These eight maintenance tips will help your dishwasher keep cleaning well for years.
Taking care of your dishwasher with these simple strategies can help it last longer and save you the hassle of frequent repairs.
By Perry Santanachote
How long should a dishwasher last? About 10 years, according to most of the 20+ manufacturers we consulted.
CR members tell us they expect linked lifespan, on average, but that doesn’t necessarily mean 10 years without problems. Experience-based survey data from our members including more than 66,719 dishwashers revealed that approximately 21% of them broke down or stopped working properly within the first five years of use.
So how can you make your dishwasher last a decade without having to call a repair technician? Many factors can influence the lifespan of your appliance, including how you care for and clean your dishwasher.
Using a dishwasher may seem intuitive, but all the dishwasher repair technicians and manufacturers we spoke to agree: Glimpsing your machine’s instruction manual carefully is worth the time and effort. From the best way to charge it to how to clean it properly, you’ll find the key details you need to reduce wear and tear on your model and keep your dishes as clean as possible. In addition to the basics, if you incorporate these eight expert-recommended strategies into your daily routine, you could hopefully extend the life of your dishwasher.
1. Remove food debris from the plate, but do not rinse it. Most dishwashers don’t require you to rinse dishes first, but be sure to remove bones, chopsticks, and other solid objects before putting them in the dishwasher. These debris can clog the drain hose, damage the filter or the pump.
2. Clean the dishwasher filter by hand. Trapped food has to go somewhere, and unless your dishwasher has an old-fashioned food disposer, you’ll have to clean the filter manually. Adam Hofmann, senior engineer at Midea’s The USA Study Middle, recommends doing this about once a month, or more often if necessary. “A clear sign that it’s time to do it is when you notice that the wash cycle is no longer as efficient or when the dishes are left with a gritty feeling,” he says.
Remove the sinful tray and you will find a plastic cylinder that you can turn over to remove it (if it is not there, consult your dishwasher manual). Rinse the filter with tap water until it is free of debris. You can use soft sponges and warm soapy water to remove stubborn food debris, but abrasive brushes or steel wool can damage the filter.
And if you find holes, replace the filter immediately to prevent seeds or pieces of bone from passing through and reaching the pump. Otherwise, they could damage the pump impeller and motor seals, which are expensive parts to repair.
3. Clean the door seal. Debris buildup in this area can cause bad odors, cause mold, and even prevent the door from sealing properly. When necessary, use a cloth and white vinegar to clean the seal between the dishwasher door and tub, where debris and food particles often accumulate. (But don’t use vinegar in your dishwasher regularly, as continued use can wear down the rubber seals and affect its operation.)
Avoid using harsh bleach wipes, harsh chemicals, scouring pads or any abrasive cloths on stainless steel doors or inside the dishwasher.
4. Removes hard water residue. If the water in your area is hard, it is likely that the inside of your dishwasher will begin to accumulate mineral residues and become discolored. According to Hofmann, these deposits look like a dull layer on your plates or on the inside of the appliance, and you may notice the rails and wheels binding when moving. He recommends using a mild citric acid dishwasher cleaner, such as Affresh or Attain, to remove these deposits once a month. Follow the instructions on the packaging to remove this residue from your dishwasher.
If you live in an area with hard water and your dishwasher has a water softener system, remember to add regenerating salt when necessary. Most dishwashers with this system have a light that indicates when the tank is low. United statesa. only dishwasher salt, never table salt. Salt helps prevent mineral buildup and, as a result, prevents stains and improves cleanliness.
5. Check the spray arms. Every few months, inspect the holes in your spray arms or sprinklers – where water comes out – to make sure they are clean and free of blockages. If you see food debris blocking any outlet, try to carefully remove it with a toothpick or pipe cleaner. “You have to do it carefully so you don’t warp the hole,” says Larry Ciufo, who runs CR’s dishwasher testing lab. “That can affect the spray pattern and therefore the washing performance of your dishwasher.”
