Nine Simple Tricks For A More Efficient Dishwasher

On a busy day, your dishwasher can be your best pal. Not only can it clean your dirty dishes, it’ll stand there and listen to your rants about that frustrating co-worker. But there will come a day when that dishwasher isn’t there for you. And while you may think that it’s not your fault that it doesn’t want to help you clean the dishes, it’s likely due to you failing to maintain things.

No, we’re not talking about your failure to maintain a relationship with a dishwasher; rather, we’re talking about a failure to maintain your dishwasher. Thankfully, Repair Aid’s dishwasher experts are here to give you some advice to help prevent that from ever happening.

Here are 9 ways to ensure that your dishwasher remains in tip-top condition over the course of its lifetime:

#1 – Clean It!

Hardly a novel concept, but cleaning a dishwasher isn’t exactly the first thing we think of doing when we set aside a few hours for chores. After all, dishwashers are constantly being coated in hot water and soap – why do they need cleaned?

While that might do the trick for humans and dishes, but dishwashers need a different sort of cleaning care. Make sure to scrub and clean out leftover food and detergent from the innards of your dishwasher. Don’t just focus on the trays, also focus on the inside walls, the seals, the filter(s) and the trap.

#2 – Scrape the Food Away

Sorry, we know we’re adding work to your daily routine. However, if you want your dishwasher to have a long, healthy, cost-effective life – with as minimal dishwasher repairs as possible – then make sure to scrape food off from plates and cutlery before putting them in the dishwasher. It also ensures that tomorrow’s dishes don’t end up with yesterday’s lasagne that you should have scraped off today. In the time you’ve taken to work out if that last sentence made sense, you probably could have already scraped all the food off your dishes…

#3 – Avoid Overloading the Dishwasher

While it’s easy to cram that growing pile of dirty dishes into just one load, you’re only increasing the possibility of having to wash your dishes again. If things are too crammed, then the detergent and water may struggle to get to certain dishes – leaving you to put on another wasteful load. If things are getting crammed, elect to hand wash a few items instead.

#4 – No Need for Rinse Aid

It’s possible to find detergents that include rinse aid, meaning you don’t need to make a separate purchase. If your detergent doesn’t have it, then you could always use white vinegar as an adequate replacement.

#5 – Dishwashers Love Vinegar

Yup, white vinegar again. Dishwashers love the stuff. Just pour a cup into the bottom of your dishwasher, run a normal cycle, and your machine will be rid of small, leftover food pieces. Works a treat for washing machines too!

#6 – Dealing with Hard Water

Hard water can cause all sorts of problems to the health of your dishes, and it can also make it hard to get them very clean. Your water supplier will likely be able to advise if you have hard water in your area. If so, you can buy a little device called a ‘water softener‘ to help alleviate the issue.

#7 – Get the Right Heat Balance

Anywhere between 50 to 65 degrees Celsius is likely the best temperature for your dishwasher to be at for a good wash. Setting it higher than this can cause water to dry while on the plate instead of rolling off. And because of that, guess what else doesn’t roll off? Leftover food.

#8 – Find the Right Cycle

While we all want to save money on our utility bills by running cycles that are shorter and lighter, it’s important to strike a good balance between cleanliness and thriftiness. Work out the right detergent and cycle settings to make sure that you’re either not wasting anything or that you’re left handwashing some dishes that weren’t cleaned properly.

#9 – Ensure your Water is Hot Before Beginning a Cycle

Depending on your heating system, it can take some time for hot water to reach the dishwasher on its first cycle. To guarantee hot water every time, just turn on the hot water at the connected sink and let it run until it is warm. Switch it off and then turn on your dishwasher. Voilà! You have a hot water cycle. By the time your dishwasher needs more hot water, it’ll already be getting a supply from your heater.