It's one fine ordinary day. You woke up on the right side of the bed, and you're in a great mood. You're finding your way into the kitchen and all of a sudden noticed a strange odor lingering throughout the kitchen area. You paused, sniffed again and continued to find where the strange smell is coming from. Voila, it's coming from your dishwasher! Just like that, you're in a good mood no more.
Like most people, you invest in home appliances with the hopes of making your life easier in terms of accomplishing household chores, right? You're even afraid that one day, the machines will take over. So, it's an acceptably natural reaction to be frustrated when your household appliances are the ones that need tending to.
When the dishwasher was invented, it was a total godsend for anyone and everyone who didn't want to spend hours with their elbows up to food-flecked soap and water. Unfortunately, this machine is not capable of cleaning itself, especially its filters. So, when your dishwasher begins to smell funky, or if you find your dishes coming out of the washer to be anything but clean, it doesn't mean it's time to replace your dishwasher -- but it may just be the right time to clean your dishwasher filter! And here's how to do it in as easy as 1, 2, 3!
Step 1. Locate and Remove the Filter
Since the filter is usually on the interior floor of the dishwasher, it is easier to locate and remove if you take out the bottom rack of the dishwasher. Most manual filters are round, twist-lock into place, and often have arrows indicating which way to turn the cylinder to remove it. Following the guideline arrows, twist the cylindrical filter to unlock it—most unlock by turning counter-clockwise. Once unlocked, pull it up gently to remove it from the dishwasher floor.
Step 2. Remove the Debris and Wash with Soap
The first step of the cleaning process requires the dirt and debris to be removed from the surface of the filter. Clean around the filter with a damp cloth. You can try using Lola® Anti-microbial Clean N' Wipe™ Cloth -- removing dirt and killing germs with just one wipe. You can also use the Lola® Pro Dish Brush, paired with your favorite mild dishwashing liquid, to remove any debris that may be stuck in the tiny holes of your filter. Rinse the filter well.
Step 3. Sanitize the Filter
Steps 1 and 2 are usually enough. But at least once a month, you should also sanitize your dishwasher filter. Create a mixture of a half cup of salt, a half cup of baking soda, and one cup of bleach, and pour the mixture into the bottom of your dishwasher. Allow it to sit overnight, and run a normal dishwasher cycle the next morning, without any dishes inside. This will complete the cleaning procedure of your dishwasher filter.
It's quite disappointing that a machine, on which we rely to clean our dishes, isn't able to clean itself. But that's actually good news! It only means that they still need us to function properly and we're not gonna see that dreaded day where the machines will rise against us, because yes, they still, and always will, need us!
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