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When Girl Meets 30

How To Clean and Freshen Your Dishwasher

July 17, 2012 By Erin Kennedy 2 Comments

How To Clean and Freshen Your Dishwasher
Believe it or not, but the dishwarsher is a source of contention at our house. I love that my husband will help with the dishes so much, but, and yes, there is a but,  he likes to wash the dishes with soap and water before he puts them in the dishwasher. I tell him it is a waste of money and time to wash our dishes twice. I just rinse all the crap off of the dishes and put them in the dishwasher. I don’t have all day to wash these damn dishes twice and it takes forever. I don’t have that kinda time, or patience for that matter. 
My husband’s reasoning is that it will help the dishwasher clean the dishes better and not leave gross food particles or water spots . I have to admit, that when he does do the dishes, they do come out looking better than mine, but at what cost? 
I then saw a commercial for dishwasher cleaner. “Oh great!” I thought. Just another thing being marketed to me to buy something that I probably don’t need. So I started thinking, maybe it is our dishwasher that does need a cleaning to help it get food and water spots off better, without washing them first!
As I was doing research for this, I learned that you should not clean your dishes too good before you place them in the dishwasher. Dishwashers are made to work with a little bit of grease and food, otherwise it can create a lot of suds and can possibly make your dishwasher wear our sooner. I have yet to share this information with my husband. 
I knew I wasn’t going to waste my money to buy something to clean my dishwasher, but I wanted to have cleaner dishes and a cleaner dishwasher. We have had it just over four years. I’m sure it’s time. 
Here is how you can clean your dishwasher with items you probably have in your home and are a chemical-free. 

How To Clean and Freshen Your Dishwasher

On the top rack of your dishwasher, place a dishwasher-safe cup filled with white vinegar. Set your dishwasher at the hottest temperature possible and run through an entire cycle; including the drying cycle. Make sure your dishwasher is empty except for the vinegar.

The vinegar’s purpose is to wash away any grease, dirt or grim and removes any loose particles and simultaneously sanitizes your dishwasher and helps to remove any moldy or musty smells.

I read that if you don’t have any white vinegar you can use a packet of unsweetened lemonade mix in the soap cup, but that you should be sure not to use any other flavor as it can stain your dishwasher. I’m not so sure I trust that method, but if you know it works, you can let me know in the comments. I would love to know if that helped your dishwasher.

Tip: Run the water in your sink until it runs hot. Then start your dishwasher. That way, your dishwasher will start the cycle with water that is already hot.

How To Clean and Freshen Your Dishwasher

After you have run your dishwasher with the vinegar wash, you can then sprinkle a cupful of baking soda around the bottom of your dishwasher (under the dish rack) and run your dishwasher again on the short but complete cycle on the hottest water setting. This step helps to freshen, clean and brighten your dishwasher and also removes any stains.

If you still notice any mold or mildew problems after these steps, you can pour 1/2 cup to 1 cup of bleach to the bottom of the washer and run a hot full cycle.

****NOTE Do Not use bleach in your dishwasher if you have a stainless steel interior!!!! *****

Filed Under: For The Home

Comments

  1. Alice V says

    June 11, 2013 at 5:00 pm

    Going to try this later. The stuff you buy in the store is expensive. $5 for 2 cleanings and you’re supposed to do it monthly.

    Reply
  2. Aloha House Cleaning says

    May 29, 2014 at 9:09 pm

    Awesome idea!

    Reply

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Erin Kennedy is the editor of My Thirty Spot, a lifestyle blog for sharing tips and stories for women in their 30s to live the best 30 lives we can. Read More →

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