Do Dishwashers Need to be Cleaned?

In reality, dishwashers can get dirty and they do need to be cleaned every so often to ensure the best possible performance. Here are the main activities you need to cover.

First and foremost, you need to keep that dishwasher drain trap clean. If you don’t, bits of food debris can marinate in there and start to get nasty. Not only will this cause odours and reduce the cleaning ability of the dishwasher, but if the trap becomes completely clogged you could end up with a dishwasher that won’t drain or even overflows! Then you will certainly need dishwasher repair.

Even with a clean dishwasher trap, food particles and residue may find other places inside the dishwasher to hide. This can lead to that not-so-fresh-feeling when you open the dishwasher after a cycle, and you may not feel like your dishes have really gotten clean. If your dishwasher has a sanitizing cycle, use it! If not, you can sanitize the dishwasher by running a cycle with nothing inside but a small dish of white vinegar (about 1 cup’s worth).

One place food particles and soap residue could hide is in the seals around the dishwasher door and around the soap and rinse aid compartments. To keep these seals in good condition and prevent them from requiring premature replacement, give them a swipe with a damp towel every so often.

If you have hard water, you can easily end up with mineral stains inside your dishwasher. Rusty stains are the worst as they are the most visible. You will obviously want to clean these stains up, but before you do make sure to read your owners’ manual to be sure whatever products you plan to use will not damage the interior finish of the dishwasher.

Another issue that those with hard water may experience is clogged sprayer arm nozzles. This will prevent enough water from reaching your dishes and you may have to re-run the dishwasher several times to get everything clean. Alternatively, you could save electricity and water by checking your sprayer arm and cleaning it as needed.

Call Authorized Appliance Repair for Help

If after cleaning you are still having issues with the proper operation of your dishwasher, please do not hesitate to contact the pros at Authorized Appliance Repair. We can troubleshoot your unit and provide a reliable estimate for the required dishwasher repair. Most problems can be solved fast with our same-day repair service.