Save some cash! Before calling in a repairperson, check out these dishwasher troubleshooting tips.

So, this is my life. Sharing dishwasher troubleshooting tips with anonymous people over the internet. But, still, if I had come across these tips on my own (sometimes I don’t like to surf to the net to find the answer to all of my problems!), I would have saved some money.

We had a repairman stop by to check out our dishwasher earlier today. Bottom line is that it never gets our dishes clean. He took a look at it and recommended making a few changes (and didn’t really make any fixes)(but we still had to pay him for his time)(which I’m fine with, by the way).

Keep reading for the dishwasher troubleshooting tips our repairman shared with me.

1. Use the rinse aid.

Number one thing to do is use it–many food particle problems stem from not using a rinse aid (according to my guy). Run a few cycles so the rinse aid can build up in the dishwasher and properly do its job. He said brand-name doesn’t matter at all, but I usually buy the Finish brand rinse aid.

2. Clean Your Dishwasher

Oh my, I’ve been an adult for 20 years, and there is still so much to learn. I guess you’re supposed to clean out your dishwasher on occasion. Oops, I didn’t know. (I do clean the filters frequently, in hopes that that is the problem.) To do this, load it up as you normally would, and place a bowl of white vinegar in the machine. Wash your dishes and was that dishwasher too.

3. I’m all for organic products, but if your dishwasher is acting up, our repairman did say that he has seen problems with the all-natural dishwasher detergents.

So maybe you want to try the nasty stuff for a little bit. I use Finish Dishwasher Detergent Tablets (but I must point out that I am the one who called a repairman because of food particles on my plates). (And I will never ever again suggest that you go with the least environmentally friendly option.)

4. So while I had an expert in the house, I had to ask this question, which is one of the biggest debates of my marriage. Do you have to wash your dishes before you put them in the dishwasher?

My husband rinses all the dishes before loading up, but to the point that you may as well just dry them off and call it good. (As in, he cleans the dishes before putting them in the dishwasher.) I’m ready to scrape off big gobs and call it good.

And the winner is….

Scrape off the plate to remove chunks of food and load that plate into the dishwasher. (I’ll let you choose who the winner is…)(But it’s me, in my mind.)

He said having some gunk on the plates is good…something about the dish soap and enzymes and then it all gets a little hazy for me.

5. Bonus dish washing/time saving tip!

You guys, I learned this from my husband’s best friend. When you load your knives, forks, and spoons into the little compartments, don’t mix them up. Use one slot for knives, one for forks, one for spoons. Doh. I just throw them anywhere in the cutlery section…but organizing them when you put them in the dishwasher saves time when it comes to unloading and putting them away.

And now Susie Homemaker is signing out to contemplate her life priorities (especially for a Friday night!)…but, seriously, I sincerely hope that if you have some dishwasher troubleshooting to do, these tips help you and save you the cost of an unnecessary visit by a repairperson.