Dishwashers are indispensable helpers in most households, which unfortunately often cause avoidable high repair costs. It’s often the little things that lead to big problems. Save money with our dishwasher cleaning and maintenance tips.
If you clean and care for your dishwasher regularly, it can work perfectly for many years and save you from having to wash the dishes by hand. And with the right care, you can avoid a clogged sieve and a calcified dishwasher.
Proper dishwasher cleaning and care
The dishwasher no longer drains the water! Who does not know that? The dishwasher is filled with dirty dishes and there are more dishes from yesterday’s party in the living room. The machine starts its work and suddenly an alarm sounds from the dishwasher. Then you realize that the machine is not pumping out the water. In most cases, this is not due to the fact that the pump is defective, but to a cause, that is easy to eliminate. Also, read our tips for the perfect dishwasher.
1) Avoid clogged screen
You should remove and clean the strainer regularly. Pay attention to whether there are any deposits behind the sieve. Then clean everything thoroughly and turn the machine back on. If the error persists, there could be a foreign object in the pump. In addition, note other common mistakes when using the dishwasher.
2) Remove objects from the pump
It can happen that small objects settle in the sieve. As a result, they block and the water is not pumped out. This error can be corrected with a few simple steps.
3) Clean the dishwasher with a wet vacuum cleaner
If the water is not pumped out, a hard object must have jammed the impeller of the pump. If this object cannot be removed as in the previous video, a wet vacuum cleaner can be helpful. It is best to proceed according to the following scheme:
- Suck the machine empty from the inside.
- Take out the crockery baskets with crockery.
- Detach the wastewater hose from the drain.
- Fill the machine with clean water.
- Suck this out through the drain hose.
- Using a funnel, pour water through the drain hose.
- Drain water from inside.
- Repeat the process several times so that the part that has jammed the pump can loosen.
After that, you have to plug the machine back in and switch on a normal washing program. When everything is back to normal, insert the dish racks and wash. Otherwise only the customer service helps. And if you’re struggling with bad smells in the dishwasher, check out our dishwasher smelly odor tricks.
4) Dishwasher no longer rinses – causes and remedies
If the dishwasher no longer washes clean, it is usually due to very trivial reasons that are easy to turn off. So check the following options:
- Obstruction of the rinse arm. This can be prevented from moving by a piece of crockery (usually cutlery): You should therefore check before each wash whether the wash arms can move freely.
- Rinse arm is clogged: Then use a needle to clean the holes in the rinse arm. To do this, take the arm out of the machine and clean it thoroughly with a brush. You can usually remove the rinsing arm from the machine in just a few simple steps, without any tools.
- If the filter is clogged or dirty: remove the filter and clean it properly. It is important that you remove any dirt from the sieve so that the machine works properly again.
- Greasy deposits in the dishwasher: Remove with a cloth or run the machine without dishes with a special detergent.
5) Descale the dishwasher regularly
For proper dishwasher care, you should descale the dishwasher regularly. And that several times a year, especially when the water is very hard. You can use various natural home remedies for this, such as citric acid or vinegar. This ensures that your machine works for a long time and that you do not have to pay expensive repair costs.
