So I have a good story: about 15 years ago I was having a problem with my dishwasher dumping water out the front of the machine leaving a big puddle on the floor. My husband’s explanation was that it was my fault in some way, and obviously I wasn’t “closing the door right.” My indignant answer back was, it was totally closed--in so many words… Anyway, he started a Google search and he did find the solution in a post somewhere. The leak was caused by putting those thin plastic cutting boards into the unit on the side where there was a vent hole in the dishwasher wall; and they were blocking that vent, causing the leak (this particular dishwasher doesn’t have heating units at the bottom and you can put plastic on the bottom rack). And yes, that is exactly what I was doing--problem solved. But some time later, I found a printout that my husband made of the post that he had not shown me. The husband of the poster also told her that she wasn't "closing the door the right way,” but she had a jewel of an answer: “How many ways are there to close a door?”

"Its not the machine, its the routine." Love it!

One of the best tips I've learned is to run your faucet till the water is hot, then start your dish washer!

"The plumber pushed the buttons and it worked; whatever, I'm mad" LOL! Thanks for the chuckle Dana and Reid!

In 1966 we moved to a house that had a dishwasher but it didn’t work. We lived there for 6 years and my brother and I had to do the dishes almost every night. When we were moving my dad had the dishwasher fixed……..it cost $20. 🤦🏻‍♀️😂

This was such a good video. So many (sorry ladies) women don't realize that if you want appliances to work correctly, you MUST maintain them. You might want to do the condenser coil on your refrigerator next. When is the last time you cleaned your vacuum filters and the brush roller on your vacuum cleaner? The crumb tray in your toaster? The calcification in your coffee pot? Dana, I think I just came up with a whole series for you...😉

😮 I didn’t know that dishwashers had a filter. Guess I’ll have to check mine on line! Tnx. BTW Another tip: If you dishwasher's door for the pod breaks, don’t panic. We called the manufacturer. The told us, on the cycle that we use most, when (how many minutes in to the cycle) to open the door and add the pod. So we just set a timer, open the door and toss in the pod. It is a little bit of an annoyance but way cheaper than (having a repair person come out or) buying a new machine! 😊

Prove me wrong and then you’ll find out I’m right…..that is going to be my new slogan around my house 😂😂

I splurged on a Miele dishwasher, and yes I use Cascade pods. No problems.

The 'cleaner kitchen when hand washing dishes' comment resonated with me. I hand wash and could never understand why people with dishwashers always seemed to suffer from counter clutter. Then it dawned on me. A regular part of my dishwashing routine is to go around at the end, with a damp cloth, and clear off/clean all the surfaces. So counters got cleared off a couple of times per day. But if you don't have a sink full of soapy water, that's a separate step that has to be thought about.

I don't have a dishwasher machine. I am the dishwasher 🤣

I struggled with dishwashers not working for years. Recently my dishwasher stopped working and I bought a Bosch and omg what a huge difference! It gets dishes so clean! I know they are more expensive, but in my experience it has been so worth it. I highly recommend if you have the money or need to replace your dishwasher!

I am always amused at the end of your videos! Well done, Reid! 🤣🤣🤣

Dana, for your dishwasher, put your tall plates on the left side. Also, people shouldn't overload the dishwasher. The water has to be able to circulate well. And the manual has directions on how to load it, based on whether the water shoots up thru the center, or has the arm underneath. Good tips, Dana.

We put tongs and spatulas in the center of the top rack. It’s working for us, so we rarely get the dolaly hitting them in the silverware holder. The tongs and spatulas lay flat, so that’s why they fit there. Also the home for bigger sharp knives in the dishwasher, if the knives are butter knife sized they go in silverware holder. Just a thought. I was weaving in ends in a blanket I’m crocheting, hence the timestamp not match the comment contents.

Thank you for the thorough demonstration while wearing your "chronic overthinking" shirt! You crack me up. Learned so much!!!

