The dishwasher is a regularly used appliance in the home, and that is a good thing. This is one appliance that actually performs better with regular use. With some regularly planned preventive maintenance, you can keep it humming along for years to come.
 Use It – you have probably seen the rush of commercials about running your dishwasher regularly to save water, which sounds a bit backward, but they are comparing that to the amount of water that would be used for hand-cleaning the dishes. We say to run it regularly simply because the dishwasher is more effective when run regularly. It stops food buildup and if you do not have dishes stacked up on each other, it will clean them better.
Vinegar – if you do not know this already, white vinegar is a miracle worker when it comes to cleaning gunk out of your dishwasher. Every month, pour two cups of white vinegar into the bottom of the dishwasher and run it through a cycle.
Dish Rack – this is something few people ever really check, but it is important to check the dish rack from time to time for damage and exposed areas. If the rubber tips come off of the rack, it can start to create corrosion inside the dishwasher. This can lead to expensive repairs for something that could have originally been fixed for a few dollars.
Clean the Holes – check the holes of the sprayer arm on a regular basis to ensure there is nothing stuck inside of them. Usually, you can just use a pin to poke them free and you will be good to go. From time to time, however, you may want to take apart the spraying arm to give it a good cleaning.
Check the Seals – the seals of the dishwasher can get very gnarly, so you want to check them on a regular basis. Make it a habit of washing them down with vinegar when you are ready to run the cleaning cycle as mentioned above. The vinegar can cut through any mold, mildew, and debris that you may find. If it is something stubborn, consider using a mold and mildew remover. If you see any cracks or separation, replace the seals as soon as possible.
