how to clean a dishwasher

miggy

andyelcomb wrote: »

We're very lucky - we have a dog that gets to lick all the scraps and gravy off the plates and saucepans before they go in the DW.
Certainly saves having any solids in there, also saves having to cold rinse them (might as well carry on washing them up and not use the DW ), but most importantly keeps the dog happy too! :j

LOL, I'm not going to show this to my son, who is doing everything in his power to get me to buy a dog, and we really aren't in a position to be sure of giving one proper care right now - even if it saves on dishwasher cleaning!
I just found this thread while trying to avoid spending over the odds on cleaning the dishwasher - thanks all for the very helpful suggestions.:T (And the dog one, because you made me laugh!) One hint that has helped me so far but hasn't had the profile I think it deserves on this thread, is not to over-fill the dishwasher. I'm an expert at getting 'one more thing' in - but then I almost invariably have to wash it again because it's got bits on, so might as well not have been in. I think it's to do with allowing the water to circulate well.

miggy

beautiful_ravens wrote: »

:rotfl: I pop my dishwasher in the bath, rub shower gel on him, rinse with a jug of water and then fuzz him up with a scratchy towel!!
(sorry, I just couldnt resist!!):rotfl:

I hope you then pop half a lemon in him to keep him smelling nice?

suji

Can any one help me, iam new to dishwasher, my dish washer is giving me problems since last couple of days. It is making noise as if it is working through all steps or stuck at one point. Once it is finished the dishes are as they are kept inside and not been washed at all. What could be the problem? And also i havent put any salt or water softener for 6months since i moved in and i dont know whether previous people living there kept it or not. What care should i be taking of dishwasher. I dont have manual instructions.

miggy

suji wrote: »

Can any one help me, iam new to dishwasher, my dish washer is giving me problems since last couple of days. It is making noise as if it is working through all steps or stuck at one point. Once it is finished the dishes are as they are kept inside and not been washed at all. What could be the problem? And also i havent put any salt or water softener for 6months since i moved in and i dont know whether previous people living there kept it or not. What care should i be taking of dishwasher. I dont have manual instructions.

I'm not an expert but our dishwasher had problems moving through the cycle - we had to get someone out to fix it which wasn't cheap though a whole lot less expensive than a new one. Some small part needed to be replaced and it's been good ever since.
If you don't have a manual, it's worth making a note of the maker and model number then looking on the Internet for an on-line form of the manual. There are lots out there (not just for dishwashers but for many electricals. Failing that, try on your local Freecycle group - someone may have one to spare or be able to offer advice. http://www.uk.freecycle.org/
Or you could see if the manufacturers will help, though there might be a charge for a replacement manual.

Just a thought - check that nothing is stopping the spray arm from rotating, and look back on this thread a bit for great instructions on cleaning a dishwasher.

As I understand it, the salt is what does the water softening and will need topping up every now and then. Unless you live in a very soft water area, I would say you could safely top it up every few weeks though if you have been doing washes on a high temperature or using the full amount of cleaning powder (lots of us use a half tablet), the heat and/or tablet will have helped keep limescale down. Just get some dishwasher salt once you have the machine working again, and start from there.

You can also look on the Internet for a map showing water hardness in different areas, though it may not be 100% accurate - ours is generally a soft water area but this little bit has a local water supply which is quite hard.

Hope this helps!

scaredy_cat_2

hi, just emptied my dishwasher after putting it going for the second time today with the same stuff in. The dishes are dirty with stuff that wasn't in them to start with :eek:

have investigated and it is the top sprayer that is full of gunk and yuck

How can i clean this - will a purpose made cleaner work or can i take off the sprayer does anyone know and clean it - many thanks

tattoed_bum

you could try putting an empty load on will some vinegar in the machine but i think most top sprayers can come off ,pull the top shelf out and look to see if it will come off ,if it does give it a good scrub and put an empty load on again this should help

Caterina

Also make sure that you regularly wash the filter at the bottom, if that gets gunked out all the gunk comes back in the wash cycle and covers your crockery with a manky paste (you can see that I have been there:eek: ).

If you have a lot of scale and grease it is really difficult to manage just with vinegar and you might have to do a couple of empty runs with the special cleaning tablets (Sainsburys sell a larger pack).

HTH

kevinmchugh

scaredy_cat wrote: »

hi, just emptied my dishwasher after putting it going for the second time today with the same stuff in. The dishes are dirty with stuff that wasn't in them to start with :eek:

have investigated and it is the top sprayer that is full of gunk and yuck

How can i clean this - will a purpose made cleaner work or can i take off the sprayer does anyone know and clean it - many thanks

spray arm should come off depending on which make it is, some jsut twist or screw off some clip off.

Zed42

The top sprayer arm is probably clogged, happens fairly regularly in this household.

DH tends to do something magical, which doesn't take long ... just a lot of grumbling!!

Good luck!!

Cookiepops

I just bought a couple of bottles of finish dishwasher cleaner and a lemon scented thingy to hang in it and they came to £8!! Does anyone have a home made remedy that would do the trick? I could keep the bottles and lemon thingy and put something else in them?

Any ideas appreciated!!