It's time for a dishwasher checkup

When a handyman takes 5 minutes ⏰ and charges me $99💰💰that’s a lesson I’ll learn one time! I’m all about maintenance ✅before money💰 to prevent it from happening again. So here’s a quick lesson to save you money at my expense. You’re welcome in advance 👊🏼!Sounds odd that something that cleans items needs to be cleaned 🧽 to work but it’s true! Dishes  🍽 are tossed in the dishwasher with leftovers 🦴🥗🥦 that can get stuck, stink 👃🏽 ,and build up in places that need to be 🧼 cleaned. It’s not like we are sticking our head in the dishwasher like ever in life 🤷🏻‍♀️…. unless it’s broken! So let’s prevent it easily, so the cost of repairs 💰can go towards Brunch on Sunday rather than the repair man on Monday!

HELP! MY DISHWASHER IS BROKEN!

My dishwasher wouldn’t drain so I called a Pro👨🏻‍🔧 because I couldn’t get the water out, and it started to stink! Within 5 minutes The Pro had cleared the issue and charged me $99! 🤦🏻‍♀️That was $99 for 5 minutes y’all! Never again! He didn’t show me how he fixed it, but he did show me what the cause of the issue was.about:blank

4 Preventative Things To Keep Your Dishwasher Working 

  1. The Dishwasher Filter. If you are seeing food particles begin to build up on your dishes after a cycle then it is time to clean the filter. Not every dishwasher has a filter, but most up to date modern ones do. Google the model name of your dishwasher  and find out if yours has one.  The filter can be removed and hand washed and soaked.  Then see if any solids are stuck where the filter was living.
  2. The Air Gap.  Not all dishwashers have them, but if there is a chrome cylinder on the back of the sink then you now know what it is.  It can get clogged even by a fish bone. (Which happened to be the reason my sink wasn’t draining) Unscrew it and clear the visible clog.  Then you can use a coat hanger stretched out, or a wire brush to go down the drain and unclog the air gap.  Water should then flow freely and you will hear the water go through the disposal.
  3. REMOVE THE HARD WATER DEPOSITS FROM THE DISHWASHERGet a brand of White Distilled Vinegar with 5% ACETICIC ACID. Anything stronger will break down the inside components of the dishwasher so be mindful of this.  Take a large measuring cup and fill it with White Distilled Vinegar. Place it in the top rack and set the cycle to run without anything in the dishwasher but the measuring cup with Vinegar.  Do not use the Heated Dry as it’s not needed.
  4. REMOVE THE SMELL FROM THE DISHWASHER  When water is used in an environment that is sealed shut after every use then mold and mildew eventually grow in places you can’t see. Odors build up and are trapped in places beyond where the plates go.  Get some cheap lemon juice and fill the dispenser where the dishwashing liquid goes.  Run an empty cycle and let the dishwasher meet the lemon cocktail of it’s dreams.   

It’s interesting to see the appliance brands they place in the apartments that we provide cleaning services to in Downtown Austin and Downtown Dallas.  Rent is high and you would think that the appliances should match the cost of living in Austin and Dallas but it’s not always the case.  The turnover of the residents in apartment living is high and everyone lives differently.  You have no idea how the last resident lived in your apartment at all.  We would suggest doing these dishwasher preventative tips before you use your dishwasher upon move in.