Dishes still caked with gunk after a wash? Here's how to clean your dishwasher filter

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Modern automatic dishwashers, particularly "quiet" models, require simple maintenance of their filters to keep them running at their most efficient. An owner's manual will provide specific instructions, but most dishwasher filters work in the same way.
To clean your dishwasher filter, first remove the bottom dish rack for easy access and locate the filter. If your dishwasher has a two-part filter and screen, simply lift and remove the screen then remove the filter with a counter-clockwise turn -- otherwise, just turn and lift out the filter. Clean the filter (and screen, if there is one) with hot water and soap, then replace.
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Cleaning the dishwasher filter will take only a few minutes, and performing this simple chore about once a month will keep the machine running smoothly.
Older dishwashers do not require this kind of maintenance -- they came with a food grinder, similar to a garbage disposal, that ground food and washed it down the drain. Newer models, in an effort to produce a quieter wash cycle, have replaced the grinder with a filter that simply catches the food.
To neutralize a funky odor in the dishwasher, Sears recommends running a wash cycle with a cup of vinegar or baking soda or lemon peels in the top rack of an otherwise empty machine. Any one of these methods should leave the dishwasher smelling fresh (lemon peels will need to be removed from the filter, of course).
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When is the last time you checked the filters of your dishwasher?
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