Can I use washing soda to clean my dishwasher pipes

apprentice_tycoon

In the past the pipes in the dishwasher got clogged, the pressure of the water went down so the dishes weren't clean. I got a man in to clear the gunk out, he said that I need to run a dishwasher cleaner through every month to keep the pipes clean. At up to £4 a go for these cleaners it's a bit pricey so is there a cheaper alternative? I've got washing soda here, can I use a couple of tablespoons of that instead?

pigpen

No!! And I don't care how many people said 'I did it and it was ok' ..


I had to buy a new dishwasher after I did it.. it doesn't wash through the pipes if they are coated in grease.. it sticks to the grease and blocks the pipes entirely.. in the most expensive part to replace because it is so fiddly to get to.. DON'T do it!!!

You should clean it every 30 washes or so.. they assume everyone uses it once a day.

I found a run through on the very hottest wash keeps it relatively clear.. it melts the fat and grease and washes it out. Rinsing the worse of the mess off plates before putting them in helps stop it building up.

If you have a look on amazon you can get 10 sachets of cleaning stuff for about £10-£15 so much cheaper!

yellowbirdy44

Wow! Pigpen thank you.
Was just nosing on here for a cheap way to clean my dishwasher ie probably with soda crystals.
You've just saved me a fortune! :beer:

Rainy-Days

Cheapest and easiest way - I do this and wholly recommend it - is to buy a cheapo bottle of white vinegar and run a mug full through an empty dishwasher. The acid in the vinegar will clean the grease and leave the stainless steel sparkling and it smells really nice too. Just pour the mugful of vinegar into the bottom of the machine and put it on a hottest wash and you are done!

calleyw

I use soda crystals to clean my washing machine and drains with.

It helped me clean out my shower drain. Took nearly a whole bag. As I had not cleaned it out in a a long time. Just bung the soda crystals in the plug and then pour very hot water down the plug hole.

Cost about 80-90p per 1kg bag.

My washing machine is about 10 yrs old and used on average
2-3 a week. And clean it every few months.

Yours


Calley

Browntoa

Aldi have cheap twin packs of dishwasher cleaner in store at the moment

Blackbeard_of_Perranporth

Easy. And free. As glasses and pans do not go into dishwasher, the plates etc are pre rinsed in the bowl, using left over water. Fifteen years of doing so, no clogs. Mind you, no lard either.

DriPak

Dishwasher tablets are alkali and so are soda crystals and although they do dissolve grease, they're not doing much more than the tablets. Much of the build up in dishwashers is caused by undissolved tablets compounded by limescale build up.

It's best to use white vinegar or even better citric acid. These will remove any build up and grease. Best thing to do is dissolve some citric acid in hot water and add to a bowl and place it on the top rack. It will gradually set to work as the hot cycle runs.

It's also VITAL that you are removing the filters and giving them a clean. You can take those out and wash them in a hot soda crystals solution. Make sure there are no tiny bits, such as egg shells, that can get dragged into and jam the impeller. If your machine is over a year old, you may also want to replace the filters. They are user-serviceable and designed to be replaced.

One last area to pay attention to is the areas round the doors. Wipe down with a hot soda crystals solution to remove any grease/deposits.