I'm hoping one of you can help me with these dishwasher problems I'm having lately. First, the circular "door" for the detergent compartment no longer clicks shut into place. It stays open, so the detergent falls out as soon as I close the dishwasher door. Is there anyway to fix this myself?
Dear Queen Bee,
Please tell us the brand of your dishwasher and model name, if possible. We might have the manual and that would help us to help you. There are wonderful people on this site with lots of "smarts" to guide us.
I go to a place online called http://www.repairclinic.com that has parts for appliances they might be able to help.
Once a week I pour a cup of white vinegar in the bottom of the dishwasher, add detergent and then run it.It helps to clean out built up detergent as well as makes your dishes and glasses sparkling.I no longer have an odor in the dishwasher. Make certain that you also run the hot water before starting the dishwasher so your dishwasher doesn't spend half of the time trying to heat up the water.
You can use those tab things for you dishwasher soap - you don't need a soap holder for those just put it on the bottom of the machine. They don't fit in my soap holder either.
Thanks for all your suggestions so far !! The dishwasher is a General Electric Permatuf (?),
Model #GSD500D-03BA. I hope I copied the numbers down correctly, with my poor old, tired eyes, those teeny tiny numbers are very hard to read....
You should be able to go directly to the GE site and get a manul for your dishwasher.
When we moved into our house I phoned for the manuals for our fridge, stove and dishwasher, and they sent them out to me.
Good luck!
My dishwasher runs too long
For cleaning, here's a great trick. Buy a jar of TANG orange drink powder. Then get your water as hot as possible at the sink. Start your empty dishwasher and let it run for one minute. Open it, pour the TANG in the bottom of the dishwasher. Let it run for several minutes and turn it off for a while to let the citric acid in TANG work. Turn it back on and let it run through its entire cycle.
If you just want citric acid you can get it from the drug store for very cheap. I have never needed it in the dishwasher but have used it to clean the inside of my toilet tank. From black to white!
Two places to look: www.the-appliance-site.com and www.repairclinic.com.
The bottom rack of our dishwasher has so many rusted and broken spindles(?). We were wondering if it would make more sense to buy a new dishwasher or an expensive rack? There is only about 1/2 of the bottom rack space to use.
By Dottie J. W.
I can't imagine a part being more than the whole machine. I googled dishwasher rack prices and got this.
www.google.com/
It's long but it will help.
PBP
If you have a Habitat for Humanity in your area check them out. You'd be surprised as to what kind of replacement items you can find there. People remodel their homes and donate all kids of things, appliances and parts, doors, flooring materials, lighting and bathroom and kitchen fixtures. I wanted to replace the hardware on my cabinets and didn't want to pay a lot because I needed about 25. I found beautiful gold ones costing me less than $10 total. Also, post on your local Freecycle; someone may be replacing one that's gone out and be willing to give you the rack. Good luck.
Where can I find information on repairing a dishwasher?
By Karl Hartmann from Lancaster, OH
Try www.familyhandyman.com. That website has a lot of good information.
