How to Clean and Maintain a Dishwasher

Many people use their dishwasher regularly without thinking about cleaning and maintenance. In this article we offer some simple advice that should help you get the best results from your dishwasher, removing smells, reducing breakdowns and increasing its life span.

For information on how to tackle and resolve faults and problems on a wide range of appliances see our other articles »

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An important thing to remember is to thoroughly rinse all food sauces and gravy of items before loading. This is particularly important if the dishwasher is not being started immediately as dirty dishes will start to smell and develop mould very quickly.

Furthermore, dishwashers are not good at rinsing food out and any remaining particles end up breaking down and speckling the glasses and plates with gritty particles, however, by pre rinsing this will be eliminated.

In the base of the dishwasher cavity is a metal filter plate with a chamber designed to catch small loose objects (like peas, sweetcorn or nuts that may have found their way into the machine). The central chamber usually twist-locks the plate into position, so twist and remove the plate and the chamber. Then, rinse the chamber and filter gauze to remove any debris, before refitting the chamber and filter and twisting it to lock it in place (if applicable to your model).

Often debris and bacteria may build up around and underneath the door seals in the form of a black sludge, so use anti-bacteria spray cleaner on these areas, agitating the deposit with a paint brush and cleaning it off by applying some water with a paint brush.

Finally, as the dishwasher is designed to wash traces of fat and grease off the plates the grease can start to deposit in the dishwasher pipes and pumps inside. In addition, if you have hard or semi-hard water then a layer of limescale is very likely to build up over time.

For these reasons, it is advisable to use a cleaning product to clear this build-up and remove the deposits that will enable bacteria to thrive and create unpleasant smells.

We recommend Buyspares Limescale and Detergent Remover, this strong cleaner, if used regularly, will break down limescale and grease and help to flush it away, sanitizing your dishwasher and leaving it smelling fresh.

In addition, after completing the cleaning and servicing suggestions above you may have identified damaged or worn parts, such as basket wheels or spray arms.

To get the best results from your dishwasher rinse and brush off all food particles before loading the machine.

* All information provided is a guide only. BuySpares accepts no liability for any problems occurred while attempting any advice shown. If in any doubt contact a qualified repair service.