Proper care of expensive appliances means better performance, fewer repairs and a longer lifespan. Knowing a few domestic appliances cleaning hacks helps you to work smart and get the best results quickly. Here are a few tips on keeping dishwashers and ovens in good order.
Dishwasher Cleaning Tips
Scrape, scrape, scrape!
The biggest single favour you can do your dishwasher is to minimise the food waste you put into it. Food debris fills traps and blocks pipes, leading to visits from the repair man or even the death of the appliance. So scrape those plates before they go into the machine.
Keep the drain clear
Remove the bottom rack, remove any obvious blockages and wipe the drain clean.
Add baking soda
To get rid of stale or musty odours, follow up the vinegar sanitising treatment by running another cycle with a sprinkle of baking soda in the base of the unit.
Use a water softener in hard water areas
Limescale buildup in kitchen appliances is the electronic equivalent of furred up arteries and will ultimately reduce the life of the machine. If you live in an area with high levels of lime in the water, water softening is a must.Run a cycle with vinegar
Run a weekly empty cycle with a cup full of white vinegar. Set the water temperature to the highest setting to lift grease and prevent limescale buildup.
Keep seals clean
Leaking water seals is one of the more common problems in dishwashers. One of the reasons for seals breaking down is the bleach contained in many dishwasher gels, using a powder detergent rather than a gel may result in a longer life for the seals. Whatever detergent you choose, washing with hot, soapy water will help keep the seals in good condition. Use an old toothbrush to get deep into the seals and remove food debris.
Following these dishwasher tips and tricks doesn't take long and they'll ensure that you get best performance and the longest useful life from your appliance.
Oven Cleaning Hacks
Cleaning the oven ranks as one of the least popular tasks, so anything that reduces the labour while keeping the cooker bright has to be a good thing. Here are a couple of oven cleaning tips and tricks you can try:
The baking soda paste soak
Mix a cup of baking soda with enough water to form a thick paste. Remove the oven racks and spread the paste over all interior surfaces except the heating elements. Leave the oven to sit overnight and for at least twelve hours.
Spray vinegar over the baking soda covered areas and wipe off with a damp sponge. The majority of the dirt should lift easily, treat stubborn areas by spraying again with vinegar and use a copper sponge to work on the problem area. Use a damp rag to wipe away any remaining soda and replace the oven racks. Your oven is now ready for use.
Use a dishwasher tablet to clean your oven
Of all the oven cleaning hacks this may be the one that causes most controversy. The suggestion is simple, take a dishwasher tablet, dip it into water and rub it over the surfaces you want to clean, this includes the interior of the oven (avoiding heating elements) and the glass door as well. Some people report great success, others a mess of crumbled dishwasher tablet on the base of an oven which is just as dirty as it started off. It may be that some brands of tablet work better than others but it's fair to say the jury's still out on this particular trick.
