How to Clean Your Dishwasher
3 Materials
$2
30 Minutes
Easy
My dishwasher is one of the hardest working things in my house (I basically run it everyday!), but it’s easy to forget that it needs a good cleaning too. When my dishwasher starts to smell, you know it's time to give it a good cleaning. With just two green ingredients you can have an Eco clean dishwasher (without using expensive dishwasher detergent).
As with any green-friendly cleaner, baking soda and vinegar are my go-to cleaning ingredients.
Step 1: Gather Your Materials
I used white vinegar (cleaning vinegar), baking soda, and a dishwasher safe cup (not pictured).
Step 2: Put Your Cup in the Top Rack
Step 2: Put Your Cup in the Top Rack
Place your cup upright on the top shelf. I did this, because it allows the dishwasher to flood the vinegar out of the cup. This gives it a slow release as opposed to being poured out all at once. You don't have to do this, but I think it makes the cleaner work better.
Step 3: Add the Vinegar to the Cup
Step 3: Add the Vinegar to the Cup
Fill the cup almost all the way to the top with vinegar.
Step 4: Sprinkle Baking Soda and Set Your Machine to Wash
Step 4: Sprinkle Baking Soda and Set Your Machine to Wash
Sprinkle baking soda on the bottom of the dishwasher. Then set it to the hottest setting, and let it start.
How simple was that? The smell is gone and now my dishwasher is nice and clean.
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2 of 193 comments
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Karenon Oct 17, 2019The top rack does not always work. There is no spray on the top of mine so putting the vinegar in the bottom rack works for me. Just cleaned mine that way yesterday and it smells so much fresher.
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Gabrielle Falkon Nov 6, 2019I use a handful of bi.-carb soda and cleaning vinegar, to keep the drains, hopefully, clean. Just put the bi.-carb over the plug hole, pour some cleaning vinegar over (it will froth and foam), and that will then go down the drain. If you want to be keen, follow up with a decent quantity of boiling water.
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Have a question about this project?
Can you use the vinegar and baking soda with the dishwasher full?
Is this safe for a dishwasher with a stainless steel interior?
Absolutely.
I can’t remove the filter from my dishwasher. I’ve even tried pliers. Does anyone have an idea about how to remove it? I think that would really help solve some odor problems.