There are many things in our homes that could get over looked in the grand scheme of cleaning routines. I don’t know about you, but for me, there are many times when just keeping up with the dishes and laundry is tough enough!
I recently took a good look at my household best friend, my dishwasher, and realized it needed a good cleaning! I have to admit, I was a little ashamed and kind of grossed out by how grubby all the creases and nooks of the dishwasher were You would think a machine that cleans my dishes would maintain its own cleanliness, but that is not the case at my house!
The secret grime fighter
I discovered the multiple cleaning wonders of good old white vinegar ages ago and cleaning the dishwasher with it is no exception! I love that there is no need for another bottle of commercial cleaner to take up space in the cleaning cabinet! Vinegar is cheap and does an awesome job.
How to clean your dishwasher
First you will want to start your empty dishwasher on a basic, normal cycle. I usually let it run about 5 minutes into the wash cycle. Next you will stop your dishwasher and pour 1 cup of white vinegar into the wash basin. Make sure you are just opening the door, not resetting the whole cycle. We want the vinegar to cycle through the sprayers with the water that is in there to get everything nice and clean. Close the door and let the wash cycle run for another 5 minutes or so.
At this point I stop the dishwasher again, open it up and check all areas and surfaces for any caked on soap, water deposits or leftover food grime that is hanging around. This is where the old fashioned elbow grease comes in! Grab a sponge or a cloth that you don’t mind potentially getting ruined and wipe or scrub down any particularly tough spots. DON’T FORGET to check the crease/hinge where the door folds up to close. On my model, the door hinge and the seal around the door are THE worst spot for slimy, funky build up!!
Once you have scrubbed all the stubborn spots, go ahead and close the dishwasher back up and let it run through a few more minutes of the wash cycle. Next, stop the dishwasher and turn it off completely. The idea here is to let the vinegar/water mixture sit on the surfaces and eat away at all the buildup that may be in the sprayers, etc. Let the dishwasher sit, power off, door closed, for 30 minutes.
Once the 30 minutes is up, go ahead and run a quick cycle or a rinse cycle to rinse out all the lovely gunk you have cleaned out, as well as the vinegar water. Voila! All Clean!
When was the last time you cleaned your dishwasher? Do you have a favorite way you clean the dishwasher?
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