There are so many brands and types of dishwashers that it is difficult to give more than an estimate of their life. However, a decade is an average life expectancy. A Premium Miele can last twice as long, but even the most economical appliance should offer you reliable service for at least seven years.

These are our tips to get the most efficient performance for as long as possible.

Read the manual

The best way to extend the life of your dishwasher is to adapt all your actions to the information in the instruction manual. Although navigating textbooks is sometimes a nightmare and those who are not perfectly translated are often cryptic in their advice, it is worth reading them. The features and functions of your dishwasher will surprise you.

When you get a new machine, it's tempting to treat it like your last device. But technology is changing, and what brought you the best performance from your old dishwasher may not work for the new one.

Even if you have had your dishwasher for a long time, we recommend that you wipe and read the manual. When you have reached the Narnia simple socks and household scissors, search online for the brand and model number of your machine and find the product instructions.

Carry out the cleaning cycle.

Your machine may have a self-cleaning cycle. If so, do it! People who used to have old dishwashers without this feature often hesitate to use them because they think they are simply wasting electricity. But engineers include such programs for a reason.

Use the

The first tip is that your dishwasher is made for use. If you do it regularly, it stays clean.

And even if it seems unlikely, it is best for everyone to do so. Modern dishwashers save water. They are much more effective than hand washing: three to five times more effective. They also use less detergent. And although they obviously use energy, the same goes for heating water to wash their hands.

Dishwashers are also more hygienic. Although few are hot enough to completely disinfect the dishes, the fact that they are much more effective at removing food debris means that fewer bacteria can live.

When you use your dishwasher, you need to put an end to the puddles of food around your sink and be less dependent on the kitchen towel, which is nothing more than a wet and damp holiday home. missed by bacteria.

Add dishwasher salt

The salt in the dishwasher softens the hard water and ensures that your kitchen utensils are washed thoroughly and the inside of the dishwasher remains clean. It also protects your dishwasher from limescale deposits, which contribute to its proper functioning. Use only detergent salt. You cannot replace any other type of salt as this can damage your dishwasher.

You should load the salt in your dishwasher once a month or when you see the salt indicator light up. Multi-tab detergents generally contain detergent salt. The pack advises you not to worry about adding salt separately. However, the best advice is to use it regardless of the type of detergent you buy. This affects the life of your dishwasher, especially when you are in an area with hard water.

How to put salt in the dishwasher.

  1. Take out the lower basket to access the softener salt tank. It is located on the bottom of the dishwasher and looks like a round lid with a screw cap.
  2. Take off the lid. The tank must be filled with water. Otherwise, take a jug of water and fill it until the water level reaches the top of the tank. You only have to do this once. After that, the tank should always contain water.
  3. Your dishwasher should have a funnel that sticks to the tank. Fix before pouring salt into the dishwasher. If you can't find the funnel, decant the salt from your dishwasher into a glass and pour it clean.
  4. Pour the salt into the dishwasher until the tank is full. Different types of dishwashers have tanks of different sizes, but you will probably find that they can contain a large amount of salt.
  5. Wipe off excess salt with a damp cloth. The salt in the tank does not touch your dishes, but salt that gets into the dishwasher can affect the next wash. If you've spilled a lot of salt, you can use the empty dishwasher to make sure it's clean before changing dishes.
  6. However, first press the fuel cap firmly together and put the crockery basket back on.
  7. Your dishwasher is ready to go.

Should you use a brightener?

The rinsing liquid is a surfactant: it reduces the surface tension of the water, which means that no water forms in drops and on the contrary can flow in the direction of the leaves, which prevents glassware and cutlery from getting dirty.

Waterways are more likely in areas with hard water. Drops of water evaporate and leave calcium and magnesium deposits.

Unlike salt, the dishwashing aid is not essential for the health of your dishwasher. However, if your glass does not come out of the dishwasher with gas, but has scratches or stains, it is a good idea to use it.

Some people are concerned about the health or environmental effects of rinse aid. If you use it according to the instructions (i.e. you don't eat large amounts), you don't have to worry about the former. The amount that could be left on their plates is so small that it makes no sense. If you want to remove more detergents from the environment, choose an environmentally friendly brand like Ecover.

The rinse aids are usually placed in a small tank on the dishwasher door next to the shelf. It only contains a small amount of liquid. Therefore, be careful not to overfill them. If you spill it in the dishwasher, clean it.

Powder, liquid or tablets?

dust

Dust is usually the cheapest option. It is also more effective than liquid. An advantage of the powder is that it can contain bleach and enzymes. Liquid detergents cannot do this because the liquid bleach kills the enzymes.

The main disadvantage of dust is that it is messy and requires a little more effort to measure the right amount.

The powder has fallen out of favor lately, with the hint that it never completely dissolves and can therefore accumulate in your dishwasher. However, a regular cleaning program removes all deposits.

Dust has also earned a reputation for being less effective. This is likely because it starts to work when it comes in contact with water. If it is kept in a box under the sink, it is likely to get wet. This means that it starts to react, which makes it much less effective when it goes into the dishwasher. If you buy powder, store it in a closed container and keep it dry.

liquid

Liquid is generally considered the least effective option. It is more expensive than dust, less easy to use than tablets, and less effective than both. It is your last resort.

tablets

Most of the new advances in cleaning have hit the shelves and are regularly high on the product test tables. Though the most expensive option, they're easy to use and contain just the right amount of each ingredient. Our advice would be to find a well-rated tablet (ideally those that are not individually packaged to minimize environmental impact) and give it a try.

Clean your dishwasher

Keeping your dishwasher clean will ensure proper operation and will not accumulate any product inside that will affect its operation.

Use these tips only with an empty dishwasher. Vinegar is often recommended for cleaning dishwashers, but you should use it rarely and sparingly and not when washing kitchen utensils. Since it is an acid, vinegar can attack the rubber parts of your dishwasher (such as hoses and seals). When mixed with salt, it can discolor pans.

  1. Remove the rack from the bottom of the dishwasher and check the drain to see if there is any food left in it. Remove the filter and remove the found parts. Then clean the filter with a soft brush and replace it.
  2. Place a cup of white vinegar in the top basket and run the dishwasher on a hot cycle. Make sure the vinegar is in a dishwasher safe container.
  3. You can also try a sodium bicarbonate rinse. Sprinkle a cup of baking soda into the bottom of the dishwasher and let it stand overnight. This is particularly effective if your dishwasher has a musty smell. Start a hot water cycle in the morning.
  4. Do not use vinegar and baking soda together. Although this is sometimes recommended, it is completely ineffective. After an initial acid-base explosion reaction that produces carbonic acid and sodium acetate (therefore a mixture of both is used to clean the drains much better), the second reaction is a split into water and carbon dioxide gas. Then essentially transform your cleaning cocktail into water.
  5. Never use vinegar and bleach together, never. Together, these two popular cleaning products produce toxic chlorine gases.
  6. Clean the door seals. Use a clean, damp cloth and some liquid detergent and put all the joints together. Do not use vinegar or bleach, as these damage the rubber and make it stiff and cannot form a suitable seal. When the areas have been compressed, carefully remove them. Let the seals dry completely before closing the dishwasher door.
  7. After cleaning, open the door of your dishwasher and ideally let it out overnight.

And it is all. Love your dishwasher and it will serve you. Well, you won't love each other as much as if you keep washing the dishes so you can sit on the couch with a cup of tea. It's the perfect relationship.

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