5 of the Biggest Dishwasher Mistakes, According to Appliance Repair Pros

The dishwasher may be one of life’s greatest inventions. We feel grateful for our dishwashers every single day — especially during this pandemic, which has us facing an unprecedented amount of dirty dishes. But honestly, we don’t always treat our dishwasher like the lifesaver it is. For some of us, that means throwing dishes straight from the table into the dishwasher; for others, it means overloading or under-loading. And then there are those of us (guilty!) who have never cleaned our dishwasher (because it’s a dishwasher, right? That means it’s clean?). 

The point is, we could all do a better job taking care of this amazing appliance. Because, without it, we’d have to hand-wash 18 coffee mugs a day. Feeling ever so grateful, I asked the pros to share the biggest dishwasher mistakes — and what to do instead.

In theory, using more detergent, especially for a particularly dirty load of dishes, makes sense. But according to Stephany Smith, an appliance engineer at Fantastic Services, using too much detergent will actually make your dishwasher less effective and “can lead to blockages in the drain pump and spills in the dishwasher vents.” (You don’t want those.) It’s also costing you money. Do yourself a favor and use even less detergent than you think you need. 

It’s funny to me that this came up because, just last week, my mom said to me, “I toss the detergent at the bottom of the dishwasher and I think it works even better!” Well, according to Nikolay Miloshev, who owns a property maintenance company in the U.K., this is 100 percent absolutely wrong. In his words, “This can’t be further from the truth. When thrown to the lower parts of the dishwasher, the detergent pack will dissolve faster and will be gone by the time prewash is over. Once the important washing stage begins, there will be no detergent to support it.” In other words, that detergent dispenser is there for a reason. Use it!

If you are asking yourself: What (and where) is my filter? I am 100% with you. The filter, well, filters out food particles and lets the water pass into the drain. Rob Shaw, of virtual handyman app ProTip, says that not cleaning the filter can lead to a drain clog, which “can also make the dishwasher smell foul.” If you start noticing food particles or oily leftovers on your dishes instead of fresh and sparkling dishes, you probably need to clean your filter. “To clean the filter,” recommends Paul Berry, owner of Mr. Appliance, “Remove it from the machine and rinse it thoroughly under hot water. If there’s stuck-on gunk, soak it in hot, soapy water for several minutes and gently clean it with a soft brush before rinsing.” Still wondering where that filter is? Most will be either in a back corner of the dishwasher tub or around the base of the spray arm.

Dishwashers, like washing machines, have different cycles. That’s because your delicate stemware needs a different type of cleaning than your pots and pans. But, Miloshev says that “people tend to pick one or two as their favorites and never look further.” And that’s a mistake. “If you want to wash your glassware, choose a more delicate and gentle cycle. If you are looking to clean oily and crusty pots, you’re better off with a heavy cycle.”

If you’re not using the heated dry cycle on your dishwasher (and you shouldn’t), you should “open your dishwasher as soon as it finishes to release remaining moisture and allow for a more effective air dry,” says Shaw. You’ll save energy and money by doing so — and also prolong the life of your dishwasher. 

How many of these mistakes do you tend to make?