The dishwasher is for many households a great appliance, which dramatically cuts down the amount of time spent clearing up after enjoying a meal.

Unfortunately, from time to time the dishwasher may let you down, resulting in dishes coming out dirty or streaky. But this doesn’t automatically mean your appliance is broken and needs replacing. Instead there are steps which if taken, could significantly improve the performance of your dishwasher.

Below we’ve compiled six tips for a better cleaning dishwasher.

Add Dishwasher Salts:

If you live in a hard-water area, adding dishwasher salt to your appliance will soften the water, making the detergent work more effectively and therefore providing a cleaner finish to the wash cycle.

Dishwasher salts should be added to the water softener area of your appliance, and this should be regularly topped up to help maintain a thorough clean.

Add Rinse Aid:

It is unlikely that you’re putting your finest crystal glasses in your dishwasher, but water marks on your everyday glasses can be equally frustrating, not least because it makes them look grubby.

To minimise the risk of smears and water drops remaining on your glasses add rinse aid to your appliance via the component within the door (next to where the cleaning tablet goes). Most dishwashers will also enable you to control how much rinse aid is added to the wash.

If you find your appliance is still leaving water marks, increase the amount of rinse aid used – although should you spot a milky or blue film, you’ve used too much and the amount being released into each wash should be reduced.

Clean Filters:

Filters in a dishwasher capture debris which has the potential to block pipes or cause damage. Failure to clean your dishwasher filters on a regular basis will result in the performance of your dishwasher dwindling, leaving your pots as dirty as they were when they went in.

To clean the filter, you will first need to remove it from the dishwasher – and we explain how to do this in the video below.

Check Components:

Checking the components of your dishwasher is vital for a number of reasons. Firstly it will help you keep on top of any limescale and detergent build up (see tip 5).

Secondly, by checking the various components of your dishwasher you can make sure that they are all in working order, and that no areas are damaged and hindering the performance of the appliance.

One component which can, and often does, come under a lot of wear and tear is the dishwasher cutlery basket; resulting in larger holes appearing at the bottom and cutlery falling through, which then stops the spray arms from spinning correctly, hindering the overall wash.

Fight Limescale and Detergent:

If you live in a hard water area, not only is it likely that you’ll need to use dishwasher salts to soften your water; but you’ll also need to take steps to tackle limescale – which if left to build up will impact on the performance of your appliance.

For those who live in both hard and soft water areas, the build up of detergent will also need to be tackled, as the build up of detergent can clog up various components within the appliance, causing it to function less effectively.

The best way to tackle both the build up of limescale and detergent is to use a specialist cleaner such as the BuySpares Limescale and Detergent Remover, which cleans and sanitises the internal parts of the appliance, at the same time as removing any unpleasant odours which may have built up.

Don’t Overfill:

The majority of dishwasher owners will no doubt have been guilty of it at some point. Overfilling the dishwasher because they’re certain that they can fit one more pot or pan in somewhere. But as you’d expect, overfilling leads to the machine not performing at its optimum performance.

One of the main reasons overfilling a dishwasher can hinder the performance is because it stops the spray arms from spinning. Overfilling your dishwasher is also likely to result in something becoming broken – whether this is a component within the appliance, a pot or pan.

Following these six simple steps will help prolong the life of your dishwasher, save you money on your energy bills and leave your pots and pans sparkling clean; meaning you can enjoy your next home-cooked meal without having to worry or argue about who does the washing and drying-up.

Tags: Dishwasher Cutlery Basket, Dishwasher Spare Parts, Limescale and Detergent Remover