Dishwasher rust repair?

August 2, 2009 11:59 PM

My decade-old dishwasher's racks have started to rust through some blemishes in their protective coating. Can/should I fix this?

I could of course throw out the entire thing, but it feels a bit wasteful to get rid of an entire dishwasher because of a couple of tiny (but, of course, growing) defects. On the other hand, having to clean the rust off my cutlery after every run isn't fun either.

I was thinking of some kind of protective paint, but given the corrosive environment and proximity to my food chain, I feel a bit out of my depth here. Has anyone done this without poisoning their family? What am I looking for?

posted by themel to home & garden (6 comments total)

Google "dishwasher rack repair kit". The kits are a little work but they're cheap ( <> this article worth reading.
posted by mosk at 12:29 AM on August 3

Oops, screwed up the link. Meant to add, this article on dishwasher racks is worth reading.
posted by mosk at 12:31 AM on August 3

If the rack is too far gone to touch up with the kit - you can just buy a new rack. Check repairclinic.com to find the right part.
posted by COD at 5:41 AM on August 3

I used enamel - a small bottle of appliance touch-up paint. It was white and the rack was blue, but it stopped the rust from spreading well. It may be that ordinary model paint would work - it's enamel, too.
posted by fish tick at 7:50 AM on August 3

My rack is rusting and is getting rust spots on my nice Wedgwood china. So I've been looking at spare racks, silverware baskets, and repair kits on ebay.

Find your make/model number and input that -- my number is inside the top rim of the door, easily found, so that may be standard. Also: a rack may fit multiple dishwashers in a line, and smart sellers will list those model numbers so you can find what you need.

Good luck!
posted by mdiskin at 9:29 AM on August 3

Thanks! Repair kits ordered, I'll probably be back with a "how to remove vinyl goo from the eyes of your loved ones" question soon.
posted by themel at 12:16 AM on August 4