Clean dishwasher or leave it alone

[Enthusiast]

I'm visiting a relative who from her own description has NEVER cleaned the filter on her dishwasher nor ever used a dishwasher cleaner. The dishwasher is roughly 5 years old now. Is this something like neglecting the transmission fluid that after a certain point, if you maintain it, it could be such a shock to the system that it would break it or dislodge something that could break it? Or is it safe for me to clean the filters and run some citric acid or affresh in it and possibly extend it's service life and do what is best for their health?

 

[ctechbob]

If it is meant to be serviced like that I can't see you causing any harm.

I wouldn't break any factory seals, but if the filter comes out, sure, clean it.

 

[himemsys]

If it breaks down afterwards, you risk them blaming you because you touched it last. Either that, or you will become the repair man.

 

[Nukeman7]

If the dishwasher's particle filter is removable, it should be cleaned occasionally. However, I don't see any need to run a chemical cleaner through it. The dishwashing tablets/liquids like Cascade Complete or Finish w/Powerball are specifically designed to dissolve grease, and combined with the high temperature water, will do the same thing as a dedicated cleaner.

 

[Pablo]

Yes show them how to clean the filter and surrounding area

If there is hard water deposit use citric acid for a couple empty cycles

Hurts nothing mechanically

 

[Surfdog4]

After you clean the particles filter, you can throw a cup of white vinegar in there on a quick cycle. That will freshen up the inside and costs little. Just start it first for a second before you put the vinegar in, as most dishwashers do a pump-out at the start and will pump your vinegar out!

 

[BMWTurboDzl]

I'm visiting a relative who from her own description has NEVER cleaned the filter on her dishwasher nor ever used a dishwasher cleaner. The dishwasher is roughly 5 years old now. Is this something like neglecting the transmission fluid that after a certain point, if you maintain it, it could be such a shock to the system that it would break it or dislodge something that could break it? Or is it safe for me to clean the filters and run some citric acid or affresh in it and possibly extend it's service life and do what is best for their health?

Nobody cleaned dishwashers when they used a lot of water and had the grinder.

Affresh, which I use occasionally, will not extend the service life of the unit. It's designed to remove material which can cause the dishwasher to smell. If it doesn't smell then I wouldn't worry about it. Your relative probably rinses soo much food off the plates and such that there's hardly anything to clean when it's run in the dishwasher.

Yes you can clean the filter, they're supposed to be cleaned every month or so anyways and run a tablet of Affresh.

 

[Cujet]

I typically help people out when I can. Especially when I know exactly what I am doing.

However, there is a reason the saying "no good deed goes unpunished" exists.

I am not afraid of screwing something up, I'm a very capable guy. But I can tell you first hand that the tongue lashing I got for making something right, while not perfectly buffing up the rest into absolute beauty, more than soured me. It was a lesson in human nature that stuck with me forever. In the long list of 'humanity's great wrongs' that one is right at the top for me.

There is a reason the best shops video an airplane prior to, then clean it fully after minor repairs. The customer will never be thankful for the repair, but will be infuriated if it is not returned in perfect shape.

If you choose to do the task, take a good look at a 5 foot radius around the area, and assess whether you can make that perfect too. If yes, then go ahead. If no, then don't touch it.

 

[ecotourist]

We have quite soft water. We have a dishwasher that is about 8 years old.

The only filter is a perforated plastic column and a perforated metal plate at the drain. I remove and clean the plastic column and the metal plate maybe once or twice a year but we've never run a cleaner through it. It's very clean inside, there is no scale and there is no odour.

Might be different if the water was hard.

 

[RDY4WAR]

Our dishwasher gets run daily. I clean the filter every 2 weeks or so and usually there isn't much to clean out. I then run a cleaning cycle with citric acid.

If it's not my dishwasher, I wouldn't touch it.

 

[slacktide_bitog]

Affresh dishwasher tablets

 

[97prizm]

I'm visiting a relative who from her own description has NEVER cleaned the filter on her dishwasher nor ever used a dishwasher cleaner. The dishwasher is roughly 5 years old now. Is this something like neglecting the transmission fluid that after a certain point, if you maintain it, it could be such a shock to the system that it would break it or dislodge something that could break it? Or is it safe for me to clean the filters and run some citric acid or affresh in it and possibly extend it's service life and do what is best for their health?

Pull the filters and use something like simple green or a degreaser in the bottom and on the filters. Second I'd be adding Lemishine to the detergent dispenser. Third two doses of dishwasher cleaner, one lemishine then one liquid cascade dishwasher cleaner. It's in a plastic bottle which you peel the top seal off then place in the bottom rack. The wax plug will melt and it will clean.

 

[1444buicking]

If it is broken, or breaks or floods the house, you know who will get blamed.

Below is a clear, concise video on cleaning the Bosch type filters. No way these will clean well with a dirty filter. We clean ours at least monthly. And don't put much "junk" in the dishwasher in the first place.

 

[Pablo]

You won’t get blamed come on guys this isn’t a junky car

 

[Hall]

I'm visiting a relative who from her own description has NEVER cleaned the filter on her dishwasher nor ever used a dishwasher cleaner.

Never in my life have I asked someone "so, do you clean your dishwasher?" How in the world does that come up ?

We scrape food into the garbage or the dogs clean the plates so we won't have an issue with larger food particles in our dishwasher (filter). If she does similarly, it's probably nothing to worry about. If she has hard water, mineral build-up can be a concern. Otherwise, like some others have said, the dishwashing soap also "cleans" the machine, hoses, etc.

 

[DBMaster]

After you clean the particles filter, you can throw a cup of white vinegar in there on a quick cycle. That will freshen up the inside and costs little. Just start it first for a second before you put the vinegar in, as most dishwashers do a pump-out at the start and will pump your vinegar out!

I read online instructions to avoid this issue entirely by placing the vinegar in a small bowl on the top rack. My GF's dishwasher filters hadn't been cleaned in years, but since she's one who practically washes the dishes before putting them in the dishwasher the filter wasn't that bad. But, the dishwasher had a sewage smell due to buildup in the drain hose and disposer downpipe. I got her a pack of dishwasher cleaning pods and using one eliminated the odor. We tried the vinegar first, but it was not effective.

 

[DBMaster]

This is the stuff I used - from Aldi.
Dishwasher Cleaner

 

[Wingo]

If I never cleaned the dishwasher I would begin to smell pretty terrible.

 

[Lubener]

You do it , if it breaks, you are married to it.

 

[Hall]

We tried the vinegar first, but it was not effective.

Vinegar (and citric acid and other acids) aren't "detergents" and have do nothing to organic build-up. They have their place for mineral build-up for people who have hard water though.