Using your dishwasher in the most energy-efficient manner possible is worthwhile for a number of reasons. Not only will it reduce your home energy output and help you save money on your energy bills, but it's also eco-friendly and beneficial for the environment. Read on for our energy-saving tips for your dishwasher and discover how you can use your appliance in a more cost-effective and energy-efficient way.
Energy-saving tips for your dishwasher
Let's get started! To learn all of our energy-saving tips for your dishwasher, either watch our video or follow our written guide below.
Check for cheaper run times
The first thing to do is check your energy plan at home. With many plans, appliances are cheaper to run at certain times of the day than others. For example, it might be more cost-effective to run your dishwasher in the morning or the evening than during the day. Learning this can help you save a ton of energy by familiarising yourself with the most energy-efficient times to use energy and run dishwasher cycles at home.
If your dishwasher has a timer function, this can be extremely handy as it will allow you to load your dishwasher and then schedule a cycle for the most energy-efficient time of the day. Just make sure you don't schedule a cycle for when you're sleeping or not at home, as leaving an appliance running unattended can be dangerous.
Wipe down dishes before loading
To make sure your dishwasher thoroughly cleans dishes in a single cycle, you should use a piece of cutlery to wipe off any food debris before loading them into the dishwasher. This will prevent the need for extra cycles due to dirty dishes not being cleaned in a single cycle. However, there's no need to rinse the dishes beforehand as long as you wipe them down properly, as the extra hot water will also add to your energy bills.
Load your dishwasher correctly
It's important to make sure you load your dishwasher properly. Otherwise, items are at risk of not being cleaned properly due to not being in the most efficient positions for cleaning. Cutlery should go in the cutlery basket and face upwards, except for knives which should face downwards for your own safety. Plates should go in the plate racks and face inwards, and bowls and pans should face both inwards and downwards.
On the top shelf, make sure all your glasses, mugs and bowls are facing downwards so they don't fill up with dirty water. You can also place large utensils on the top shelf. Finally, make sure there's nothing blocking the front of the racks, as this can prevent the detergent from properly getting inside the machine.
Fill the dishwasher before running a cycle
For the best energy efficiency, you should only run a cycle when your dishwasher is completely full. Otherwise, you will be using the same amount of water and energy to heat your dishwasher to clean fewer items, resulting in more frequent wash cycles. However, just make sure you don't overload your dishwasher either, as this can cause items to not be cleaned properly and results in extra wash cycles.
Clean the dishwasher filter
You should also make sure you regularly clean your dishwasher's filter to get the best performance out of your appliance. To access the filter, you'll first need to remove the bottom rack.
You'll then be able to see the filter at the bottom of the dishwasher. The filter may lift straight out, or your may need to unscrew it, depending on your particular model of dishwasher.
Once you have removed the filter, simply remove any large pieces of debris by hand and clean the filter by giving it a good rinse. Once clean, you can refit the filter and return the bottom rack.
Clean the dishwasher spray arms
The next things you should clean, especially if you notice a dip in your dishwasher's performance, are the spray arms. These should be fairly easy to remove. For example, in the appliance we're using for this demonstration, the upper spray arm simply unscrews and the bottom spray arm comes out with a firm pull. To clean the spray arms, simply wash them with warm soapy water and use a small brush to clean inside the holes before refitting them inside the dishwasher.
Clean the dishwasher door seals
Over time, the seals around your dishwasher's door frame will get greasy or dirty, potentially causing leaks and reduced performance. To prevent this, give the seals a good wipe down about once a month to remove any built-up grease and grime, making sure you also clean the bottom seal too. If you find that your door seal is ripped or damaged whilst cleaning, however, it will need to be replaced to prevent leaks. You can learn how to do this with our dishwasher door seal replacement guide.
Clean the dishwasher itself
To get the best, most energy-efficient performance out of your dishwasher, you should also make sure you clean the appliance as a whole. This is fairly easy to do; simply run a cycle with some dishwasher descaler, which will remove any build-up of grease, dirt and limescale from the internal parts.
If your dishwasher is giving off bad smells, take a look at our video which has more advice on how to clean your dishwasher.
Get to know your dishwasher's settings
Many dishwashers come with various cycles and settings, so familiarising yourself with these is a great way to use your appliance more efficiently. For example, many dishwashers have an eco-setting which runs a cycle for longer but at a lower temperature, thus using less energy overall. There may also be intensive cycle options which, though using more energy than eco cycles, will ensure your heavily-soiled dishes are cleaned thoroughly and don't require additional cycles. If you own a more modern dishwasher, it may even come with an auto-wash function, which adjusts the cycle automatically depending on what's inside the machine for maximum efficiency.
Dry dishes efficiently
Drying dishes at the end of a cycle uses excess energy, so there are ways to avoid this. If your machine has an air-dry function, using it will blow cool air at the dishes instead of heated air, resulting in a more energy-efficient drying process. Alternatively, you can also switch off your dishwasher as soon as it reaches the drying stage. Then, after waiting a couple of minutes, open your dishwasher door and let the dishes air dry on their own.
Position your dishwasher correctly
Finally, your dishwasher's position can have an effect on how much energy your other appliances use, so this is something to be wary of. Make sure your dishwasher isn't next to your fridge freezer, as the heat from your dishwasher can warm up your fridge and cause it to use more energy to stay cool.
And there you have it! All of our energy-saving tips for your dishwasher. With these, your appliance will run more efficiently and help you cut down your energy bills in no time.
While you're here, you can also learn how to save energy and money with all of your other household appliances too. Our energy-saving tips video playlist will teach you everything you need to know about running your appliances as efficiently as possible.
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