How to Clean your Dishwasher

Cleaning Dishwasher with Vinegar:

It might sound odd to “clean the dishwasher”. After all, you are using it to clean dishes, so you would think the dishwasher would say clean as well, right? Wrong! You need to clean your dishwasher periodically to keep it running efficiently and smelling fresh!

What I do is pretty simple. The directions might look involved, but really, it’s very easy.

What you need to clean a dishwasher:

Distilled White Vinegar
Baking Soda
Old soft toothbrush, q-tips, toothpicks
Soft cloth
Paper towels

Steps to clean a dishwasher:

Start with an empty dishwasher.
Fill one side of kitchen sink with distilled white vinegar water (I just dump, but I would say 1-2 cups of vinegar with a half full sink of water)
Remove the utensil holders and racks. Wipe them down checking for stuck-on food bits and debris in the bottom of washer.
Remove and disassemble the arm and grate and filter, if you have one, from the floor of the dishwasher (I remove all parts that I can remove by hand). Place in sink to wipe down with damp rag and vinegar water. Make sure the holes that spray the water out on the blades are clear of tiny bits of food, you can use a toothpick to clear them if necessary.

Using paper towels, remove debris and food gunk (I’ve even found hair??) .
Use a damp rag that’s been wet with vinegar water to wipe down inside and edges of door, use a toothbrush or q-tip to get in tiny places. *if you are having trouble removing some gunk, try using a soft toothbrush and a baking soda paste.
Reassemble and replace all parts.
Clean garbage disposal. Then run the garbage disposal and dump a cup of ice cubes down while it’s running, to help remove any debris in the garbage disposal.
Add 2 cups of white vinegar to the bottom of the dishwasher and turn it on to Energy or Low Wash. Stop the machine in mid-wash, so the vinegar can set on the bottom and work. Let it stand for about 20 minutes, then turn on to finish cycle. (sometimes I will let it sit over night, and turn it back on to finish when I get up)
When done, wipe out the inside with dry paper towels.
Don’t forget to wipe down the outside while you’re at it. Depending on the type of dishwasher you have, spray the front of your dishwasher with a mild spray cleaner or stainless steel cleaner.
step back and enjoy your clean dishwasher!