I run my dishwasher even if it’s not full. I’d rather run 2 half loads a day (and click the half load button) than have too much at the end of the day so I either hand wash or stuff it so full stuff doesn’t clean well. If I would pay more than $.25 for my dishes to get washed, but wouldn’t “waste” less than that to run an extra load a day, I was making my life harder for no reason. Lol. I’m so happy that you encouraged me that is really no big deal to run the dishwasher as much as I need to without guilt.

Excellent video. Hubby actually measured the water output from hand washing dishes and bought our first DW years ago ... to save money on water! A tip: always use Rinse Agent. It makes everything come clean!

Great videos like this are a nice complement after you've read the manual. I don't count on the sales people or anyone else to tell me how to maintain it, because frankly, if you're buying a new dishwasher every 3 years, all good for them. I have a fairly compact but handy binder where I have all my appliance manuals even though most of the decluttering folks tell you to scrap the paper and just refer to the manual on the web. I have notes and post-its on my manual to get to the places I reference the most. I guess I'm a geek and kind of appreciate the details, especially the section most have at the end called 'trouble-shooting'. So thanks for showing and remind us and especially, referring us to the experts on youtube for our particular model especially. Seeing and reading are a double combo of information!

Watching even though my dishwasher exploded (not literally, but nearly). I’m still not great at doing the dishes routine but I’m actually doing it better now without a dishwasher!

I'm so very pleased for you and appreciate your intention to refocus your videos. As a woman in her seventies, I congratulate you for taking the time to work through your feelings and come back stronger in your convictions. Bravo!

My apartment dishwasher is an old GE model. It only has a few cycles. Very simple to use. It was here when we moved in 9 years ago. The filter never gets clogged, and the inside stays pretty clean. I use Finish pods. I love my old dishwasher.

The motor of our dishwasher went out 4 days ago. My kitchen is actually cleaner than usual now even though I follow Dana’s suggestion of doing the dishes every day (we ran it 3-4 times a day). And it’s nice that once a meal’s worth of dishes is done and put away, there is nothing waiting for me to do later. I still want my dishwasher fixed, though! 😂

I recently replaced the drain pump on my dishwasher because I had bought new(used) racks off ebay and they were a little bigger than the initial ones and made the door come open a little bit during the cycle. I thought the drain pump went bad, but, after tearing everything apart a couple of times, I finally figured it out. I took the emblem off the top rack and it’s good to go, no more issues. Now I know how everything fits together and works.

Thanks, Dana!! I love your way of sharing info which may seem obvious to the rest of the world but it is never safe to assume! I finally learned about not trapping the detergent dispenser when it only opened part way and left chunks of gooey cascade pod all over the item in its way! 🤣 live and learn... and help someone else in the process! I love you for that!!! 💗

Dana, I heard these tips from you to stop prewashing and to use pods years ago. The tip to switch to pods and to stop pre washing was HUGE. Since I struggled to do the dishes anyway, doing the dishes twice was twice as bad. lol!!!! What a game changer!!! My mom had a dishwasher that was 30 years old and all of these tips worked great! No pre-washing/rinsing needed!!!

I’m having to buy a new dishwasher this weekend. Your video has so much practical info. Thanks.

Also one other thing to mention is most dishwashers have variable height for the top drawer so that if you have something large in the bottom section the spray arm can still spin. The handles/levers to adjust the height are on the sides of your top drawer normally about half way.

Thank you so much for this video! I thought it was just my imagination that my dishes stopped getting cleaned. The pods really made a difference.

I have 2 dishwashers. We had 13 of us when we built our home. I clean the filter after every wash. I wipe it out to. I scrape dishes before loading. I deep clean them once a month..i use rinse aide. I don't use it for pots and pans. First 2 lasted 14 yrs..both worked but we wanted to change from white to stainless steel. We had these 5 yrs currently.

I quit using our dishwasher, and I desperately needed extra drawers in our small kitchen, so I bent the wires that hold the dishes so I could create 2 drawers of sorts. On the top level, I put plastic baskets (that I already had on hand) that hold all my husband’s junk that he insisted on leaving on our kitchen countertop. 😳 On the lower level, I store my mixing bowls, measuring cups, & misc. serving & baking utensils (in the silverware basket).

