It is estimated that a dishwasher can save up to three weeks a year on washing up. However, as with all household appliances, from time to time, dishwashers can gain faults. To help limit the risk of faults occurring with yours, we’ve answered 7 of the most common questions below.

How Do I Stop My Dishwasher From Smelling?

One of the main reasons for your dishwasher smelling is a build up of bacteria and food waste which has been caught within the filters.

To remove smells from your appliance, and to prevent them from occurring again it’s important that you regularly carry out maintenance washes on your appliance enabling all parts to be thoroughly cleaned.

How to Clean a Dishwasher

Cleaning your dishwasher is essential if you want to ensure the appliance continues to run at its optimum performance, and thankfully a thorough clean of your dishwasher is easy to do.

The easiest way to clean your dishwasher is to run a maintenance wash, which is done by putting your empty appliance on its shortest and hottest setting. We would also recommend including a limescale and detergent remover in the wash, as this will ensure the internal components of the dishwasher are cleaned too.

Once the cycle has finished, open the door and leave it open until the dishwasher has completely dried.

How to Fill a Dishwasher

Having a dishwasher in your home can be a great time saver, as it cuts the time you need to spend at the kitchen sink each night. However, if you’ve not loaded your appliance correctly, after it has finished its washing cycle you’re likely to find pots and pans are still dirty.

To find the best way to load your dishwasher for optimal results, visit our advice centre and read “How to Load a Dishwasher for Optimal Results”.

How Much Dishwasher Salt Should I Use?

The short answer to how much salt you should use in your dishwasher is it depends on the make and model of your appliance. That said a good rule of thumb is to follow these two simple steps when adding salt to the dishwasher.

• Remove the salt cap and place a funnel over the gap.
• Pour in dishwasher salt until it’s full, before fitting the salt cap back on.

Once you’ve added salt to your dishwasher, it’s also recommended to run a quick maintenance wash, with your appliance being empty, as this will ensure any salt residue is removed.

Why Won’t My Dishwasher Drain?

There are a number of reasons why your dishwasher won’t drain, with the primary reason often being an issue with the pump. Unfortunately, this is made up of several parts making the detecting of a fault difficult. Due to the nature of a dishwasher pump repairing it is also often a job only for experienced DIY-ers.

For other faults which could be the reason your dishwasher won’t drain, visit our “Why Won’t My Dishwasher Drain?” blog.

How Can I Fix a Broken Door Lock on a Dishwasher?

A little known fact is many modern dishwashers have a trip switch which prevents the dishwasher from starting if the door is not shut correctly. Should you be facing this problem, then the issue could lie with the door lock mechanism.

Thankfully, this can be removed with relative ease by following the steps below:

• Remove the screws from the top of the door; once these have been removed you should be able to easily slide the fascia of your dishwasher off.
• Uncouple the wires to provide more room to work within; you should also now be able to see the locking mechanism.
• Undo the screws holding the mechanism in place and carefully remove it from its location. Once this has been removed, fit the new mechanism and reverse the steps above.

How Does a Dishwasher Work?

Nearly all dishwasher work in the same manner, they heat water before spraying it and low foaming detergent across the pots, pans and cutlery within the appliance. After covering the contents with the low foaming detergent, the dishwasher then sprays more water over the pots, pans and cutlery to rinse them, before heating up and drying.

The majority of dishwashers work within this format, but for more general information on how dishwashers work, read our “How a Dishwasher Works” advice centre article, where we explain the seven steps of a typical short wash cycle.

If you’re experiencing any other fault with your dishwasher, visit the BuySpares advice centre where you’ll find expert advice combined with real time “How To” videos, designed to help you repair rather than replace an extensive selection of household appliances.

Tags: Dishwasher Spare Parts, Smelly Dishwasher