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13 Ways to Love Your Dishwasher

It’s there for you in the kitchen everyday, doing the jobs no one wants to do. But do you give it the loving it needs? You can’t just expect it to do the deed for you every day and not get anything in return.

Finish Dishwashing Cleaner

I’m talking about your dishwasher. (What were you thinking?) When was the last time you showed your dishwasher some love? Think of all it does for you. It’s time for you to give something back.

Your dishwasher works hard keeping your dishes clean. Give it some love in return by giving it a clean, and learn some tips and tricks to get the most out of it.

How to clean your dishwasher

  1. Empty the filter. Start by emptying the filter in the base of the machine. There’s usually a handle that twists to lift the filter out. Remove any chunks that have built up (that the machine hasn’t been able to grind up) and then scrub the filter screen with a cleaning cloth or toothbrush.
  2. Clean the spray arms. Whilst the spray arms are supposed to squirt the water out, gunk can get built up on the nozzles and reduce the effectiveness of the dishwasher. Remove the spray arms and clear the nozzles.
  3. Clean the steam vent. If it’s easily accessible (in the door or on the top of the dishwasher), give the steam vent a clean. It’s another spot that grime can build up.
  4. Wipe the seals. Spills build up on the seal of the dishwasher, making them less effective at keeping the wash water in. Give the seals a wipe over to remove the gunk both on the door and the dishwasher side, unless you want dishwasher water squirting out in your kitchen!
  5. Run a cleaning cycle. Clean up any last bits of dirt and grim with vinegar or a dishwasher cleaner product.
  6. Lastly, give the outside door a wipe over. The insides are sparkly clean, the outside should look clean too!

Keeping your dishwasher happy

Now that you’ve given your dishwasher the spa treatment, give it daily tender loving care to keep it doing it’s job well.

  1. Scrape your plates. I’m not talking the full-blown rinse under the tap – that’s a waste of water. Just scrape the chunky bits (or the entire meal your kid refused to eat!) off your plates before you pop them in the dishwasher.
  2. Give your dishes space. If the water can’t flow freely between the dishes, your plates and bowls aren’t going to clean. Don’t overcrowd, overfill or stack your dishes on top of each other.
  3. Quick rinse. If you’re not filling up your dishwasher every day, use the rinse and hold cycle to remove the grime, and stop your dishwasher from getting smelly.
  4. Use quality dishwasher cleaner product. You don’t function your best if you’re not eating the right foods, and your dishwasher won’t perform at it’s best if you’re not using the right cleaning products.

More dishwashing tips and tricks

Do you have problems with people putting dirty dishes on top of clean? Or do they leave the dishes on the bench because they don’t know if the dishwasher is clean or dirty? This free dishwasher magnet printable  from The Thinking Closet is a great idea to keep track of your dishwasher.
If you like cooking with small kids but can’t handle the mess and spills from them mixing and pouring, open the dishwasher and use the door as a bench. It’s a great height for the pre-school crowd, and when you’re done, the mess will get cleaned up with the next dishwasher cycle.

And if you think your dishwasher doesn’t do enough for you, check out these 13 surprising items you can clean in the dishwasher.

Disclosure: This post was sponsored by Finish. All thoughts and opinions are my own.