My dishwasher was not cleaning my dishes that well. Could not understand because I used top brand dishwashing pods. The repair man said I need to run my hot water in my sink for a moment and bring up hot water to sink area. Since then all is well. Thx Katy Prais

I saw a huge difference in our dishwasher's effectiveness when we switched to pods! Definitely worth the extra money. (I also got them at the surplus store for a big discount, so that's nice.) We have an older portable dishwasher, but it works perfectly! We've never had a single problem with it for the past six years.

I appreciate this video so much because I started using dishwasher daily when I read your book 5 years ago

As informative as your videos are, I think my favorite part is when you roll the credits at the end! Too funny!

I have a tip to add for some: My Miele dishwasher has a button for "tab" vs. liquid or powdered soap. If your machine has a button like that, make sure it corresponds to the format of soap you are using!

Really good tips. I was also total that if you run the hot water just before you start the DW, then you're starting with hot water, not cold. I really like using Cascade gel over using the pods.

omg!!! I knew it!!! I knew things weren't cleaning as well as they used to! I always did use the expensive stuff though, even back when I was broke, bc that is how I was raised, not to cut corners where you need things to be solid and reliable

Thank you!!! Had no clue 😅 will be getting pods soon!

That was wonderful! Thanks.

"Press all your buttons". LOL I have one dial--short wash and long wash. The information at the beginning explains why the Blueland dishwasher tablets I just bought work much better than what I was using-Cascade Complete powder. PS. Not impressed with anything else I got from Blueland. Well except the foaming hand soap was good. I just hate washing with foam.

If you're using pods, you are better off just chucking the pod in the bottom. The dispenser door is for liquid or powder, I was told.

Doololly 😄...love it! Now part of my vocabulary. Added it to wackadoodle 😁

An additional thing to consider is a monthly dishwasher cleaner. I have an old dish washer, and this really helped!

You continue to be a blessing!

I know this has nothing to do with this but your hair looks great 👍

Wow Dana thanks for this!

Seriously I was thinking about your getting you off the floor. Great tutorial!

Good to check the bottom of the dishwasher door as dirt and crud get caught under there sometimes.

Super helpful video, I wish I had it years ago! This is a must share for young people moving into their first place!

Thanks Dana!

Thank You Dana!!!

OMG, so funny! Love your sense of humor!!!

We had a dishwasher that wasn't drying the dishes. It would take a long time for them to dry. The culprit was the rinse aid container was empty. We added the fluid & the dishes dried like they were supposed to.

Great video, and so helpful. I'd actually wondered if our dishwasher had a filter. Some are so easy to find, the new one, not so much. Great info!

Oh my gosh! I have a pretty old dishwasher and thought it needed replacing. Turns out it just needed different settings and better dishwashing detergent. Cloudy crusty glassware it's now coming out Crystal Clean again. Thank you!

Great video!

I love your shirt, Dana!

Great video! I learned a lot! I have got my dishes routine down!! Only use the dishwasher when I have company over! TFS! 💕🌴😎

I put a tablespoon of TSP (trisodium phosphate) in the bottom of my dishwasher tub along with whatever dishwasher detergent I’m using. I don’t use the detergent dispenser, only the rinse aid dispenser. Usually a pod of some sort. Cascade commercial grade sells the old school powdered detergent with TSP online through Amazon, etc. Also get hot water started from kitchen faucet before starting dishwasher. I have hard water too so I have to find products that help with that. Hope this helps anyone 🙋‍♀️

I cracked up when you said to spin the “duelolly” sounds official to me. Kind of like a what ya ma call it, or thing a ma jiggy. Lol. I have never pre rinsed my dishes I just scrape the heavy stuff off.

