Happy Tuesday TKW Family! So a while back I was complaining to Mr. Fantabulous that our dishwasher was ‘going’ and that we needed a new one. No matter what cycle I ran it in the dishes came out spotted or just not as clean as I’d prefer. So he, being the engineer that he is, took it apart and found that it worked perfectly but that it just needed a good scrubbing. Honestly I never really gave my dishwasher a second thought when it came to cleaning it. I mean it got used daily which mean it got hot water and soap run through it. Shouldn’t that have been enough? Nope! Boy was I wrong – so very dirty wrong. So on this week’s edition of Tuesday’s Tip with The Kitchen Whisperer I’m sharing with you the easiest way to clean your dishwasher (well besides buying a new one).
How many of you really give the inside of your dishwasher a 2nd thought? If you’re like me, probably never. You just assume that it gets super hot water run through it along with detergent. Your dishes come out clean and shiny so why would you, right? It wasn’t until we took ours apart (which we didn’t need to) did we actually realize just how dirty it was. Think about it this way. You use your shower/tub daily (please tell you use it daily…lie to me even, k?). It gets filled or sprayed with hot water and soap, right? You step out all clean and smelling purdy as you left your stank (yes, stank) back in the shower. The walls and so forth will get soap and grime build up. So you spray it down, scrub it, let the magic bubbles do their work and you have a clean shower/tub.
So think of your dishwasher as a big ol’ bath tub for your dishes. DING DING DING! I see the light bulb above your head – you get it now! Trust me I had a huge ‘AH HA!’ moment when it finally made sense to me. Now when it comes to cleaning your dishwasher check your manual first to see if you have part/pieces you can remove to clean.
- In mine I can remove the bottom part where the drain is and clean out the filter. No special tools are needed for mine. Doing this allows me to get rid of any debris that may be left behind.
- In the top rack in a dishwasher safe container, add 1 cup of white distilled vinegar. Yes, put the cup standing up in the rack and pour the vinegar in it. If you didn’t want to use vinegar you can use regular flavor lemonade mix. Really, just regular lemonade mix. Do NOT use the flavored ones as that will stain your dishwasher!
- Run your dishwasher through the hot water cycle. This will remove the grime and any buildup.
- Next, pull up the bottom rack and sprinkle in 1 cup of baking soda all over the bottom.
- Close the door and run a shorter hot water cycle. This rids your dishwasher from stains and smells.
With regards for frequency I do this once a month but then I often run my dishwasher 2-3 times a day on the weekends alone.
Leave a Reply