Are You Using Your Dishwasher Wrong?

 Are you having problems getting your dishes clean? Is your dishwasher overly noisy or seemingly plagued by a constant slew of minor issues? Operator error could be to blame. Many people unknowingly misuse their dishwashers, causing issues that affect performance, efficiency, and reliability. Here are some of the top dishwasher mistakes that you could be making at home.

If your dishes look streaky or spotted, you may be using the wrong dishwasher detergent, or the wrong amount of detergent. More detergent does not automatically mean cleaner dishes. In fact, using too much detergent can actually leave residue on your dishes and on all the interior surfaces of your dishwasher.

While running the dishwasher when it isn’t full is inefficient, don’t make the mistake of swinging to the opposite end of the spectrum and running it when it is crammed full of dishes. Dishes that are not properly loaded can bang into one another and break.

Every dishwasher has a sprayer arm to direct water to every corner of the unit and get all the dishes clean. If you load the dishwasher in a way that prevents the sprayer arm from moving or blocks the flow of water to different parts of the dishwasher, you won’t be happy with the result. You may be left with dirty dishes or even a damaged sprayer arm if something knocks into it repeatedly during the cycle.

You put a “dishwasher safe” cup in for a wash and when you take it out it is warped out of shape. What happened? Is your dishwasher running too hot? Doubtful. The problem is most likely that you put the item in the wrong place, or it wasn’t really dishwasher safe at all. Many plastic items need to be placed on the top rack in order to remain dishwasher safe.

Modern dishwashers’ ability to remove even baked-on, greasy food residue is a huge selling point and a major convenience. However, it is possible to abuse this feature. If you put overly dirty dishes with lots of food debris stuck to them into the dishwasher, your dishes may not turn out as clean as you’d hoped at the end of the cycle. Even worse, that food debris may get trapped in the dishwasher’s drain and clog it.

If you have been doing everything right and still experience issues with your dishwasher, you can call Authorized Appliance for help. We provide expert dishwasher repair for all makes and models of dishwashers and we strive to provide same-day service whenever possible.