How to Clean Your Dishwasher

There are several easy steps that you should take if you want to successfully learn How to Clean Your Dishwasher.

1.) Sometimes there’s just gunk in your dishwasher.

Your dishwasher has a drain in the bottom.  It can get clogged with chunks of food and miscellaneous other junk if you’re not careful.  To clean the dishwasher drain, remove the bottom rack so you can reach all the way around the drain easily.  Clear any debris.

This is a crucial step that cannot only keep your dishwasher from draining correctly, but it can also damage your machine if it’s ignored.  Check your dishwasher drain each time you unload the dishes to make sure it’s clear.

2.) Empty your garbage disposal before you run the dishwasher.

Did you know that your dishwasher shares its drain with your kitchen sink?  If you have a garbage disposal, you should always run it (with the water running, of course) to clear any food from the shared drain.

You should make sure to clear your garbage disposal before every dishwasher cycle to make sure that the water drains correctly.

3.) Hard water is not hard to fix.

If you have hard water, this can leave residue and mineral buildup that keeps your dishwasher from running smoothly.

When your dishwasher is empty, pour 2 cups of white vinegar into the bottom.  Run a short/quick cycle and turn off the heated dry.

Okay, yes, the vinegar scent is VERY strong.  But it goes away.  No, really, it does.

This will not only remove hard water deposits, but it can deodorize your machine by killing germs that cause odor.

4.) It’s easy to remove stains.

I don’t know how a dishwasher gets stained, since all it does is clean stuff. Thankfully, it’s easy to remove stains without scrubbing or chemicals.

Pour one cup of baking soda into the bottom of your dishwasher.  Run a hot water cycle.  Your stains will be washed away and you’ll get the added benefit of a deodorized dishwasher!

Now that you know How to Clean Your Dishwasher, head on over and learn how to clean your washing machine!

You can also check out my easy homemade cleaning recipes!