Appliance Repair 101: How to Boost Your Dishwasher's Cleaning Efficiency

Always scrape all the food off your dishes before you load them, and never over stuff your dishwasher to keep it running smoothly and your flatware squeaky clean.

Opening your dishwasher and discovering your so-called clean dishes aren't clean at all is worrisome and frustrating, especially if it becomes an everyday occurrence. Fortunately, this common problem doesn't necessarily require a call to your local appliance repair company. To help resolve your dishwasher's cleaning inefficiency, simply apply the following tweaks to your usual operating procedure.

Scraping Leftover food

Although, rinsing your plates before placing them in your dishwasher is considered an obsolete practice, a good scraping is still key to sparkly clean dishes. Unfortunately, when you neglect to rid your pans, pots and plates of leftover food, soiled dishware won't be your only problem. A more serious malfunction, such as a blocked drain or a clogged spray arm can occur.

Don't Overload

While filling your dishwasher to the brim may seem like an ideal way to save time and money, an overcrowded appliance can restrict the spray arm's reach causing your dishes to remain dirty. You can easily avoid this problem by following the guidelines of your owner's manual. Not only will this help the cleanliness of your dishware, but it will also stop you from wasting water and energy.

Hard Water

Cloudy glassware is a sign that your home is suffering from hard water. To determine whether or not this is true, head to your local hardware store and buy a hard water testing kit. If the results are positive, you'll need to install a water softener to stop your dishwasher from producing stained and cloudy glasses.

Keep It Hot

Don't let an inadequate water temperature stop your appliance from thoroughly cleaning your dishes. To test the water supply's temp, simply grab your meat thermometer and turn on your kitchen faucet. Place the thermometer in a cup underneath the faucet's stream, and allow the water to reach its hottest point. If the water doesn't at least hit 120 degrees Fahrenheit you'll need to adjust your water heater. However, be sure the water temperature doesn't surpass 150 degrees; otherwise you could end-up damaging your dishes.

If you're concerned with your dishwasher's performance, please contact us today and we'll be happy to help you diagnose and repair the problem.