How to descale your dishwasher

cleaning the dishwasher One of our regular customers asked if there was any anti-scale agent for dishwashers, saying that he suspected that a layer of limescale had accumulated inside his “home assistant”. Indeed, considering how hard the water is in our water supply, this problem is relevant for most dishwasher owners. And this is even despite the use of products that soften the water. Let's try to answer this question in detail within the framework of this publication, taking into account its various aspects and subtleties.

How is cleaning done?

If you watch commercials, it seems that you will buy a magic remedy and forget about problems with scale. After all, these products are so wonderful that they free the dishwasher not only from limescale, but also from mold and other contaminants. In fact, if you don’t know how to clean a dishwasher from limescale correctly, then you will simply use up the cleaning product and waste your time, and the scale will remain as it was in the machine.

To effectively remove scale from the circulation pump, washing hopper, pipes and other parts of the dishwasher, it is necessary to use one or another product in a special order. It is important not to overexpose the solution of water and descaling agent inside the dishwasher so that this solution does not harm the parts. At the same time, it is very important to ensure that the chemical interacts with the limescale, otherwise it simply will not wash out of the machine and cleaning will have to be repeated. Let's stop at this issue and look at it in a little more detail.

When cleaning your dishwasher using a factory-made descaling agent, read carefully recommendations that the manufacturer writes on the packaging. In this case, it is important: maintain the dosage of the substance, keep it in the system for a strictly defined time and wash it out of the dishwasher on time. Typically, one dry wash cycle of 40 minutes is sufficient.
If you are cleaning with citric acid, take 200g of this wonderful home remedy, pour it into the bottom of the dishwasher's wash bin and run a regular dry wash cycle without dishes. About halfway through the program, stop the process for 20 minutes and then start it again. The scale is washed out very, very well, but there is a danger of destruction of the gaskets inside, so use this product with caution and as a last resort.

Note! After pouring citric acid into the washing hopper of the dishwasher, carefully clean the walls with it, and then after 5-7 minutes, start any long-term washing program.

Some people descale the dishwasher with vinegar. It’s not a very safe product, but now we’re not talking about it, but about the method of using it. You need to pour two glasses of vinegar into the bottom of the washing hopper of the machine. Next, you need to put on rubber gloves and use a sponge to spread the vinegar over the inner walls of the “home helper” while lightly wiping them. Then you should start the washing program and, without waiting for its final execution, stop the machine, letting it stand for 30-40 minutes. Next, you need to resume the program and end it, and then run another program to flush the system from chemicals.

In especially severe cases, when lime deposits clog the pipes and circulation block, preventing water from moving normally in the system, you have to resort to physical cleaning of the equipment. For such work, it is better to invite a specialist who will disassemble the dishwasher and manually remove pieces of scale from the pipes and other parts. After which he will put the dishwasher back together.

Anti-limescale agents

Well, to the question of how to clean a dishwasher from limescale and scale, we answered in general terms, in any case, the procedure is clear to us. Now we need to decide on the question of how to clean the dishwasher from such an unpleasant limescale formation? And not just what to clean with, but what product will cope with the task best? This is where we will come in handy with a review of anti-limescale agents for dishwashers, which, a little earlier, our experts prepared for completely different purposes.

Tablets for comprehensive cleaning of Frau Schmidt dishwashers. These tablets are unique in that they do a good job of cleaning the dishwasher from greasy deposits, scale, and any other contaminants. This product is good because you don’t need to think about how to clean it and how to clean it from various types of contaminants. I bought pills and cleaned myself of everything. But in fact, tablets will not help against large accumulations of lime deposits. So if you have a difficult case, it is better to take a more powerful remedy. Made in France, average price 3.5 dollars for 2 tablets.
Express cleaner for Top House dishwashers. This is also a universal remedy against various contaminants, only it is available in liquid form and is much more active than tablets.Top House will help you clean your dishwasher from scale, grease, mold and more. When using it, you must be careful and read the instructions carefully. Made in Germany, costs $5 per 250 ml bottle.
Clean Home express cleansing product. It cleans the dishwasher well of various dirt, but rather poorly from scale. So, if your case is not too advanced, you can try this remedy; in other cases, you need to use physical cleansing. Made in Russia, average cost 2.3 dollars.
Descaler for washing machines and dishwashers from Electrolux. The substance included in the branded product was developed specifically for cleaning Electrolux dishwashers and washing machines. The product is excellent. True, it has one drawback - the price. The product costs $12.50 for 200 ml, and is enough for only 2 cleanings.

In some cases, Electrolux even removes a layer of limescale 3-4 mm thick. Tested by our specialists personally.

Any descaler for dishwashers from the list above will help you take good care of your “home assistant” of any brand. But it’s still better not to run your machine to such an extent that water stops circulating in it due to the layer of lime. Clean it with your chosen product at least 1-2 times a year and your machine will serve you for a long time.

What if you don't clean it?

Some dishwasher users do not consider it necessary to clean their “home assistants” at all. They sincerely believe that the need for cleaning was invented by advertisers in order to sell all sorts of special tablets, gels and powders and thus extract money from people who are accustomed to technology.Some of these skeptics are truly lucky. They have been using dishwashers for several years, and nothing happens, but there are only a few of them.

if you don't clean the dishwasher

If your water supply contains a lot of impurities, then without cleaning your dishwasher will last a maximum of 2-3 years, and then something will definitely happen. Therefore, we recommend, for the sake of the safety of your own money, to carry out cleaning in a timely manner so that you do not need it later. replacing heating elements in a dishwasher or worse, replacing the circulation pump. This repair will cover all your savings on cleaning products over the years, plus an extra $50 or even $100, so it's up to you.

In conclusion, we note that in order to descale your dishwasher, you need very little: take a suitable product and use it, taking into account the recommendations contained in the instructions. If this is not done in time, serious technical problems will arise, which will then be difficult to deal with without a specialist. Good luck!