Your Dishwasher Counts Too! An Appliance Tip From Your Friendly Seattle Plumber

As the leaves continue to change colors and fall to the ground, it is a safe assumption that the warm summer weather has officially passed and the cooler fall days are here to stay. As the weather cools down, many people take this opportunity to move activities indoors including cooking hearty stews, breads, and casseroles.

During the warm summer days there is more of a trend to cook outdoors, so as the weather cools down and you move your cooking indoors, make sure that the appliances in your kitchen are ready! Having friends and family over for a meal is the last moment that you want to get caught with a clogged or flooding dishwasher.

The plumbing for your dishwasher is connected to the plumbing for your kitchen sink and your garbage disposal. Because there are three major sources for food particles and debris to rinse into your drain, it is important to be thoughtful of what is going into your dishwasher.

When you have a sink full of dishes, loading them into the dishwasher cuts the clean-up time in half. So, keeping this crucial appliance in top working order is essential.

Here are some things that you can do when using your dishwasher to make sure that it stays working at its best:

1. Do Not Overload: Over loading your dishwasher is a very good way to waste water. What will happen is not all of the dishes will get a thorough washing, and then you will have to re-wash them. It is best to load the dishwasher in a way that the door closes easily and all components are of the appliances are able to move freely.
2. Scraping is Not Enough: Scraping the food off of your dishes is not enough preparation for loading them into your dishwasher. It is important to scrape, scrub, and rinse all of the food particles and food residue before loading them into the dishwasher.
3. Run Hot Water: Before you start your dishwasher, make sure you run the water in your sink until the water is hot. Since your dishwasher is connected to the same plumbing as your sink, if you don’t wait for the hot water to come, you could be washing your dishes with cold water at first, which will harden any food particles left on the dishes.

Having friends and family over for eating warming casseroles and stews is a great way to spend fall evenings. Don’t let something like a clog in your dishwasher ruin your nice evening by flooding your kitchen floor with water. Follow these simple steps to keep your dishwasher working properly, so you can load up the dishes and get back to spending time with your loved ones. This friendly advice comes from your locally owned and operated Mr Rooter Plumbing of Seattle.