How Long Does A Dishwasher Last? How To Make A Dishwasher Last Longer?

Dishwasher, or any electronic appliance for that matter, comes with a shelf life, sadly. How we wish these convenience appliances could assist us for a lifetime! However, the truth is that they need to be replaced after a while, for they undergo regular wear and tear process. Now, before you go about purchasing a dishwasher, how to find out as how long should a dishwasher last? And is there any way you can extend its shelf life? We attempt to answer these questions here.

How Long Does The Average Dishwasher Last?

The life span of a dishwasher would depend and vary on numerous factors, such as the brand, model, size of the dishwasher, frequency of use, regular dish loading, and of course, care and maintenance of the unit after the purchase. However, to give a general idea here, the average life span of any dishwasher (barring a few exceptional factors), is around 10 years. It could be more or less depending on how well you care for your unit (which we’d discuss later in this post). It may also depend on the type of dishwasher (standard built-in vs compact countertop dishwashers).

Also, it needs to be noted here that when we say 10 years on an average, it doesn’t imply in any way that the dishwasher would last for 10 years without a single complaint. After all, it’s an appliance, and like any other, it’s bound to see its share of problems. For some, these issues might start surfacing within, say, the first five years of purchase; for others, a bit after. 

However, the good news is that a lot of significant problems can be prevented by taking good care of your dishwasher from time to time. The following section lists out some helpful maintenance tips to extend the life span of your machine so that you can be saved from the hassle of buying a new one rather sooner.

How To Make My Dishwasher Last Longer?

It isn’t difficult to begin with, but yes, a little extra care, smooth handling, and timely checking for possible issues can help save considerable time, effort, and money. Not to forget, it can prevent unexpected convenience resulting from the dishwasher not functioning for a couple of days. Here are a few simple tips to remember so that your dishwasher can keep serving you longer:

• Always refer to the instruction manual that comes with your dishwasher; it contains vital points to note and care for your machine. You may not realise it, but following those instructions well can save a lot of uninvited trouble in future. 
• If your dishwasher comes with a manual-clean filter, always make sure to rinse it out thoroughly after each cycle. This is important because most of the time, the food waste stuck to the dishes might seep through the filter and clog it, hampering the efficiency of the wash cycle. If you notice any such change, know that it’s time to clear out the filter under running water. 
• Check for any holes in the filter, in which case, you’d need to replace it at the earliest to avoid hard bits of food from seeping through and into the pump. They can result in damaging the pump impeller and motor seals, which may prove quite costly to repair later. Avoiding this can later result in your dishwasher leaking.
• Make sure all food debris is scraped off the dishes before putting them in. More often than not, we may leave some food waste – bones, bay leaf, curry, or some tiny bits of food – in the plate and place them in the kitchen sink as they are. If you too tend to pop the dirty dishes with the food waste stuck to them as it is, they may end up clogging the drain hose, tear the filter, or even damage the pump. Therefore, always check each dish before loading it in the machine to make sure no waste has been left on the plate. 
• Avoid pre-rinsing especially with regular soap. Some of us may be used to rinsing off the dirty dishes with hand once before washing them in the dishwasher. To do so, we may be using regular dishwashing soap. It foams up the dish too much, which may not get rinsed with water. By placing the dish in the dishwasher, the soap residue on it may interfere with the wash cycle. It’s highly recommended to only use specific low-suds detergent intended for dishwasher use, and also to avoid pre-rinsing before loading the machine.
• Clean up the door seal too – Another commonly ignored area in the dishwasher is the rubber seal between the door of the appliance and the washtub. It’s common for food waste to accumulate in that area which also makes the dishwasher smell. So cleaning it up once in a while with white vinegar, and a soft cloth is recommended.
• Check for hard water residue – If your apartment or the area where you live has issues pertaining to hard water supply, you’d need to be slightly more careful about caring for your dishwasher. This is because thin films of hard minerals may settle on the inside of the machine and may even cause discoloration. A dishwasher cleaning solution that’s citric-based can solve the problem. Also consider adding regeneration salt in the water-softening system of the dishwasher to prevent hard water spotting, clouding, and mineral build-up. 
• Avoid overloading – This may result in poor cleaning of dishes and also cause undue strain on the machine to work up to its optimum efficiency. Place the dishes correctly in their designed space; don’t stuff them in. Besides, by loading the dishes correctly, you’d be able to fit more plates in, which means more dishes washed in lesser cycles. Not to forget, you wouldn’t need to waste another cycle to re-wash the dishes if not cleaned properly. All of this would ensure the use of the dishwasher to its best efficiency.

Conclusion

The life span of your dishwasher is partly in your hands too. If you treat it with care, it will serve you longer than you think (at least 7-12 years). If you have any other questions related to the dishwasher, you can read our article on dishwasher FAQs.