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Rusty Dishwasher Racks

Rusty Dishwasher Racks?

I have had a couple of dishwashers, the last even using soft water, but the first thing to go is the racks. They rust terribly. I have bought the little touch up coating (looks like a bottle of nail polish) but it is so expensive and dries out quickly. Does anyone know of a way to keep the racks from rusting and/or a way to recoat them safely without the huge expense. I think a bottle of the stuff is about 8 or 9 dollars from Sears.
Thanks in advance for your help.
Teresa

Liquid Tape Fixes Rusty Racks

Buy liquid electrical tape (a liquid plastic) in the color you want at the local recreational vehicle supply store and coat the rack with it. It dries to form a hard but flexible coating. I don't know if it comes in white but I do see it in several colors.
Stephen

Plastic Coating on Dishwasher Racks

You might try the plastic coating material sold for dip-coating tool handles. The Plasti Dip brand says it can be thinned with common hardware store solvents for spraying. Seems like tough stuff, but I don't know how it likes real hot water.
Mike

Order Guardcote Caps

You can buy tray caps to put over the rusty prongs. I found some in Home Trends catalog for $6.50/20, one set. Two sets for $11. They work best with the Guardcote. They sell one set of caps with Guardcote for $24.95.
Sue

Clear Tubing Works Great

We bought clear polyethylene tubing (1/4" outside diameter), cut it in about 1 1/2" lengths and slipped them over the rusty prongs so they extend above a little. Works great! They have never come off and no more rust spots on our dishes. The package on this tubing says it's for ice makers and humidifiers.
Johnson

Cleaning Off the Rust

My mom gave me this tip and it works great. Just fill your soap dispensers with powdered unsweetened lemonade like Kool-Aid packets. The citric acid is what does the work, I believe. It takes about 6 of the packets, but the results are great. Just run the dishwasher through a regular cycle. We live in the country and have well water, so this rusty buildup also gets on my dishes and glasses. I just load them in before running the lemonade through the cycle. Best of all, you've only spent $1.00-$1.50 on the project.
Kristi

Clear Silicon

I have used clear silicone to keep the rust 'in check'.
Stacey

Take the Next Step:

Check kitchen product reviews at Cheapism.com before making a purchasing decision.

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