I did not confess why our dishwasher broke

[Ugeauxgirl]

My husband just fixed our dishwasher- just in time for Thanksgiving. I asked him what was wrong with it. He said the sprayer arm holes had been completely clogged with grease. He couldn't imagine how that'd gotten that way. I innocently said that I couldn't either... And quickly changed the subject. If it wasn't the soap, it was rendering tallow... Guess I'll have to do a little more pre- cleaning of soapy dishes!

 

[Obsidian]

Let your soapy dishes sit for a day or two so any left over bits fully turn to soap, much easier to clean

 

[ResolvableOwl]

I've found that (at least my) dishwasher for some reason has a hard time removing soap. It might have something to do with my hard water, idk. Anyway, wherever some tool or dish has had soap batter on it, after washing there is a white film like soap scum. It isn't difficult to remove manually, but hand washing is not what I have a dishwasher for in the first place. The dishwasher+soap batter combo also can attack/ruin silicone surfaces, even those that are rated dishwasher-safe.

Dirt from unsaponified oils (like from rendering tallow, or, heaven forbid, candle making) is another beast, where just waiting doesn't help. I wouldn't put anything into the dishwasher that has more oil on it than from an average meal. Rough pre-wash by hand, and/or put more detergent into the machine.

Now just hope your husband doesn't secretly read SMF…

 

[Ugeauxgirl]

@ResolvableOwl I can assure you he does not read SMF. His eyes glaze over when I talk about soap. That's part of the reason why I joined .

 

[Nona'sFarm]

@Ugeauxgirl, I am guilty of similar sins, some of us seem to learn best the hard way.

 

[AAShillito]

There's this stuff called "LemiShine". You run it in an empty dishwasher and it magically cleans out all the ickies. Of course I had to run twice bc of our mineral laden water plus some oils, but my dishwasher is super clean!

 

[violets2217]

***runs to check dishwasher sprayer arms***

 

[The Efficacious Gentleman]

**my mind wanders a little away from sensible places**

I wonder if a weak lye solution (applied carefully, of course) would help to make very greasy pots and pans easier to clean..........?

 

[ResolvableOwl]

I guess it's not a coincidence that sodium carbonate is called washing soda.

 

[Mobjack Bay]

After reading this, I use citric acid to clean my dishwasher. Lemi Shine is citric acid with essential oils and fragrance.

 

[Ugeauxgirl]

My husband is in the kitchen right now bragging to our oldest son how he fixed the dishwasher . That was my good deed for the day, making soap and clogging up the dishwasher. I made him feel good about his handyman abilities...

 

[melinda48]

My husband just fixed our dishwasher- just in time for Thanksgiving. I asked him what was wrong with it. He said the sprayer arm holes had been completely clogged with grease. He couldn't imagine how that'd gotten that way. I innocently said that I couldn't either... And quickly changed the subject. If it wasn't the soap, it was rendering tallow... Guess I'll have to do a little more pre- cleaning of soapy dishes!

I use the “Diaper” technique someone posted here. I apologize that I do not remember who. I bought a package of cloth diapers. After soaping I wipe everything down with the diapers and set them aside in a bowl (or whatever). Next day, I wash the dishes in the dishwasher and throw the diapers in my washing machine without detergent as they are now covered in soap. Works great! Saves on paper towels (which I hated wasting) and makes life just a bit easier.

 

[AliOop]

@Mobjack Bay +1 on the citric acid. We started using CA as a cheap dishwasher rinse-aid in a house that had very, very hard water. Much to our surprise, the dishwasher that we thought had a solid white interior starting having big chunks of white stuff peel off and fall off the walls and the racks (which were actually gray).

Then then sprayer arms started rattling. Apparently they had had solid hard water deposits inside, which were now breaking up and causing the rattles. We ended up taking them off completely and soaking them in strong CA solution in the sink to break up the remaining lumps enough so the deposits could be rinsed out.

Although we ended up with a sparkling dishwasher that now worked very well, the entire process took close to a month of cycles for the inside to be fully cleaned out, and close to four hours to manually clean out the sprayer arms and dislodge the remaining deposits on some of the racks. No doubt, the CA did the job, but we got a water softener after that.

 

[TheGecko]

Here is what I do:

I scrape as much of the batter as I possibly can...bowls, spatulas, stick blender (I used to think soap makers did it to not waste soap). I also run my Stick Blender in a pitcher of hot soaping water. I then wipe everything down with microfiber towels...I tried paper towels but didn't like the waste and I tried old cotton rags, but couldn't get them to rinse well. By using microfiber, I can simply reuse the same equipment until it's time to call it a day. At that point, I spray everything down with an 'orange' cleaner I got from the "dollar" store (excepting lye container and I spray that with white vinegar). I can then wash the dishes in the sink as normal or toss them in the dishwasher.

Another option that I have used though not my favorite is to put all the dishes in a tab and put them in the garage for a couple of days. The pro to this is that your batter will saponify into soap, but the con is that it doesn't do anything for anything that isn't soap batter.

 

[Kiti Williams]

I use the “Diaper” technique someone posted here. I apologize that I do not remember who. I bought a package of cloth diapers. After soaping I wipe everything down with the diapers and set them aside in a bowl (or whatever). Next day, I wash the dishes in the dishwasher and throw the diapers in my washing machine without detergent as they are now covered in soap. Works great! Saves on paper towels (which I hated wasting) and makes life just a bit easier.

OMG! Where has this tip been hiding! I use flour sack towels for wipe ups in my household, looks like I will be using them for soaping as well!

 

[maryloucb]

My husband is in the kitchen right now bragging to our oldest son how he fixed the dishwasher . That was my good deed for the day, making soap and clogging up the dishwasher. I made him feel good about his handyman abilities...

I must admit, I am envious (not of you clogging up your dishwasher, but of having a husband with handyman skills) If I clogged up the dishwasher, I would be the one fixing it.

 

[Megan]

**my mind wanders a little away from sensible places**

I wonder if a weak lye solution (applied carefully, of course) would help to make very greasy pots and pans easier to clean..........?

I soak my stainless stove fan filters in a lye solution to help clean them. I like the idea better than the aerosolized lye sprays that they advertise for the same purpose. I stir fry a lot, so they get greasy fast and they most definitely make a layer of soap on the grates when they soak. For pots and pans though, I think manually removing the grease first as much as possible is probably better for the plumbing.

 

[Cat&Oak]

Okay do tell how much citric acid per load?

 

[ResolvableOwl]

Point is, citric acid is, well, an acid, and that isn't necessarily a good thing in combination with common dishwashing detergents (let alone soaps). Main ingredient of many dishwashing powders is sodium carbonate, and what happens when you combine soda, citric acid, and water, does everyone know who knows bath bombs.

 

[Cat&Oak]

Good point! For monthly cleaning how much would you use?