If you find a huge soapy disaster brewing from your dishwasher, do not panic—you and your dishwasher will be okay. While this huge foamy disaster can cause unpleasant, soapy smudges on your utensils and cookware, these growing bubbles are easy to take care of. Overflowing suds can also show symptoms of water seeping onto your kitchen floor from the foamy brew pushing the water out. What is the culprit you may ask? Don’t worry; your oversudsing dishwasher is more than likely not a mechanical malfunction. Rather, the use of the incorrect detergent for your dishwasher unit will cause the oozing sudsy mess.
A common and easy mistake, many people dump hand soap, dishwashing liquid or even laundry detergent into their dishwashing soap dispensers. A big no, no. Also, if your dishes acquire dish soap from prewashing them in the sink and are not fully rinsed, this could additionally cause a foam problem in your dishwashing machine. These types of cleaning agents are meant to create soapy suds, and do not have defoaming agents. So, if you run out of dishwasher detergent, let your household know there are no dishwasher detergent substitutes.
Though, you could always just make your own DIY dishwasher detergent— saving you money and future disaster. You may be wondering, how do I clean up these ever-growing bubbles? It may seem like a tedious and unforgiving task, but the solution is simple. If your dishwasher is still going through its cycle while overflowing, turn it off and unload your dishwasher. Then, grab a bucket, a sponge and some paper towels; remove as many soapy suds as you possibly can. To get rid of the suds once and for all, a rinse cycle by itself will not be enough. Making sure your soap dispenser is open, place a couple tablespoons of cooking oil in the middle of your dishwasher, and run your dishwasher empty. The oil helps to neutralize those never-ending suds. After your dishwasher has completed its cycle, pour a few cups worth of distilled white vinegar in the bottom of your appliance, and sprinkle a good amount of table salt on top. Then, run your empty dishwasher, again—making sure the soap dispenser is left open. Depending on the severity of your bubble mess, alternate this above process until the dishwasher suds are gone.
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