Love them or hate them, dishwashers can lighten the workload of washing dishes. Simply load them with dishwasher safe items (hint: wood is not considered a dishwasher safe item), add dishwasher detergent, and set the desired wash cycle and start the dishwasher. Simple, right?
But what do you do when the dishwasher gets dirty on the inside? Have you tried running a cycle with an empty dishwasher in hopes that the resides is washed away? Sometimes residue can build up and it is mostly composed of food remnants and grease. Just how can you get your dishwasher back to a clean state? The solution is simple: baking soda and vinegar!
In our home, we are fans of eco-friendly solutions. Since this appliance is used to wash pots, pans, and dishes that we use for cooking and eating, we don’t like using harsh/toxic chemicals.
Our dishwasher has a stainless steel interior. That in itself tends to hold up better against staining than a plastic interior, but over time, residue will build up. No amount of running the dishwasher empty will clean this residue. It is time to take action.
To start the cleaning process, remove the bottom dish tray. (This gives you easier access to the bottom of the dishwasher and lower sides where residue tends to accumulate). Sprinkle baking soda over areas with residue. Next, spritz vinegar on the baking soda. Note: the baking soda will bubble up. After bubbling ceases, take a sponge (loofah) or gentle scouring pad (don’t use metal as it can score the stainless steel interior) and wipe across the baking soda/vinegar mixture. The residue should lift easily. If necessary, apply a second application of baking soda and vinegar. Allow it to bubble up and wipe again.
Now all that is left is to wipe clean with a damp cloth. Or for those of you who have a short cycle (10 minutes or less) on the dishwasher, set that cycle and allow to run. The interior should be clean and free of residue and baking soda.
The frequency of cleaning depends upon on how frequently the dishwasher is used as well as how dirty the pots/pans/dishes are that are washed in the dishwasher. In our household, we use the dishwasher approximately once a week. As a result, it may take a few years for residue to accumulate.
The best part of all of this? No harsh chemicals. That means that you can load the dishwasher right away without worry. So break out the vinegar and baking soda. You can use it for more than cleaning countertops and sinks.
Even easier is simply put a dishwasher safe container with 2 cups of white vinegar mixed with the juice of 1 lemon in the bottom rack & 2 TBS of baking soda in the soap container. Run the dishwasher on the hottest pot scrubbing cycle you can. Voila! Clean, fresh smelling dishwasher, the lazy way.
I love natural methods for cleaning… no worries about toxic chemicals.
The old and tested recipes are the best and Baking soda and vinegar is a great solution…. As to the Eco Friendly Dishwasher in our home he answers to the name of Hubby LOL… So get them sleeves a rolled up usually is all one needs to keep it functioning LOL…
Great tip again.. 🙂
My hubby is also my eco-friendly dishwasher. We generally do most dishes by hand as they are either vintage or made of materials that don’t do well in the dishwasher.
Being natural is always better for healthy life and is the reason i prefer organic living along with use of natural and organic products.
Same for us. We prefer natural/healthy living.
I love cleaning in the natural way too! I think that it is better to use products like vinegar, baking soda, lemon juice and essential oils than the common toxic cleaners which are on the market. Love your tips for the dishwasher! Thank you!
Mixture of baking soda and vinegar is fantastic. I clean with it everything….even my mattresses. I am going to try it on my dishwasher now. Thank you for sharing this post. Greetings!
Using baking soda and vinegar together make for one great cleaning agent.