Keeping your dishwasher filter clean is an easy but essential step in maintaining good hygiene in your kitchen. Not only does it improve the performance of your dishwasher, but it also helps to eliminate odors, ensure cleaner dishes, and extend the life of the appliance. By incorporating this simple cleaning task into your regular kitchen maintenance routine, you’ll keep your dishwasher running like new and your kitchen smelling fresh.
So, the next time you’re unloading your dishwasher, take a few minutes to clean the filter – your dishwasher (and your dishes) will thank you!
Why You Should Clean Your Dishwasher Filter
Andrea Barnes is a writer covering large cleaning appliances. Each year for testing, she runs over 120 dish cycles and washes 120 loads of laundry.
Take it from me.
It also smelled rotten inside. The appliance repairman explained to me that the error code meant water had been leaking to the bottom of my dishwasher. As he investigated, he quickly discovered that the cause of this leakage was not complicated, but just embarrassing.
He pulled out a disgusting filter covered in a slime of congealed food. He then showed me how to clean the filter, which also happened to be the source of the rotten smell. At last, I had a working dishwasher, along with what could have been a preventable bill. Since learning to clean the dishwasher filter, I am happy to say that I have not needed to have my dishwasher serviced again.
This simple maintenance can help you avoid a major repair bill, and it will take you less than five minutes every few months.
A quick 101 on your dishwasher filter
A dishwasher filter is actually amazing. Think of it as the first line of defense against major damage to the machine. The filter not only helps make it possible to skip prerinsing your dishes, but it also filters the water and catches food particles as the machine washes. It prevents major clogs that can cause leaks or break the pump, too.
Without a periodic inspection and rinse, food can build up and cause a blockage. Most of the appliance experts we spoke with told us that a dirty filter primarily causes a stench and less clean dishes, but in rare cases it can cause much more serious problems with drainage or even cause damage to the pump. This is why it is so important to check and rinse the filter. Fortunately, it’s easy to maintain your filter so your dishwasher is ready for whatever comes its way. Here’s how.
What you’ll need
- a bottle brush for scrubbing in crevices
- hot water
Locate, remove, rinse
First, locate the filter. It’s always best to check your manual for specifics, but in most machines it is located below the propeller. When your dishwasher is empty, remove the bottom rack and set it aside. In the bottom of the machine, you will see the propeller. In most cases, you can easily remove the propeller and locate the filter underneath.
Rinse debris off the filter with hot water. You can use a brush to clean any hard-to-reach places. I recommend using a bottle brush to get into the smaller crevices, if necessary. I cleaned my filter recently, so it wasn’t nearly as gross as it can get.
Once it’s clean, gently place it back into the machine. Return the bottom rack, and you’re done. This simple maintenance hack can save you a major headache, especially if you’re hosting Thanksgiving and plan to stuff your dishwasher with a lot of dirty dishes.
Skip the prerinse—with a catch
Here at Wirecutter, we are big proponents of not rinsing your dishes before loading your dishwasher. And yes, that means cleaning the filter more often; Bosch suggests three to six times a year if you rinse your dishes beforehand and four to 12 times a year if you do not. Miele notifies users every 50 washes to check the filter. Whirlpool has an extensive online guide to filter cleaning with different guidelines that depend on whether you scrape and rinse. If you are unsure about your own dishwasher, reference the manual for specific guidelines. And if after this Thanksgiving your dishwasher starts to clean less effectively or smell funky, be sure to check the filter first.
This article was edited by Brittney Ho, Ingrid Skjong, Amy Koplin, and Sofia Sokolove.
Sources
Miele Great Britain, How to access and clean the drain filter and pump of Miele Dishwashers, YouTube, August 20, 2019
Meet your guide
Andrea Barnes
Andrea Barnes is a staff writer reporting on large cleaning appliances for Wirecutter. Previously she was content director at FXcompared, a financial-product review site, and more recently she worked as a research analyst. Her grandfather owned a TV and appliance repair store in Arlington, Virginia, and she still fixes her own appliances when she can.
