!
Don’t be stuck searching Google at the last second for “Dishwasher repair near me.” Take notes this guide from Premier Appliance of Augusta on how to keep your dishwasher running smoothly. Of course, if you need to book a time for us to come out, we will be there for you. Let’s get into the guide.
Why Cleaning Appliances is Important
You may be thinking, why do I have to clean something that runs with water and soap multiple times each week? Well, small pieces of food and grease can get caught up in the nooks and cranny’s at the bottom of your dishwasher, likely causing the foul smell. Also, if you use dishwasher pods or powder, it may not all completely dissolve and can build up in different areas around the dishwasher as well. And, you have to remember that a warm, wet environment is the perfect equation for mold and mildew. This is especially so when the area isn’t cleaned regularly or allowed to air dry properly. The bottom line is, even if you think you shouldn’t clean it, you probably should anyways. Just to be safe.
What to Do: Daily, Weekly, and Monthly
Even the bare minimum cleaning tasks for your dishwasher can go a long way. After each load of dishes, remove any food that you can see near or inside the filter and the bottom of the dishwasher. For any extra debris, consider a weekly wipe down, inside and out. You should also consider cleaning your filter on a weekly basis as well, especially if you use your dishwasher multiple times throughout the week. Once per month, run a cleaning cycle to deep-clean the inside of your dishwasher.
These chores seem so simple. However, when you think about it, there are so many different ways to approach cleaning. Do you need to buy special products or is this something you can DIY from home? Let’s talk about it.
Daily
For your daily tasks, you can prevent extra food bits from getting stuck in the dishwasher by wiping them off the plate and into the trash can before loading them into the washer. You may even want to consider a quick pre-rinse, but a wipe should suffice (and won’t waste extra water).
Weekly
When it comes to cleaning your filter, all you really need is a soft toothbrush. You can rinse the filter under hot water and use the toothbrush to get off any extra food particles, grease, or trash that made it’s way in there. However, you’ll want to be sure that you lock your filer back into place afterwards. Failing to do so can cause severe damage to your appliance! For any other interior or exterior wipe downs, you can use the same soft toothbrush for any stubbornly stained areas or compartments where the detergent didn’t fully dissolve. Otherwise, a damp kitchen rag or paper towel with warm, soapy water should do the trick.
Monthly
Your monthly deep clean is likely where you’ll be thinking about buying those special products marketed towards keeping your dishwasher performing at it’s best. Products such as Cascade Platinum Dishwasher Cleaner are a great option. They really get in there to help dissolve away any missed food particles and residue, as well as mineral buildup from your washes throughout the month. If you’d rather go a more natural route, you could place a dishwasher safe bowl containing one cup of distilled white vinegar on the top rack of your dishwasher. Then, just run a hot cycle without any other detergents or dishes inside the washer.
Some dishwashers have their own sanitation cycle. You can use the vinegar strategy listed above with this cycle or try something like the Affresh dishwasher cleaner. The plus to using Affresh is that you can use it with a fully loaded dishwasher or an empty washer. You could also opt for just using bleach, with a similar process to using vinegar, but be sure to not mix any other products with bleach. Also, bleach can damage and discolor stainless steel appliances. Be sure to fully do your research before using harsh chemicals and be careful while using them!
Dishes Still Coming Out Dirty? Call the Pros
If you are having trouble finding cleaning or sanitization settings on your dishwasher, refer to your user manual. If you can’t find your user manual, check on the manufacturer’s website. If you give our dishwasher cleaning guide a shot but your dishes are still coming out dirty, there may be another underlying problem. In that case, give us a call here at Premier Appliance! We have some basic FAQ along with some tips and tricks to keeping your home appliances running efficiently on our website. However, we understand that even with routine cleaning and self-maintenance, things happen. That’s what we’re here for!
Give us a call for all of your residential appliance repair needs. Whether it’s for your dishwasher or for your laundry or outdoor appliances, we’re here for you.