If you need to remove the spray arms to clean them, the bottom one should come out of its ugly with a gentle tug. Unscrew the center wash arm that is on the sinful part of the top shelf using a Phillips cross screwdriver
6. Protects grilles against rust. If the plastic coating becomes worn, repair it as soon as possible with vinyl paint or replacing the rod tips. Otherwise, the grates could rust and allow small pieces of rusty metal to enter the pump, says Chris Zeisler, technical service supervisor at repairclinic.com. Imagine that the pump is the heart of the dishwasher, and the rust fragments are like a plaque that accumulates, with the risk of causing a blockage that paralyzes the entire system.
7. Don’t overload it. Overfilling the dishwasher can block the water spray and prevent dishes from being cleaned properly. You will have to wash them again, running the machine unnecessarily, which reduces their useful life. “Mechanical parts wear out with use,” says CR’s Ciufo. “For that same reason, it is not advisable to put very small loads.” See our tips for loading the dishwasher correctly.
8. United statesa. the dishwasher only for washing suitcases. You may find videos on the Internet that recommend using it to clean objects like car parts. “It’s a bad idea,” says Ciufo. These parts usually have a lot of grease, and neither the dishwasher nor the detergent are designed to remove that type of residue. Grease can clog the filter and damage the pump.
Zeisler says one of the biggest problems he’s seen is people putting in chandeliers. Wax that gets trapped in its grooves can damage dishwasher components. CR also shares other things you shouldn’t put in the dishwasher. The list includes items that can be damaged in the dishwasher and others that can even damage the appliance.
4 Top Rated Dishwashers from the Most Trusted Brands
Aside from maintenance, dishwashers from some brands simply tend to last longer than others. These dishwashers are from brands with the highest ratings for predicted reliability, based on data from CR members who purchased a total of 77,011 new dishwashers between 2015 and 2025. Plus, they also performed excellently in our lab tests. Another brand, Beko, also received good reliability ratings, although CR does not currently test any of its models.
Bosch Benchmark SHP9PCM5N
Bosch stood out as considered one of many most legitimate dishwasher manufacturers in our surveys and additionally earned our high mark for owner satisfaction. Every Bosch we’ve examined has been a high performer, and this Benchmark model additionally tops our ratings efficiency. A truly tranquil model, it’s additionally very right at washing, drying, and saving vitality. Study out our ratings for plenty of alternative high-performing Bosch objects.
Thermador Star Sapphire DWHD661EFP
Admire Bosch (which shares the same dad or mum firm), Thermador earns a wonderful ranking for predicted reliability in our member surveys. The Star Sapphire DWHD661EFP is a tranquil model, and its sophisticated drying gadget does a marvelous job taking away moisture, even from plasticware. Nevertheless, it’s among the many pricier objects in our ratings.
Miele G7176SCVI
As a stamp, Miele dishwashers garnered high rankings in each reliability and owner satisfaction. The Miele G7176SCVI is expensive, but it undoubtedly cleans and dries dishes neatly, runs quietly, and stands out for its vitality effectiveness. It comes alongside with your total perks you’d ask from a high-cease dishwasher, together with a third rack, an adjustable better rack, adjustable tins, and a stainless metal inner. It additionally pops the dishwasher door open at the cease of the cycle to relieve dishes dry better—a characteristic that our lab testers hold realized particularly helpful.
Midea MDT24P3CST
Midea is one other stamp with wonderful reliability ratings, although its owner satisfaction is most productive heart-of-the-avenue. Smooth, that you just might ranking stable budget alternatives devour the Midea MDT24P3CST that supply above-par wash efficiency, ease of instruction, and drying. It additionally boasts wonderful vitality effectivity, with a 155-minute cycle time and a full annual instruction mark that’s decreased than most, at upright $65. This model isn’t exactly standard, either, with bells and whistles similar to an adjustable better rack and tines, room for a third rack, hidden controls, and even WiFi connectivity for Amazon Alexa and Google Residence relief. It’ll be somewhat noisy, on the opposite hand.
User Studies is a self-ample, nonprofit group that works facet by facet with consumers to create a fairer, safer, and healthier world. CR does no longer endorse products or companies, and does no longer settle for marketing. Copyright © 2026, User Studies, Inc.
