7 Tips for Looking After Your Dishwasher
It might sound silly to look after a dishwasher, or even to clean a dishwasher, considering that's all it ever does - clean dishes and itself in the process, or so you might think. Actually, a dishwasher can harbour bacteria and food debris in a wealth of different places, from the filter to the door seals.
So in order to make sure that the dishwasher is operating as effectively as possible, ensuring that your dishes and cutlery are coming out squeaky clean every single time, you should look to follow some simple tips, detailed below:
1. Clean the filter
The filter does exactly what it says on the tin - it filters out the food from the water, so that the water goes down the drain, but none of the food debris. As such, your filter will be gathering different food stuff and left to rot down there. This could be the cause of any old food smells you might be getting.
It's recommended to rinse the filter out after every cycle and to give it a good clean once a week, if you want to keep it food debris-free. It should be extremely easy to take the filter out, together with everything else that comes attached to the dishwasher filter. There might be a guard on it, so take that out as well.
2. Clean the rubber seals
The rubber seals have one job on your dishwasher - the prevent leaks and to keep the dishwasher sealed shut until a cycle is ready to run. They're not, in any sense, self-cleaning. The cycle itself won't rid the seals of food debris, so you will need to do it. It won't need to be done after every use, but it will need to be done once a week, two at the most.
3. Regularly use a dishwasher cleaner
You can buy really good dishwasher cleaners from the supermarkets and even from places like Poundland, B&M and Home Bargains. It's recommended that you use a dishwasher cleaner once every four weeks, for good measure.
You can clean the inside of the dishwasher yourself, but it's always recommended that you use the dedicated cleaner. This will get through all of the tubes, drains offs and filters, whereas just cleaning the inside yourself won't hit those hard-to-reach areas.
You'll also notice that those persistent food smells will go too, because they've likely become lodged somewhere you can't get to or simply can't see. I like to use the Finish dishwasher cleaner, but a supermarket own-brand cleaner will do the same job.
4. Clean the inside of the dishwasher
I've just touched on cleaning the inside of the dishwasher and you might be wondering what on earth I am talking about. I don't mean to chuck in a tablet and put a rinse or cleaning cycle on. I mean opening it up and giving it a good scrub yourself, using nothing but a simple sponge and a spot of washing up liquid. It brings up a brilliant shine.
What I do is scrub it myself, as said, but I will wipe it out with some clean kitchen towel, put the dishwasher on a rinse cycle and then leave the door open for it all to air-dry. You might find that there are some suds at the bottom of the dishwasher afterwards, but leave the door ajar and it will soon disappear and look as good as new again!
5. Don't overload your dishwasher
I know that it seems more cost-effective to ram the dishwasher full with crockery and cutlery, and you'd be right, but don't overload it. Only use the space your dishwasher has available. Don't try and lie bowls or plates in places that aren't designed to have dishes sitting there, for example.
Check the manual again for where to stack different bits and bobs and don't overfill it. Overfilling won't allow for the water to get around properly, so not only will your dishwasher stay dirty for longer, but it also means that your dishes won't come out clean. Read the instructions and don't over-pack.
6. Rinse the food off before putting the in the dishwasher
If you're struggling with food smells in your dishwasher, then something that will help to keep those smells down while you wait for the next cycle is to rinse everything before putting it in there. Rid crockery and cutlery of food debris before putting in the dishwasher, if you want to avoid those nasty food aromas.
7. Leave the door open after a cycle & if you're going away
What you need to do is, after a cycle is finished and you've emptied the dishwasher, leave the door ajar for a short time, giving it the chance to air out until you seal it all up again. This will help to stop the dishwasher from smelling damp or stagnant.
It allows excess water to dry out before closing it all up again. Although, if you're going away for any amount of time, even if it's just for a weekend, you should leave the door open while you're gone, much like you would a washing machine.
I would also recommend giving the dishwasher itself a good clean before you go on holiday. What I like to do to our dishwasher before we go away includes the following, just to make sure it remains in good condition and is hygienic to use at all times:
- Cleaning out the filter and any guards or trays present
- Cleaning the cutlery holder
- Cleaning the inside of the dishwasher and putting it on a rinse cycle only, afterwards
- Using a dishwasher cleaner
- Cleaning the seals and around the door
- Leaving the door ajar while the dishwasher isn't in use
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I hope you enjoyed this blog post and that you found it somewhat useful? Let me know in the comments below if you have any other tips for looking after your dishwasher and I will see you again very soon with some brand new content!
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