This Is How Often You Should Clean a Dishwasher Filter

When was the last time you cleaned your dishwasher filter? If your answer is never, then you're in the right place.

Designed to filter water and capture food residue, your dishwasher filter is a kitchen workhorse. But, because dishes harbor food and grime (all captured by the filter), it needs to be cleaned more often than you think.

Appliance expert Tim Willis encouraged us to give this dishwasher piece a good cleaning once a month, taking it out and scrubbing it. This will remove any excess dish detergent that’s been blocking your filter and possibly affecting its performance—more on that in a moment.

For more on all things dishwasher filter cleaning—and how to make this simple cleaning task a part of your routine—keep on reading.

If you haven’t been on a monthly filter cleaning schedule for its filter, your dishwasher will likely remind you in a few not-so-subtle ways that it’s time to complete this easy maintenance task.

The Spruce / Taylor Nebrija

You might think pre-rinsing your dishes would be a good thing for your dishwasher because you’re not forcing it to work as hard. But you’re doing more harm than good, and not just in terms of wasted water—although that is certainly reason enough to skip this step.

Instead of pre-rinsing, Willis recommends scraping away food remains from the dishes before loading them up the dishwasher. In short, let the dishwasher and the soap do their jobs.

“The only way soap goes down the drain is if it has something to cling to,” Willis explains. Otherwise, if your dishes are clean, the soap will stick to everything else in the dishwasher—including your plates.

Of course, Willis says to use your best judgment. If you’ve left egg-covered plates in the sink before they made their