We know what you are thinking, dishwashers should clean themselves, right? Wrong. Dishwashers, just like any other appliance should be cleaned often. In fact, dishwashers can get really filthy if you use them often. This is caused by the build-up of the door attracting fingerprints every time you load it with dirty dishes, and the interior accumulates residue comprised of food particles, grease, and soap scum. Not only do these deposits look bad, they eventually begin to make your dishwasher stink because of bacteria that thrives in warm, moist, and dark places.

Along with the smell, if not cleaned, it will reduce the lifespan of the dishwasher and may wear the filter and pump requiring avoidable repair costs. Cleaning dishwashers don’t require much but one should consider cleaning them once a month. It will make the dishwasher more efficient.

How to Clean the Dishwasher

Clear the drain

Remove the bottom rack, remove any build-up that you find there with a clean paper towel. You will be surprised by how much build-up accumulates at the drain.

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Clean the filter, utensil holder and racks

For a proper deep clean, the holder and racks have to be removed. There are also dishwashers with easy to remove filters while others need to be screwed off. Take them out and put them in a mixture of warm water and 1 cup of white vinegar. Soak for 30 minutes.

Run a wash cycle with vinegar

Put 500ml of white vinegar in a dishwasher safe cup and place it at the bottom rack of the washer. Run a normal cycle with the heat dry option turned off to clean the inside of your dishwasher. The vinegar breaks down any build-up. It acts as an effective cleaner, deodorizer, and sanitiser.

Run a wash cycle with baking soda

Once the vinegar cycle is done, pour a cup of baking soda at the bottom of the dishwasher and run a hot water cycle. The baking soda deodorizes and removes any stains.

Clean the rubber seal

The rubber seal gets dirty over time with regular use. Clean the rubber seal with warm soapy water and a cleaning cloth to remove all the dirt.

Clean the outer part of the dishwasher

User a clean cleaning towel with warm soapy water to clean the outer part of the dishwasher. If it is stainless steel, look for a cleaning product that is stainless steel safe.

How to Make the Dishwasher Cleaner for Longer

Make sure you remove most if not all the food residue from your dishes before putting them in the washer. This doesn’t mean that you don’t clean dishwashers often.