Knowing how to clean your dishwasher properly will not only help maintain your health and lead to sparkling cutlery, but will also extend the life of the dishwasher. While cleaning your dishwasher may seem superfluous, the idea of cleaning it is a useful process that can effectively keep it running.
You don’t need sophisticated appliances to clean your dishwasher, and you don’t have to spend time bending over to scrub it away. With the right cleaning solution, you can wash the dishes clean with the push of a button.
How Do You Clean A Dishwasher With Vinegar and Baking Soda?
Before you start cleaning your dishwasher with baking soda or vinegar, scan the bottom of the sink thoroughly for large pieces of food waste that may damage it or lead to a clogged drain.
Steps To Cleaning Your Dishwasher
1. A daily routine to keep the dishwasher clean is to make sure the drain is clear every evening when you load the last load of dishes.
2. It is quite common for a dishwasher filter to get clogged so periodically remove that and clean it. You can check with your dishwasher’s manual to see where the filter in your particular model is located.
3. In an empty dishwasher, place a dishwasher safe cup of white vinegar in the upper rack.
4. Sprinkle one cup of baking soda or borax across the bottom of the dishwasher.
5. Run the dishwasher using the hot water cycle.
The vinegar cycle helps to dissolve all other stuck dirt particles in the dishwasher, and since vinegar is a natural disinfectant, the inside of your appliance is disinfected.
If you do not clean your dishwasher, mould and food waste may have accumulated in your dishes and clog the drain, making it even more difficult to have a dishwasher in your home for long periods of time.
How Do I Fix A Smelly Dishwasher?
A smelly dishwasher is most likely caused by either a clogged filter or a clogged drain hose. So, the solution is to clean these out.
To clean the filter, as we mentioned above, you remove it from your dishwasher and clean it out with soap and water or white vinegar. Your dishwasher’s manual should give you information on where the filter is located in your specific model.
Cleaning out a clogged drain hose is a bit more complicated and for that I would refer you to our article “Why Does My Dishwasher Stink So Bad?”.
But once these issues are fixed, we recommend you follow the steps outlined above to cleaning your dishwasher. That will also help to get rid of that lingering smell.
If you have any questions about keeping your dishwasher clean and maintained, call Atlantis Plumbing today at 770-443-8229. We are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.