When asked about the frequency of dishwasher replacement, Glenn Lewis, the president of the repair franchise Mr. Appliance, says it’s “unfortunately, too often. I hate to see perfectly good appliances going to the landfill.” However, if you take a few extra steps to maintain your dishwasher, you’ll save yourself thousands — and may even have an appliance for life. Lewis says the oldest dishwasher he’s worked on was from 1955, and Mark McCann, the director of product marketing at BSH Home Appliances, remarks that he’s heard of customers using their dishwashers as long as 24 years and counting.
But first, how does a dishwasher work?
No matter how flashy or no-frills a dishwasher is, its inner workings are pretty straightforward. The machine heats, circulates, and redistributes water in multiple cycles with and without detergent. Its washing cycles, heat capabilities, and minimal water usage (3.6 gallons on average) are what make it so efficient.
Here’s how most dishwashers work: Clean water runs through a hose and into the dishwasher basin. Here, a heating element increases the water temperature to 120-155 degrees. The hose is attached to a circulation pump that forces the water through sprayheads, which are typically located on the top and bottom of the dishwasher. This same pump is usually part of a motor that rotates the sprayheads to distribute water. If there is a prewash feature, the first cycle removes the initial food debris and particles on the dishes and disposes the dirty water through a second hose, which acts as a drain for the machine.
Otherwise, a dispenser (usually attached to the door) releases detergent during the next cycle of washing. After that drains, the following cycle will rinse the detergent off the dishes and drain once more. This is often followed by a drying cycle, where the same heating element heats the air inside the dishwasher. A normal wash runs a total of four to five cycles, which takes around one and a half to two hours. Dish loads that have prewash and sanitize features usually take three to four hours.
How did I mess up my dishwasher in the first place?
Leaks, oil residue, and questionable water in the basin are common pains that people assume mean it’s time for a dishwasher replacement. In reality, they’re indications that smaller parts are malfunctioning. “Any and all parts can fail,” Lewis explains. “Springs and hinges and door latches break and make closing or opening the door difficult. Seals can break or dry rot and cause leaks. Touch pads, control boards, and sensors can short out and stop working.” He’s got a long list of things that could go wrong, but most of the issues are due to user error. McCann adds that some common ways that people damage their dishwashers include “not cleaning the filter, overloading the dishwasher, washing items that aren’t dishwasher safe, and not descaling their dishwasher when they have hard water.”
Stacking the dishwasher beyond its capacity prevents the sprayheads from working because bowls and plates may block them, leading to potential machine malfunction. Leaving too much leftover food on your dishes could also clog the filter and the hoses, which also explains the basin water. And while many people know the dishwasher can dull knives and sharp kitchen tools, they can also damage the machine itself depending where they’re placed. Objects often fall off the racks and into the bottom of the dishwasher, damaging the heating element, jets, and sprayheads in the process. If you’re not using pods, you could also be putting too much detergent in the dispenser, which will leave residue on your dishes.
How do I make my machine live out its full capacity?
Besides proper dish loading, it’s really not that hard to make your machine outlive your time in its home (because in 2025, how many of us will live in the same dwelling for longer than a decade?).
McCann explains that if there’s a filter, it’s important to clean it every two to three months depending on usage. If your dishwasher smells gross or is leaving food particles on your dishes, this is a good sign that it’s time to change the filter. It’s usually located at the bottom of the machine underneath a sprayhead. Depending on how gunky it is, you can simply give it a warm water rinse or wipe it with a soft brush. If it’s too gross to touch, it’s probably time to change it completely. McCann also suggests wiping “the door seals with a rag and some white vinegar to clean any residues and food particles” just as often. Lewis even suggests cleaning the filter weekly.
Lewis also recommends cleaning the inside of the dishwasher with dishwasher cleaner every month. For a more natural remedy, he suggests running an empty load with one cup of baking powder into the basin with two cups of white vinegar on the top rack. Alternatively, you can make a paste out of the two and wipe your dishwasher with it before running a rinse cycle only.
The latter is also a great way to descale your machine of hard water buildup. You should descale every six months, especially if there’s gray and white residue on the walls, or if your dishes have cloudy spots on them. If a vinegar cycle doesn’t do the trick, dishwasher salt will break down the hard mineral buildup. Dishwasher salt is its own thing — do not use table salt.
A no-brainer tip to many might also be to use your dishwasher regularly, but this is worth mentioning for owners of vacation homes or spaces they don’t live in regularly. During the winter, the pipes and seals of your dishwasher are susceptible to freezing and bursting. Save a few bucks on your electricity bill by turning off the power and water when you’re not at home long-term, and get your dishwasher winterized by disconnecting the inlet hose and adding antifreeze to the inside of it.
Will paying more for a dishwasher make it last longer?
New entry-level dishwashers can run on the low end of $300-400, and I’ve even purchased a perfectly good used one for $200. Sexier models, however, mostly boast features that emphasize durability, efficiency — and of course, because this is 2025 — connectivity. Both midrange and high-end dishwashers offer increased storage capacity (which cost $800-1,200), front control panels, stainless steel interiors, and more racks that are often adjustable, which make it easier to load dishes of varying sizes for cleaning efficiency. They’re also much quieter and energy efficient, and equipped with WiFi. The highest-end models, which can run up to $3,000, basically tout the same features of midrange models but with a “do-it-better” attitude on energy efficiency, materials, and cleaning capabilities.
But does a fancy dishwasher equate to a longer lifespan? Not exactly. If you maintain your appliance’s parts and use it properly, you’ll save money on both repairs and replacements.
Nicole Medina is a Philly-based illustrator who loves using bold color and detailed patterns to create eye-catching illustrations. Nicole likes drawing surreal imagery that tells a story and has a sense of adventure.
