Dishwasher--use it or lose it

[Charlie]

As a senior who has lost his wife and trying to maintain the house, I have little use for the dishwasher but an acquaintance has said I should use it to keep it operational. Any thoughts?

[Tony Hwang]

Hi, Yes. If it does not get used from now and then, seals can dry out and start leak then it's no good any more. Also cleaning with washer is whole lot better than washing with hands.

[Metspitzer]

I use my dishwasher all the time. She is fantastic. :)

[DemoDisk]

Yes, for the same reason you should keep an automobile in use if it is not actually being stored. It keeps the oil moving, keeps seals from drying out, rubber from dry rotting.

As it so happens, I've got both situations: I run the D/W once a month, but the old Honda hasn't been started in ...ohhh... about seven years. =:O

[Winston]

I'm sorry for your loss, Charlie.

I found my dishwasher to be useful for other things. My old box fan was just filthy. I removed the front and back grills and placed them in the dishwasher. While it was running, I attacked the chassis and fan blades with a spray bottle of window cleaner and some cloth rags.

Reassembled, the fan looks like new!

I had some glazed pots in the back yard holding cacti for several years. I emptied out the pots and put them all in the dishwasher. They turned out very nicely, (very shiny) without one swipe of a towel.

I don't know if I'm actually making the dish washer last longer by using it more but it does save me quite a bit of elbow grease.

--Winston

[HeyBub]

Yep. I washed a chandelier made up of over a hundred bits of cut glass.

To fuss with all the pieces using Windex atop a ladder would have taken over twenty minutes (until I tired of the exercise and said "To hell with it!").

[ransley]

It could break tomorow it could last 15 years unused. Why waste hot water and electricity to wash a machine. I use mine about twice a year its 10 yrs old.

[bob haller]

generally washing dishes by hand uses more water than dishwasher..........

just run full loads

sorry about your loss........

[DerbyDad03]

re: just run full loads

Sorry for your loss.

I know it might take some time to get to a full load, but check and see if your unit has a "rinse now - wash later" feature. We use ours on occasion when there won't be a full load for a while, but we don't want what we have to dry out/smell. It just uses a little water to rinse them until we're ready to do a full load.

As far as other uses for dishwashers, get a couple of these and put your DW to work even when you don't have any dirty dishes.

[willshak]

on 9/3/2009 11:05 PM (ET) Charlie wrote the following:

Sorry about your wife. Even though you are only using a few dishes and washing them by hand, the unused ones in the cabinet can become dusty over time. The dishwasher can be used for other than dishes. I once heard that it is good for washing baseball caps, if you are a collector, or have a bunch of them. There are a lot of other things that need a good cleaning once in a while and can't be put in a clothes washer because of possible damage to, or from, the washer.

[Michael Dobony]

We had a renter use the dishwasher as a washing machine. It needed to be replaced after only 1 month of such use.

Mike D.

[Tony Hwang]

Hi, I wash electronic air cleaner elements in the dish washer. Easiest/quickest way of cleaning them.

[Tony]

Sorry for your loss Charlie.

Long ago my Mom stopped using the dishwasher to save money. When she went to use it again it had a leak. It was explained to me that there should always be some water in the bottom so the seal/seals don't dry out.

More recently I found myself alone and washed the dishes by hand and used the dishwasher as a rack for the dishes to dry. Now and then I'd do a little rinse cycle. It was still working when I sold the house.

[DerbyDad03]

re: "It needed to be replaced after only 1 month of such use."

I hope the "it" was the renter.

[DerbyDad03]

re: "good for washing baseball caps"

As I posted ealier...

[Dymphna]

You might think of running some vinegar in it when you do. That will help the pipes.

[trader4]

I'd say it should probably be run once a month or more to keep seals from drying out, etc. I'm single and love the dishwasher. It really doesn't matter the family size, you just keep putting stuff in unitl you have enough to run it or you run out a particular iten, eg dishes.

I don't even do the rinse and hold cycle. I just place them in there and run it about 2X a week and the items come out clean 98% of the time.

[aemeijers]

Back when you could still make money refurbishing and selling used computers, I used to wash grungy cases and keyboards all the time. (remember to let the keyboards sit in bright sunlight for a couple days before you plug them in...)

But as to OP's situation- yeah, the seals do dry out from lack of use, especially if the DW is a few years old. I've seen it happen at relative's houses and in rentals of people who lived alone, or just didn't like to use the dishwasher. I live alone, and run a load about every 7-10 days, based on one meal a day at home. I rinse and stack in the sink, and when I notice the sink is full, I load the dishwasher.

-- aem sends...

[JIMMIE]

He's right but why bother. I can wash my dishes by hand easier than I can load the dishwasher. When ours broke we just didnt get another. The place it was located is great storage for a slide out trashcan rack.

Jimmie

[DerbyDad03]

re: "I can wash my dishes by hand easier than I can load the dishwasher."

Really? I like to hear your process.

Mine is:

1 - Open door 2 - Insert dishes 3 - Add soap 4 - Close soap door 5 - Push button

And that's for a sink full of dishes from a 4 person dinner.