Buzz
Users should avoid leaving excessive food residues, refrain from overloading dishes, and pay attention to detergent choices.
1. Proper Dishwasher Usage Guide
Users should avoid leaving excessive food residues, refrain from overloading dishes, and pay attention to detergent choices.
Excessive Food Residues
Modern dishwashers may not require pre-rinsing. However, even the most advanced models can encounter issues if users leave too much excess food.
Excess food can clog the spray arms, reduce water pressure, and eventually cause odors and even drain blockages. Therefore, users should scrape off excess food before loading the dishwasher. This also serves as a way to sort waste at the source.
Overloading
Dishwasher compartments are designed to accommodate various needs, from 6 to 9 sets or more. Attempting to overcrowd the dishwasher can hinder its cleaning performance and may lead to dish breakage.
Therefore, it's best to follow the manufacturer's recommended capacity. The ideal practice is to wait until the dishwasher is fully loaded before starting a cycle, avoiding wastage of resources such as electricity, water, and detergent.
Place Small Items on Top
To ensure thorough cleaning, place glasses, plates, cups, utensils, etc., on the top rack. Oversized items like plates and pots should be placed on the bottom rack. Certain items may melt, warp, or break if positioned incorrectly.
Avoiding Nozzle Blockage
Dishwashers are designed and operate on the principle of the swirling force of water nozzles to clean dishes. For best results, users should avoid placing large plates or oversized items that obstruct the water nozzles. Otherwise, dishes near that area may not be properly cleaned. Check carefully to see if the nozzles have full range of motion and are not blocked.
Choosing the Right Detergent
It's not just about selecting the best detergent; it's about following the manufacturer's instructions. Don't assume that adding more detergent to the dishwasher will make dishes cleaner. In fact, excess detergent leads to waste and leaves a detergent film on the entire surface of the dishes.
Regular Maintenance
Dishwashers also require regular maintenance like other electronic devices. Users should occasionally run the dishwasher without any items to clean the interior chamber and drain pipes. Europeans often add a cup of baking soda and half a cup of vinegar while running the machine. This not only cleans the inside of the dishwasher but also keeps it fresh. Additionally, it's important to regularly check the dish racks and remove food residue stuck to the rack walls.
