Tips for Deep Cleaning Your Dishwasher
Following our dishwasher cleaning tips will eliminate odors and ensure your appliance is sparkling clean and bacteria-free. If you don’t clean your dishwasher regularly, unwanted microorganisms can breed within the area where you wash your dishes and can put your health at risk.
This happens over time when the filters within the machine start to wear and don’t perform as well as they should. Moreover, they can also become clogged with food residue that, in the long run, become a bacterial paradise.
Don’t wait until this happens! Get started with a deep clean before your appliance starts to malfunction or bad odors accumulate. Follow our tips and learn how to clean it properly and do it at least once a month.
Three tips to clean your dishwasher in no time
Our tips are very simple to execute and require the use of products that you probably already have at home. As such, you’ll be able to enjoy a functional and clean machine, with minimum fuss and expense. Ready to get started?
1. White vinegar and baking soda
To eliminate mold, bacteria, food residue, and bad odors, white vinegar, and baking soda are the perfect pair for the job. This mixture makes bad odors disappear and leaves your appliance sparkling clean. Complete the following steps:
- Mix a cup of white vinegar and a tablespoon of baking soda together.
- Pour this mixture into an open, dishwasher-safe container and place it on the top rack.
- Select the hottest program and press start.
- When the wash has finished, check the inside of your appliance and remove the container.
Another way to use baking soda to clean your dishwasher is to sprinkle some over the bottom of the machine before you start a short hot water cycle. You can also put it in a container inside the dishwasher.
2. Using white vinegar on its own
White vinegar is a fundamental cleaning ally that will assist you with all household cleaning chores. Before, we explained how to use it to clean your dishwasher with baking soda, but this method involves using it without anything else:
- Fill a dishwasher-safe container with white vinegar.
- Place the container on the top rack and program the machine for the hottest wash.
- The vinegar will then act by absorbing odors and will erode any debris that’s clinging to the inside.
- You can also spray white vinegar inside the appliance from time to time. In addition to leaving the dishwasher clean, it’ll also be shiny inside.
3. Clean your dishwasher with liquid dish soap and a touch of vinegar
So far, we’ve given you some tips to clean your dishwasher and leave it odor free. However, let’s not forget the exterior, right?
- Take a small amount of liquid soap, preferably one that has a lemon base.
- Mix the soap with hot water and a touch of vinegar.
- Take a cloth and clean the entire exterior of your dishwasher with this mixture.
- Don’t forget to clean the door seals too!
Remember: never use bleach on stainless steel parts!
Bleach is a common cleaning product and it’s used in most homes. However, when it comes to dishwashers with stainless steel parts, it’s not recommended at all. The reason for this is that it’ll ultimately rust the parts and in turn, damage them.
Although, if you have a plastic-lined machine, you can use bleach from time to time. Follow the same steps as if you were just using vinegar.
Finally, we recommend that you don’t rinse your dishes before putting them in the dishwasher. This makes the appliance work less efficiently and it’ll assume that the crockery is already clean when it isn’t. Just make sure you remove any large debris particles that could clog the siphon.