Real Estate- Home Maintenance Tips

Dishwashers Tips

·         Check the manual that came with your dishwasher for the manufacture’s recommendations on water temperature; many have internal heating elements that allow you to set the water heater in your home to a lower temperature (120 F)

·         Scrape, don’t rinse, large food pieces and bones from dishes.  Soaking or prewashing is generally only recommended in cases of burned-on or dried-on food.

·         Be sure your dishwasher is full, but not overloaded, when you run it.

·         Avoid using the “rinse & hold” on your machine for just a few soiled dishes.  It uses 3 to 7 gallons of hot water for each load.

·         Let your dishes air dry; if you don’t have any automatic air-dry switch, turn the control knob to off after the final rinse and prop open the door slightly so the dishes will dry faster.

Long Term Savings Tip

·         When shopping for a new dishwasher, look for the Energy Star label to find a dishwasher that uses less water and 41% less energy than required by the federal standards.