There are only a few more weeks left of spring and that means that it’s time to start thinking about planning your barbecue season.

During the summer months many families enjoy having people over for cookouts and fun in the sun activities.

Unfortunately, just because the meal is cooked and eaten outside … that doesn’t mean that there is not a mess to clean up inside. In fact, hosting an outdoor dinner party is just as messy as hosting an indoor dinner party.

Luckily, most homes come equipped with a dishwasher. When you hand wash a sinkful of dishes, it can take several hours AND waste a significant amount of water. But, when you load that same amount of dishes into your dishwasher, you can dramatically reduce the amount of time and water that it takes to get the job done.

And, when you have friends and family over for a fun cookout … you want the clean up process to go as quick as possible so that you can enjoy your time together.

Here are a couple of tips to make sure that your dishwasher is working great and won’t run into any problems during your major clean up jobs:

Keep the gasket and the door seals clean from buildup and grime. These areas are the perfect places for things like bacteria to grow, and for buildup from gel dishwasher soap to form. It is important to keep those areas clean and free from grime, as they can easily breakdown and prevent the door from sealing all the way. This will lead to your dishwasher leaking all over the kitchen floor.

Never use hand washing soap in your dishwasher. The soap that is used for hand washing dishes or washing your hands should never be used in the dishwasher. This soap will cause significant sudsing, which will lead to buildup and leaking out of the sides of the dishwasher door. You should only use approved dishwasher detergent, and use powdered soap whenever possible.

Never wash disposable dishes in the dishwasher. If you purchase disposable plates, cups, or cutlery for your barbecue, make sure to either throw these items away when you are done using them or hand wash them. If you run them through the dishwasher they could melt and cause serious damage to the inside of your machine.