It's a sad but true: Most people these days would not be able to fix a broken appliance in their kitchen if they read the manual, researched online AND watched a home improvement television show about it.
The Dreaded Bubble Leaking - This is one of the most common reasons customers claim to need professional dishwasher repair. Most people get scared their machine will explode the minute they see that bubbles have leaked out of the sides and are now all over the kitchen floor.
But why does this happen?
More often than one would think, someone unfamiliar with a particular dishwasher will accidentally put dish soap in the dishwasher instead of dishwasher soap. While the names are very similar, these are two extremely different cleaning products. The dish soap will create a huge amount of foamy bubbles that grow so large that they expand out the dishwasher. Dish soap is meant to foam up, but dishwasher soap is meant to leave your dishes soap free by the end.
The Broken Soap Dispenser - Another common reason people claim they need a professional repair is because they think their soap dispenser is ineffective. Oftentimes, the reason behind this is that there just isn't enough soap in their machine. Maybe sometimes the dishwasher will be able to efficiently clean dishes if they are not too dirty to begin with, but for most dinner plates, soap and water is needed to clean them. When there isn't enough soap in the dishwasher, the dishes won't get clean. This is not your dishwasher's fault!
Soap aside, many people will complain that their dishes are dirty when they come out of dishwasher. A helpful and easy solution to this is that you should always scrape the excess food the pots and pans. There is no real need to actually wash the dish before you put it in the dishwasher but when you leave leftover food on your plate it can dry, get crusty and become very difficult for just a stream of hot water to remove.
If you used the right soap and the right amount of it but your dishes still aren't clean, it may be because the detergent cap is not screwed on or isn't closed properly before a cycle starts. If this is the case, your dishwasher still isn't receiving enough cleaning product. Another possible reason could be that the dishwasher is clogged. To check this, look at the inlet filter screens and fine particle filter. If these are clogged, cleaning them out might be all you need to avoid getting unnecessary professional dishwasher repair.
Dusty Looking Dishes - If your dishes are dirty with a smoky film, it may be due to an excessive calcium buildup or mineral deposit. To remove this, you need an acid. An easy solution to this is using a store-bought dishwasher cleaner that you run with your cycle. However you can also just try running your empty dishwasher with a cup full of white vinegar, or even a cup full of the powdered drink called Tang. Try doing this first, because a professional appliance repair will be much more expensive than buying a little bottle of vinegar (or a tangy drink!).
All of the tips listed above are very simple and effective ways to pull off "repairing" your dishwasher, so definitely try these first if you don't think that your machine is working properly, before you call for a professional appliance repair technician.
This article was written by a trusted and professional appliance repair business owner who caters his services to NYC, Westchester NY and the Bronx.
