A dishwasher is a great appliance in every kitchen – as long as it is working properly. When the dishes being run through the dishwasher don’t come out clean, there may indeed be a problem with the appliance. The issue could be as simple as not keeping the actual dishwasher itself clean; other times it could be a problem that requires finding dishwasher repair in College Station Texas. In either case, starting with the simplest idea first and being sure the dishwasher is clean can save time, money, and frustration.
Dishwashers – They Don’t Clean Themselves
It might seem ironic that an appliance made for washing dishes cannot keep itself clean; however, this is unfortunately true. If not kept clean on the inside, a dishwasher can eventually become inefficient and fail to clean the load being washed. Food can get trapped in the bottom, detergent cakes up inside, and grease can linger long after the load of dishes has been cleaned and put away. All of this type of residue can end up back on the dishes.
Rather than calling for College Station dishwasher repair right away, some troubleshooting can be done about the problem by performing a thorough cleaning of this appliance.
Dishwashers – Must Be Clean To Perform Well
Despite the detergent that is used, a typical dishwasher used under normal conditions probably has food in the traps, grease over the interior, and grime and mold in the seals. A thorough cleaning must be done to address such problems to return the appliance to peak performance. This will also help determine if the problem is something as simple as a little cleaning rather than anything else that could require a visit from a dishwasher repair service in College Station Texas:
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Clean Food Traps – Start by cleaning the food traps of anything solid within the unit. If there is an unusually high amount of food found, a more thorough scraping should be done to prevent such build-up.
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Clean Door Seals – Clean around all door seals, as they tend to get grimy and moldy with regular use, which can contribute to poor cleaning. Run a heavy-duty wash with a cup of bleach sitting on the top rack; don’t do this if it is a dishwasher with a stainless steel interior.
- Clean Filter – Remove the filter and soak it in hot, soapy water for at least 10 minutes and put it back.
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Cleaning The Dishwasher – Turn on the kitchen tap until it flows hot and then run an empty load on the heavy-duty cycle with a cup of white vinegar poured into the bottom of the dishwasher. When that is done, sprinkle baking soda on the bottom of the unit to keep it smelling fresh; repeat frequently.
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Alternate Cleaning Method – Another method to the above is to scrub the bottom and interior of the unit with borax, wipe it out, sprinkle in ¼ cup of borax into the bottom, and run a hot, heavy-duty cycle.
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Make Baking Soda Bombs – Mix 2 cups of baking soda with 3 tablespoons of hydrogen peroxide and a few drops of essential oils, scoop onto a lined cookie sheet to dry overnight. To use, put a few of the borax mixtures on the bottom rack of the empty washer, put 2 cups of white vinegar with 1 tablespoon of detergent on the top rack in a mixing bowl, and run a heavy-duty load.
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Remove Water Stains – Clean mineral/water stains out of the dishwasher by running an empty load, stopping it mid-cycle, and filling the detergent cup with Tang beverage mix. The citrus content and abrasiveness of the sugar will remove minerals and grease from inside the dishwasher.
Using the methods mentioned above is a great way to clean a dishwasher and handle other concerns like hard water and mold. If the above methods do not restore this useful appliance to a normal cleaning status, it may be time to call for dishwasher repair in College Station Texas to track down the problem and restore proper cleaning function to the unit!