Dishwasher Care and Maintenance
If you look after your dishwasher, it will generally repay you with long service. Obviously faults can always occur with electrical equipment but by regular maintenance you can be sure that should you need to call in a service engineer, it will be for a fault with the machine and not poor housekeeping.
Generally when the performance of the machine starts to drop off, there are actions you can undertake that should help to rectify the situation with little effort or time.
Cleaning the filter
The final finish of your crockery may not be as shiny as usual, or your glasses are losing their sparkle, it is an indication that you should check and clean the filter. You will see this at the base of your machine, when you pull the lower basket out. Most filters are very easy to remove but you should have a quick look in your manufacturer’s handbook just to make sure that you don’t need a specific action to remove your filter.
Once you have located the filter you will find that it contains 3 or 4 separate parts, depending on the make and model of your machine. This is just to make it simple to remove and separate for cleaning. You generally only need to rinse each part under running water, and perhaps rub with a cloth if you find some more stubborn debris. If the filter hasn’t been cleaned for a while, you may need to soak each part in hot water to release the food and grease.
After cleaning, when you replace the filter you must take care to ensure that it is set tightly back into its specific location so that it will work correctly. You may have noticed some dirty water around the filter when you removed it. Once you have carried out the first programme cycle after cleaning, check the filter again and the water channel should now be clear of any water residue. This will mean that your machine is back to full working order.
If you notice a lot of food waste in the filter, you may wish to scrape the plates prior to placing in the machine. For more stodgy food waste it is probably better to rinse off under running water, a takeaway curry is a prime example of plates and cutlery that may need this extra attention.
Hopefully, if you follow the above suggestions, you will have much better results and your crockery, cutlery and glassware will look and feel spotless.
If this does not fix the problem, you may need to look a little deeper into the sump, which will be located underneath the filter. With a little care you should be able to remove any larger food debris that may have been caught.
Spray Arms
If you didn’t take the time to thoroughly read through the handbook instructions on the operation of your dishwasher, you may not realise that the spray arms can easily be removed for cleaning. Each make and model is different so it is better to check on how to remove the spray arms to avoid damage.
Food debris can get caught in the spray arms, resulting in the holes being blocked. These are very easy to clean, by rinsing under running water to ensure the spray holes are all clear. Biscuit crumbs and grains of rice can get caught in the holes, turn the arm upside down and tap gently, this should help remove any blockage. Take care when replacing the arms but once this is done, this should also improve the operation of the machine.
Detergent Tablets
If you always use the solid detergent tablets, you may notice there is a sometimes a sticky residue in the soap dispenser, and that the tablet has not dissolved properly. This can be caused by the hardness of the water in your area and also using programme cycles with lower water temperatures.
When you notice this has happened it is a good idea to clean the residue before it goes hard, which is thenmore difficult to remove. You should also double check that the filter is clear, as the undissolved tablet can often reach and clog the filter.
The choice of detergent is personal but you may wish to perhaps change the brand if your preference is for the solid tablets.
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