Why you Should Deep Clean your Dishwasher:
Think about what your dishwasher is actually doing on the daily…it’s washing all the food particles, bacteria and residue off your used dishes. Now think about how much gunk gets built up in there overtime and the potential health risks associated with never cleaning it…YIKES!!!
Besides the fact that it’s just gross to never clean this hard-working appliance, it could also cause damage to the machine overtime with enough built-up inside it, leading to expensive repairs or even early-replacement needed. So let’s get ahead of that mess and give our trusty dishwasher some much needed love and care. This is How and Why you Should Deep Clean your Dishwasher, at least once a month!
First off, here are a few signs that it’s time for a deep clean:
- Your dishes are still dirty or greasy after a cycle (gross)
- Your glassware has a cloudy film
- There’s a musty or moldy smell
- Gunk is building up on the door’s rubber gasket (disgusting)
- Food is stuck in the bottom filter
The silver lining: A nice deep cleaning will solve these problems!
How to Give your Dishwasher a Nice Deep Clean:
Your supplies:
- Dish gloves (if you barf when your bare hands touch slimy food waste – I’m one of those people)
- A natural cleaner – here are a few that we like:
- Microfiber cloths
- Tiny cleaning brushes (an old toothbrush works too!)
- Distilled white vinegar
- Baking soda
- A screwdriver (depending on the model)
- A measuring cup
Step 1: Clean the Removable Parts
- Remove the utensil holder and dish racks
- Spray everything with your cleaner
- Wipe it all down with a cloth (if gunk is still stuck – soak the rack in a mix of warm water, a splash of cleaner, and vinegar for 15 minutes)
Step 2: Unclog the Spraying Arms
- Take out the spraying arms (they should be simple to unscrew)
- Check for any clogs in the holes. Use a toothpick to clear them
- Wipe everything down with your microfiber cloth
Step 3: Clean the Filter(s)
- Remove the filters (check for upper and lower filters – most are on the bottom in the middle)
- Throw out any trapped food (ewww I know) and wipe down
- Spray the filters with cleaner and scrub with your cute tiny brush (for stubborn gunk, use the soak method again)
- Rinse and put the filters back in their respected places
Step 4: Clean the Drain
- That little round piece at the bottom, thats the drain – remove it with a screwdriver or just twist it out, depending on your model
- Spray with your cleaning solution and scrub it down, before putting it back in place
Step 5: Scrub the Door Gasket
- You might see some buildup around the rubber gasket on the door (my personal favorite part…jk it’s nasty!!!)
- Spray it with cleaner, scrub with your little brush
- For hard water buildup, that AZ is so famous for, use vinegar to clean it off
Step 6: Spray and Wipe the Inside
- With all the bits and bobs out, spray the inside of the dishwasher with cleaner, including the door and walls
- Then wipe everything down with a microfiber cloth, until it’s shiny and clean
Step 7: Run a Vinegar Cycle
- Place a mug with 1 cup of vinegar in the middle of the dishwasher and run a hot cycle with no dishes. This freshens and finishes your beautiful cleaning job…BRAVO!!!
How Often to Clean your Dishwasher
Now you’re like “okay that was a lot…how often do I need to do this?” The appliance manufacturers say once or twice a month for “optimal performance” but we get that that’s a lot. Our personal recommendation is to use Step #7 once every couple weeks, or once a week if you’re really putting your dishwasher through hell, and then do the full Steps #1-7 once a month if you can manage it!
If not, hire Mindful Mop to come and do your dirty work for you. You won’t regret it 🙂
We hope this helped highlight How and Why you Should Deep Clean your Dishwasher. Cheers to a clean home and even cleaner dishes!
