"Steps to giving your dishwasher a tune up and possibly even stopping a leak:
1: Clean out the filter on the bottom of the dishwasher. I wore gloves for this. *gag* The cover should come off pretty easily with the removal of a screw or just a little leverage of a butter knife. *Caution: Don't force it. It will be pretty easy if it's meant to come off .Clean everything out well and replace cover.
2: Check all of the holes where water sprays out. Water is usually recycled from the bottom so food and even soap granules can clog the holes. I even found a shard of glass from a cup that broke a few months back. I used a skewer to clear the holes out.
3: Clean out the steam vent on the door. Once again, gloves. *gag* I was SHOCKED how dirty this was and I am fairly certain that this is what was causing the leak. It was full of gunk and wasn't allowing water to drain off properly. Thus, the leak. The cover on the inside of the door should be easy to remove with a butter knife. *Caution: Don't force it. It will be pretty easy if it's meant to come off. Clean it out. Replace cover.
4: Last step. This one is easy. Run the EMPTY dishwasher with a 1/2 cup of CLR cleaner. (found with the cleaning supplies) This helps to remove anything you missed in steps 1-3. And just to be safe, run again to be sure all the cleaner is gone.
That's it! Easy, takes about 15 minutes, and you will be amazed at the difference. No more leaking! :)"
(Karen here) I am not one to use harsh chemicals, so instead of the CLR, I would just use vinegar.
Vinegar is a great cleaner, I use it for everything. Straight vinegar disinfects, mixed with baking soda makes a great drain cleaner, or thin vinegar with water to clean windows, counter tops and floors. It also eats hard water stains....just soak the item in a full strength solution. And last but not least I use it as my rinse cycle in the dishwasher....hey, it's great in the washing machine too. Run a cycle with vinegar in that one and you will do a tuneup on your washer, as well.
Source: http://thequickandthehungry.blogspot.com/2011/08/diy-dishwasher-tune-up.htmlhttp://
Wow! I am going to do this tomorrow! Mine has been leaking like crazy, and I have to put a beach towel down when I run it! Hope this helps!!!! THANK YOU!! What a timely post!!!!
ReplyDeleteI've never known about this but it only makes sense. Even when the guy installed my new one, he never said anything about keeping these things cleaned. Great advice. I use vinegar in my dishwasher rinse every time. They are so sparkling. Thanks for sharing. Have a great day.
ReplyDeleteI bet this helps the between cleaning stinky. Sometimes my dishwasher gets an odor between cleaning cycles.
ReplyDeleteCathy
I first cleaned mine a few months ago..you are right..GROSS!! I never knew...lol Now I am a lot more careful about rinsing before loading...I don't care what "they" say that food has to go somewhere. This post is kind of funny....I am in the middle of moving (finally) over to the new guest house..every thing is so new and shiny! I don't want to use anything...
ReplyDeleteGreat tips, Karen....I think my dishwasher is due for a little attention, too!!
ReplyDeleteI'm afraid, I'm very afraid! I will give this a try after I put on a haz mat suit. I never even thought about doing this. My dishwasher isn't giving me a problem, but I'm sure this will prevent a problem later on. Thanks Karen.
ReplyDeleteCLR is great stuff..we have well water which can sometimes cause calcium buildups. Never thought about using it in the dishwasher.. thanks or the info!
ReplyDeleteI had to go look at my dishwasher, the last time I had to pay 100.00 for them to come and all he did was rinse off the filter. How come the book does not tell you that. I do keep vinegar in that Rinse reservoir. Its better than that store bought stuff they want you to put in there and it makes the dishes shine.
ReplyDeleteHope all is well with you and girls.
Gee, I've never cleaned our dishwasher..I'll give this a try.."thank you"
ReplyDeleteGood advise Karen!
ReplyDeleteI just spent some time looking at your place. I love your vintage trailer. I'm working hard to get one myself, it will be after we move from Florida to Montana in a couple years.
I'm a new follower and you are now on my blog list!
Enjoy your beautiful weather, we are back to hot and humid here.