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When compiling and analyzing our list of Best dishwashersEvery appliance professional I spoke with cited the same reason behind most repair calls and warranty claims.
While burned out motors, appliance failure and general loss in cleaning power are inevitable for any appliance after enough iterations, one overlooked piece of maintenance is responsible for the bulk of dishwasher problems: a dirty filter.
So, how often should you clean your dishwasher filter? More often than most people think. Here’s why your filter is important, how often to clean it, and the best way to do it.
Your dishwasher filter is important
A dirty filter can cause poor dishwasher performance.
An effective dishwasher filter has three benefits: it keeps the water clean, protects the water pump, and prevents food debris from clogging spray nozzles and drain lines. As a result, the dishwasher requires less effort to operate, and you will eliminate errors that can damage your expensive kitchen appliance.
In contrast, the older Maytag PDC3600AWX portable dishwasher lacks any type of filter. This means I need to be very diligent about scraping and pre-cleaning when loading to keep the job running smoothly.
How to clean the dishwasher filter
The filter is your dishwasher’s secret weapon.
Even if you regularly run your dishwasher’s self-cleaning cycle with a product like Affresh, solid food residue won’t go away unless you empty the filter. Here’s a quick guide to cleaning your dishwasher filter.
- Pull out the bottom rack to access the filter assembly located at the bottom of the dishwasher. You may also need to move the washer arm slightly to access the filter.
- Rotate the filter to open it before removing it. Keep in mind that your filter may consist of two parts: an inner cylindrical filter and an outer flat screen. You should clean both of these.
- Rinse the filter with clean water in your kitchen sink. If food residue and hard water remain, you may need to scrub with a soft brush (abrasive scrubbing may damage the filter mesh) and soapy water.
- Some brands suggest drying the filter assembly before putting it back in the dishwasher. However, it should be a good idea to reinstall it before it dries, as lingering moisture is unlikely to cause problems for a product that constantly deals with water and dishwashing chemicals.
- Don’t forget to turn on the filter to lock everything in place.
How often should you clean your dishwasher filter?
Keep things simple by scraping down dishes before loading them and setting a monthly cleaning schedule.
In the absence of standardized manufacturer instructions, I recommend checking your dishwasher filter at least once a month. If it’s clean, your work is already done. If not, it’s time to clean it.
Best of all, it’s as easy as setting a reminder on your phone, calendar, or to-do wheel to check and clean your dishwasher filter. However, you should also keep an eye on any declines in performance or unpleasant odors in your dishwasher, which could mean it’s time to clean the filter ahead of schedule.
You can also simplify the scheduling (and cleanup) process by always disposing of food scraps in the trash. This one habit easily turns filter cleaning into a monthly task at most – even with two daily wash cycles – instead of something you dread twice a week without any scraping.
For context, some brands provide Detailed filter cleaning schedules Depending on how often you run the dishwasher and how much you pre-clean (scrape and rinse) the dishes before loading. Scraping is easily the critical factor in preventing recurrent filter clogs.
Scraping dishes is much easier than figuring out a complicated schedule like this one from LG. Also, pre-washing dishes before loading them is not an efficient use of water.
Typically, I defer to manufacturers on how often you should clean your dishwasher filter, but the advice in the user guides of our top dishwasher picks is inconsistent. For example, Bush (PDF) and LG We recommend checking and cleaning the filters after each dishwashing cycle. In contrast, brands like Samsung (pdf), Media (pdf), KitchenAid (PDF) and Frigidaire (PDF) Gives vague instructions about cleaning periodically or as needed.
Always remember to replace your dishwasher filter after cleaning it, you should not run any cycles without it.
Even companies like whirlpool (PDF) and Maytag (PDF), which recommends cleaning your dishwasher filter every one to three months, muddies the waters by pointing out that frequency depends on your usage. I mean, technically, they’re not wrong. Someone like me, who uses the dishwasher once a week, may not need to clean the filter more than once every few months, compared to busy households that run multiple loads daily.
Even with a relatively dirty dishwasher filter, you’re unlikely to need more than 10 minutes to finish the cleaning process. Now you can enjoy a fresher, more efficient dishwasher.
