dishwasher tip that will change your life

I'm kind of embarrassed that I didn't know these two simple household maintenance things until recently. Not so embarrassed that I won't share - I'm sure that if I didn't know, someone else who reads this will be hearing it for the first time!

A week or so ago, Thomas slipped a piece of paper into the door of our dishwasher. Adam was concerned that it might interfere with the washing of dishes, so he took the door apart to get it out. After that, the dishwasher started leaking out of the front door, and got progressively worse over the course of a few days. After some searching online, I read about the filter on the inside of dishwasher doors that needs to be cleaned. I regularly clean the bottom of the dishwasher where the food bits collect, but this filter was news to me! Not sure that it would solve the leaking problem, I popped it off to give it a clean anyway, and YUCK. It definitely needed a good cleaning. Since it was cleaned, we've had no more leaks, and it's washing the dishes really well. When Adam took the door apart initially, it must have jostled the goo in the filter, blocking something so the water couldn't take its usual path.

So your homework for today will take 5 minutes max: clean that filter! On our dishwasher, it's really easy - it's made so you can just pull up on it and it pops right out. If you can't pop it out easily, search for your manual online and you'll find instructions for your model. Give it a scrub in warm soapy water, rinse, and put back in place. 

While you're at it, you might as well clean the filters in your dehumidifiers, too. Just up above the spot where the water collection bucket sits when in place, if you reach up, you can slide out a filter. Give it a quick wash in warm soapy water, a good rinse, put it back in place, and you're all set. Our dehumidifier actually stopped working because the filter needed a simple cleaning!