How To Clean A Dishwasher

Did you know that you are supposed to clean your dishwasher? Sometimes dishwashers go unattended because it seems like they should be self-cleaning, right? Dishwashers are supposed to clean dishes, so it is sometimes a misconception that you don’t have to clean the dishwasher.

When you put your dishes into your dishwasher, the dishes will have a lot of grime, food, and bacteria on them. When they are pushed around your dishwasher a lot of times the items on the dishes are not washed away. Much of the grime is left behind in the tray at the bottom, in the filters, on the inside of the door, and on the side of the machine.

And that is why it is essential that you clean your dishwasher on a regular basis.

How to Clean a Dishwasher

Cleaning a dishwasher is important and essential in order to make sure that you are getting the cleanest dishes possible. If you don’t clean your dishwasher then you will just be pushing around bacteria, grime and old food around your dishes - which will obviously not clean your dishes very well.

There are a couple of ways that you can clean your dishwasher in order to adequately get rid of bacteria and grime.

Vinegar & Baking Soda

If you are looking for a natural way to clean your dishwasher without harsh chemicals or soaps, then you should try to use vinegar and baking soda. All you have to do is mix vinegar and baking soda into a bowl. Then place the bowl upright in the bottom rack of the dishwasher. After placing the mixture in your dishwasher, you will run a clean cycle without any detergent or other dishes.

Dishwasher Pods

Most dishwasher detergent brands also have created pods that you can throw into your dishwasher in order to clean it. All you do is simply throw in the clean pod and run a cycle without any dishes in the machine. The cleaning pod will clean all of the grime, bacteria, and dirt out of the machine.

Scrub With Wipes

Finally, you can also clean the stubborn grime and dirt around the door with a Lysol wipe. Sometimes there are some difficult spots around your dishwasher that will be difficult to clean without manually wiping. You should wipe away the extra grime after cleaning with vinegar or the pods.

Dishwashers With a Self-Cleaning Cycle

Although there aren’t any self-cleaning dishwashers like you would see in ovens, there are self-cleaning filters. For example, some of the KitchenAid appliances have a self-cleaning filter.

There aren’t any self-cleaning dishwashers, but that isn’t a huge setback. Cleaning a dishwasher isn’t very complicated and can be done with just a simple clean cycle, and a simple scrub.