I love the credits at the end. They make me laugh every time 🤣

Dana you are spot on, lol, about using the expensive pods. I just went through this, ran out of the good ones and dexided to try some that were on sale, had a coupon too. My dishes stopped getting clean, I was having to wash them after I got them out of the dishwasher. Well I didn't connect it at first to the new pods, I completely quit using my dishwasher til it finally occurred to me that it didn't stop cleaning til I had changed the pods.

Thanks for doing something different…I needed this!!!!!

Great!! Thank you!!!

I'm the outlier on hand washing. I wash using two dishpans, one for hot soapy water and one for hot rinse water. I can wash a whole lot of dishes in a couple of gallons of water. And yes I catch the water while it's heating up in a container and use it for my Berkey water filter or for my humidifiers. I agree with you, most hand washing wastes a lot of water. My friends all know they aren't allowed to wash dishes at my house unless they do it my way. They can always help dry and put away.

This was so needed 👍

Thank you for this! For the first time in my life, I have a house with a dishwasher. So I'm a novice and I really really appreciate these tips! I will say though, the dishwasher is now my favorite appliance. I hate doing the dishes, but I definitely don't hate my dishwasher. ❤️

Also, if you have a dishwasher that requires salt, don't skip the salt. I did that and it started to stink. Once I refilled the salt tank, it was fine again.

In Ireland there are platinum fairy tablets. Seemingly they are the best. !

My mom's dishwasher was leaking and I told her how to clean the filter and it worked. I use the pods because I don't have to worry about my boys putting in too much or too little dishwasher liqiuid.

Thank you!

Thank you for this! Also, I love your hair (spiral curls are so lovely).

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! I have used the expensive pods for a long time but they still didn't get really starchy or sticky foods clean. I started using the pressing the extra buttons and I am amazed what my dishwasher cleans now. I can't thank you enough for this information!

a few years ago I switched from a leading brand of powder to a pod and our dishes came out so much cleaner. I was truly amazed at the difference.

We have the same blue plates!🥰

I had no idea that blockage could cause the tablet dispenser not to open! 🤯 Thank you!!!

"Dololly"🤣🤣🤣 Also as soon as I saw you on the floor I thought "I would never be able to get up from there." Love Reid's editorials.

I bought a new dishwasher because my old one wasn’t getting the dishes clean. But the new dishwasher didn’t get the dishes clean either!! So got on Consumer Reports and found the best rated dishwasher detergent and rinse aid. After buying the slightly more expensive detergent and using a real rinse aid instead of vinegar…My dishes come out clean!!! The right detergent and rinse aid make a huge difference.

We don't have a dishwasher, besides us, but great info for when we get one.

I had a repair man tell me to use the cheap pods because they dissolve better and faster. I am on a well so maybe that was the difference. It did really make a difference and cleaned better.

Just had an AHA moment when you talked about the do lolly not spinning! Top rack hasn't been cleaning as well so I will double check bottom rack. WOW about the cleaner door not opening.

OMG I NEED a shirt like yours, stating what my private lesson instructor as well as band director/music theory professor have told me I am.

Great tips. I'm shocked you didn't mention to stop pre-washing, though. Get the chunks off, yes, but pre-washing, especially with soap (why even bother with the dishwasher then?!) is such an unnecessary waste and actually harms the effectiveness of the dishwasher. The soap needs something to work on or it won't do anything and can even damage the finish on the dishes. I could never convince my in-laws on their old dishwasher, but whenever it was just me doing the dishes, I did it my way and they came out just as clean. Now they have a new one and it shocks me (in the best way) to see them put in things that are actually dirty instead of things they could just dry and put away. Hooray!

Excellent

I struggled with paying more for dishwasher detergent. Then I figured out that the pods cost me about 25 cents each. Am I willing to pay 25 cents for my machine to do the work. ABSOLUTELY!

Thank you

Our owners manual made no mention of filters. Fortunately KZfaq had a great video on how to clean them! Made the dishwasher work like new!

