Charlotte Foster
Home & Garden

Three signs it's time to clean your dishwasher

The dishwasher is often one of the hardest working appliances in the house. 

While it's regularly filled with hot water and detergent, you’d be forgiven for thinking it's a clean environment. 

However, with all the dirt and food waste that goes into a dishwasher, it’s important to keep it maintained so your dishes come out sparkling every time. 

Here’s three things to look out for that mean it’s time to clean your dishwasher. 

Your dishes are coming out cloudy and dirty

Food left on your dishes, or a white powdery substance is a tell-tale sign that it’s time to clean your dishwasher.

It’s recommended that your dishwasher gets cleaned once a month to keep it in good condition. 

If you notice cloudy spots on your drinking glasses, the simplest solution is to place a bowl of vinegar on the top rack and run a cycle, which acts as a rinse aid to help combat hard water. 

It’s a good idea to check your manual before doing this, as some manufacturers advise against using vinegar in a dishwasher.  

There’s a funny smell coming from your dishwasher

If you have a terrible smell from your dishwasher, the problem could be food particles getting caught in the filter. 

Check and clean your filter after each use to avoid nasty smells in your kitchen. 

Also, dishwasher cleaners that run through a cycle with no dishes in the racks can help clean food debris out of hard to reach places. 

Water isn’t draining out of your dishwasher properly

If water is still pooling in the bottom of your dishwasher after running a cycle, or if you see water bubbling out of the sink, you might have a clog in the plumbing. 

If you clean the filter and check for obstructions and you are still finding pools of water,  it might be time to call an expert to look at your dishwasher.

Image credits: Getty Images

Tags:
home & garden, kitchen, dishwasher, cleaning