Surprising Ways You’re Shortening the Life of Your Dishwasher

Your dishwasher allows you to clean dishes, pots, pans, and silverware without having to scrub for hours over the sink. It doesn’t just help you avoid breaking dishes, but it also saves you time, water, energy and money. When the machine is doing its job, it’s easy to take it for granted.

But to keep enjoying its benefits, it’s not enough that the plumbing system of your dishwasher is installed properly. By keeping in mind a few maintenance tips when it comes to your dishwasher, it’s possible to keep it running smoothly for years to come and avoid costly repairs down the road.

Here are surprising ways you’re shortening the life of your dishwasher, so you can avoid these mistakes:

1. You’re not cleaning the filters regularly.

Your dishwasher has filters located under the lowest rotating spray arm. This filter traps residue, crumbs, and food particles. Overtime, the filter gets clogged, causing bits of food to circulate all over your dishes.

Cleaning the filter regularly ensures your dishes come out sparkling clean. You’ll have to remove the filter, soak it in warm, soapy water, scrub off stubborn particles as needed, and rinse it properly.

If you have hard water issues, soak the drain basket in a bit of vinegar. This will remove the deposits.

2. You’re overloading the dishwasher.

Overloading the dishwasher doesn’t just make it leak, but it also causes additional wear on the unit.

If you overload the dishwasher, the dishes won’t get fully cleaned. You’ll have to rinse the same dishes twice.

It’s not efficient to run an underloaded dishwasher, either. So you’ll have to find the right balance.

3. You use too much detergent in your dishwasher.

Most of the residue will get washed away during the dishwasher’s rinse cycle. However, a film may cover some of your glassware, and bits of detergent may be wedged in the grooves of your dishes.

Suds and water may come out the front of the dishwasher, too. The mess can ruin your dishwasher and the surrounding plumbing.

Using liquid dish soap is also a big no-no, as it may lead to an overflowing sudsy mess.

Instead, only use dishwasher detergent.

4. You’re washing items that are not dishwasher-safe.

Your dishwasher can do a lot of damage to items that aren’t dishwasher-safe. Expect melting or shattering if you run non-dishwasher safe items through the machine.

Items such as wood, crystal, china, and knives can get damaged when exposed to heat or water pressure. They can break against the other items in the dishwasher and leave a dangerous mess for you to clean up.

Dishwasher problems? Contact a local plumber!

There are dishwashing problems that any homeowner can tackle on their own. But if the problem is getting out of hand, we’re here to help. Contact a Good Guy today and we’ll get your dishwasher up and running in no time.

We’re also available to take care of all your plumbing installation, repair, and maintenance needs. Scheduling an appointment online is simple and easy, and even more convenient if you download our app.