Excellent video. I hope you can do a similar video on cleaning a aching machine and dryer.💜🐞

I'm just here to support you with a comment, I don't even own a dishwasher 😜

wow, this is great

Great video. I need to look for a filter now. I do have one suggestion that you didn't touch on exactly. It is chemistry and the dishwasher detergent needs "fat" to work well, so if you rinse your dishes with hot water before putting them in the dishwasher the detergent will not work as well as it should. If my dishes are not "greasy" enough I pour a little vegetable oil in the dishwasher and that makes a huge difference.

OMG! 🤢 mine was so nasty! We bought it over a decade ago and I only ever ran vinegar in the top rack… 🤦‍♀️. Now it’s clean… I can’t wait to run my next set of dishes! 😁

What all goes on in that dishwasher box has always been such a mystery to me. Lol. I have an older machine. It’s a turn knob and no buttons. I also don’t have an under top rack thingy. I have a hard time not pre washing tho. It’s like I can’t trust the machine or something. But anyways, I have to set up a little dishwater to clean countertops and do clean as I go with cooking messes anyways, and it’s easy to just drop dishes in the same water. I don’t trust it with extra greasy or with crud and I don’t trust it to sanitize (I don’t have that feature) with my cat stuff. Other times I just use my insanely hot water sprayer to “melt” everything. Results are good tho. I use cheap powder and a squirt of bleach gel. The bleach really makes them all sparkle seems like. Great tip about the soap holder. I had no idea and that is my only occasional issue. Going to work on the OCD tho. I really have a hard time stopping myself from pre washing...as if I don’t prewash, then the sky might fall or something. 😅😅 But for me, I hardly ever fill up the sink with dishwater tho. I have this small plastic little bin thing and most days it’s all I use. Or if I cook with the big pot, I just use the pot for all of it. Other times I just let things soak on their own.

Yes to name brand dishwasher soap.. and I’m super cheap too. Once my soap door wouldn’t open and once the machine got loud both where fixed by running dishwasher cleaner in it. It’s an old dishwasher but still kicking.

Another tip my repair man told me if your dishwasher is leaking is to soak the bottom of the dishwasher with while vinegar. It really works!

I'm late to the party but for those of us that pre-wash (talking about myself) a friend suggested putting one dirty dish in the dishwasher along with pre-washed ones. I think that's a great test. She did it, I did it, and with one exception, the dishes came out perfectly clean.

I love the t-shirt, so me!

Another pro tip we got from a seller when we bought our new dishwasher is to run the hot cycle at least once a week to kill off any bacteria, mold and slime that can build up in the arms, and other parts of the washer. Same goes for washing machines (skip fabric softners, those are feeding slime, and mold, which cause 90% of machine malfunction). Same info by repair youtubers who repair dishwashers, washing machines and fridges for a living. The spinner arms are detachable and should be cleaned regularly. Food residue gets easily stuck in the tiny holes, preventing the sprayers from spraying, and thus not cleaning your dishes. In some models, they're easier to detach and attach than others, so look online on how to do that. The tabs and pods are designed for a full load, so make sure to fill the machine. If not, powder is enough. We generally use too much detergent in our machines, which leaves a residue on our kitchen ware (the fogg on our glassware). Modern tabs and pods are getting better with lesser detergent, so experiment on what works for your machine. In most machines (especially the older ones) have two compartments in the detergent box, one for the pre wash, the other for the main. The pre-wash is the one that remove all the gunk and residue off your plates and cookware, and for this process the machine works best if it has a bit of detergent to aid the spinner arms. Tabs/pods don't really allow this. Try adding just a little bit dishwashing powder in the compartment and see if your dishes won't get cleaner. Modern machines are more designed for the tabs and pods so there won't be a need, but the washcycle is the same. Our new one is so fancy it opens up the lid on it's own to air dry once done. They're also more eco-friendly than washing by hand. To help your machine out, you could run your faucet to get hot water before you run your machine. Less energy used to heat up the water inside, since it takes its water from the tap anyways.

Thanks, my doo-lalee is happy to have an official name now