Fortunately, not every problem with your dishwasher warrants a call to your local appliance repair company. You can generally fix the smaller issues on your own when you have a basic understanding of the malfunction that’s occurring. To help you navigate some of the more common dishwasher defects, homeowners deal with, we’ve listed 4 repair tips below.
Rust on Your Dishes
Pulling out your dishes to find speckles of rust on them can cause you to question your dishwasher’s reliability. Thankfully, this issue is usually an easy one to solve. Before loading your next set of dirty dishes, take a close look at the racks in your dishwasher. If you see any scratches or gashes where the plastic finishing is completely removed and the metal underneath is showing, you’ve found the cause of the rust. To remedy the problem, simply sand down the area and cover it with a plastic coating material.
A Puddle of Water on Your Floor
Before you start panicking due to that unsightly puddle of water near your dishwasher, take a deep breath and mop up the mess before inspecting your appliance. Fortunately, one of the reasons behind this issue is simple, and can be fixed with a quick visit to the hardware store and a few minutes of easy installation. Your first course of action involves checking the dishwasher’s door gasket. When the gasket is ripped or cracked, water can escape through the inadequate seal and end up on your beautiful kitchen floor. If you do find any type of deterioration, your next step is purchasing a new gasket and installing it. One easy and effective trick that makes your new gasket more flexible is allowing it to soak in hot water before installation.
Clogged Spray Arm
When you suspect your dishwasher’s spray arm isn’t operating properly, you’re most likely dealing with a clogged part. To vanquish the blockage from your sprayer, you’ll need to take it out of your dishwasher and soak it in a bowl of warmed up vinegar for at least two hours. Once enough time has elapsed, take the spray arm out of the bowl and proceed to eliminate all debris by inserting a pipe cleaner into each spray arm hole. As soon as you’re done re-install the arm and run a cycle to ensure the issue has been resolved.
Spotty Glasses
Unfortunately, your effort to get your dishes extra clean may be the reason behind your glassware appearing spotty. Using excessive dishwasher detergent often causes an unwanted residue to form on the items inside your appliance. To avoid spotty glasses, try cutting your detergent use in half.
If you’re dealing with a more serious dishwasher malfunction, please contact us today and we’ll be happy to help you.