If you’re moving house, gutting your kitchen or have another reason you need to store a dishwasher, it is important that you do it right to avoid long-term damage to the appliance. After all, dishwashers are expensive appliances – but they can have a long life if you look after them well.
We’ve compiled six steps that you can follow to prepare and store your dishwasher like the experts, and ensure your dishwasher comes out of storage in the same condition as when it went in:
- Find a reliable storage service.
- Don’t use your dishwasher for as long as possible.
- Give your dishwasher a thorough clean.
- Disconnect and drain dishwasher.
- Dry dishwasher.
- Prepare your dishwasher for pick-up.
Now you’re ready to store your dishwasher like an expert.
1. Find a Reliable Storage Service
That being said, unless you have a secure and climate-controlled storage space, you should leave the actual storage down to the experts. While it can be tempting to store appliances in sheds, gardens, conservatories or other similar spaces, this will cause long-term and irreversible damage to your appliance.
To find a reliable storage, you should go for an established storage service (one with lots of experience) and refer to Google Reviews – the better the reviews are, the more trusted the service. You should also ensure the storage has the right measures to keep your items safe and in good condition.
Once you’ve picked your storage space, you can prepare your dishwasher.
2. Avoid Using Your Dishwasher
Don’t use your dishwasher for as long as possible before it’s taken into storage. We’d recommend stopping use at least a week before, but the longer the better.
This gives your dishwasher time to dry before you clean it and leave it to dry again. The same goes for your washing machine, fridge and most other white goods.
Manually washing dishes isn’t so bad, but if for whatever reason you can’t keep on top of them, see if you can make other arrangements before you stop using your dishwasher.
3. Clean Dishwasher
Your dishwasher should be thoroughly clean when it comes into storage, so give it a proper clean on both the inside and out.
You can purchase a dishwasher cleaner to run through your dishwasher, but these are often designed for maintaining a clean dishwasher on a regular basis – rather than a one-off deep clean. To make sure that all the nooks and crannies are sparkling – which an automatic cleaning cycle might miss – go in manually with distilled white vinegar and baking soda, and then clean all the individual parts with washing-up liquid.
If you need more guidance, this video from Clean My Space is a great insight on how to clean your dishwasher like a professional.
We’d recommend that you finish up with a dishwasher-safe bowl of 1 cup of white vinegar at the bottom of your dishwasher, on a hot cycle, to remove any remaining residue and grime. You can even do the same with baking soda straight after, if you’re after a real fresh finish.
4. Drain & Disconnect Dishwasher
Next, remove the filter from your dishwasher and give this a good clean if you haven’t already done so. Once you’ve done this, shut the water off to your machine and disconnect it. After this, make sure that all the hoses are properly drained.
Draining and disconnecting your dishwasher can be a nerve-wracking task if you haven’t done it before. For reassurance, refer to the dishwasher’s manual for instructions specific to your model or contact your storage team and see if they’ll do this part for you – at Falconer Removals we will disconnect and reassemble most white goods with confidence.
5. Dry Dishwasher
After you’ve emptied, cleaned and drained your dishwasher, leave the dishwasher’s door open to air it out. Any remaining liquid should evaporate and your dishwasher should dry out. You should do the same for any internal components that you have removed during this process.
Once your dishwasher and its parts are bone dry, you can put the components in the machine for storage and move on to the next (and final) step.
6. Prepare for Your Storage Team
Finally, make sure that your removals team have access. Most companies will need enough access for a van to load. This could include giving your movers keys, access codes, or other information that will allow them to access your dishwasher.
…And you’re done! The rest is down to our experienced team.
At Falconer Removals, if you’re storing multiple appliances, we’ll make sure that they are kept in one storage container to prevent damage to other, delicate furniture.
To learn more about our storage facilities, or our removals service, take a look at out our website or contact us.
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Written by Holly Charman, for Falconer Removals.
