I may receive commissions from purchases made through links in this article. Full Disclosure
Are you ready to get dirty today? Really dirty? I hope so because today we are going to clean the dishwasher!
You would never think so but the dishwasher can get extremely gross and dirty. That’s why it’s good to clean it every now and again.
How to Naturally Clean Your Dishwasher
Items Needed:
Sponge or something to scrub with
Old toothbrush
Baking soda
Vinegar
First remove any utensil baskets and racks. Go ahead and scrub these down in the sink while they are out. They shouldn’t be all that dirty but you might as well clean everything while you are at this task!
Now on to the gross cleaning. Ready?
1 – Remove spinning arm and scrub it everywhere. Make sure to clean out any water holes as well.
2 – Remove any filter pieces. Clean well. Be careful of any pieces of broken glass.
3 – Remove and clean any other remaining pieces between you and the filter/grate.
4 – Remove the filter/grate and clean it well.
5 – Remove floater valve and clean it.
Now you’ve cleaned all the basic parts. Let’s now move on to the rest of the dishwasher.
1 – Clean the walls.
2 – Clean the heating element.
3 – Clean the dishwasher floor.
4 – Clean the dishwasher basin.
Once you are finished with the really gross stuff you can replace all the pieces and move on to the door of the dishwasher.
1 – Clean the Rinse Aid section and fill it up while you are at it.
2 – Clean inside and around the detergent compartments.
3 – Clean all around the door jams.
As one last cleaning measure, run your dishwasher with only a cup or bowl full of white vinegar sitting in the top rack.
This will help remove any last remaining dirt particles and leave your dishwasher squeaky clean.
While you dishwasher is running, give the outside a good wipe down and you are finished!
Note: Dishwashers vary greatly and therefore the way you need to clean your dishwasher will most likely not look exactly like my version.