Living in the world of advanced technology is a fantastic thing. We are not even aware of the benefits that we got thanks to different inventions. The influence of different modern tools is visible in every aspect of life. Logically, we mostly use advanced technology for entertainment. That especially counts when we talk about the Internet. However, certain tools can save our time and bring us peace of mind. One of the items that people commonly use in all parts of the world is a dishwasher.
Working with a dishwasher is not tough at all. With a couple of clicks, your dishes are going to be clean. Unfortunately, people are making some common mistakes as well. They don’t invest enough time to maintain their dishwasher because they believe it will work forever.
Why Should I Clean My Dishwasher Regularly?
At first glance, you will think that dishwashers are cleaning themselves, but that is not quite the truth. Different bits of grease, food, and water minerals stay on the filters and interior walls. Because of that, the quality of a dishwasher is reducing over time.
The impact of food and grease might not be visible immediately. The unpleasant look comes after a longer period. However, a nice look and design is not the main reason why you should clean the product. Sooner or later, you will manage to see spots on your flatware, dinnerware, and glassware. In other words, neither of your appliances won’t be clean to the fullest.
In the end, not being responsible will bring you additional costs. As you can guess, grime and food can cause damage and your dishwasher might stop working quicker than you imagine.
After explaining to you some important things, let’s get to the point. In this article, you will find out how to clean your dishwasher. We will provide you with different tips that will make the entire process easier. Despite that, we recommend you improve your knowledge from different sources. Websites like norrisspares.com.au analyzed the same subject. You may want to check their analysis after reading our article.
First of All – Examine the Drain
We will start explaining the entire process from the very beginning. First of all, you should pull out the bottom rack of the machine. Most people get surprised whey doing such a thing. You need to be sure that there are no hard chunks of material. If you find them there, you must remove them as soon as possible. They can damage the pump, scratch the dishes, and clog the drain. Each of these issues will lead to some additional costs.
Things that you can find there are different. For instance, you might see bones, bits of glass, and small pieces of gravel. We don’t want to say that a small amount is going to cause big damage. However, if you don’t check the bottom rack actively, be sure you will find plenty of them.
After that – Wash the Filter
The next move that you need to make is washing the filter. The entire process might seem difficult at first glance. However, the only thing you need to do is to prepare the warm soapy water. The filter should remain in the water for around 10 minutes. Of course, if you haven’t cleaned the dishwasher for a longer time, the filter should remain there a bit longer. The goal here is to wash away all the gunky remains that you find. We are sure there will be a lot of them if you haven’t done that for a while.
Now Run a Wash Cycle with Vinegar
Here is the first way of how you can wash the cycle. You should primarily fill a dishwasher-safe cup with different types of vinegar. It won’t be a big problem to find different types of vinegar online. However, our recommendation is to use plain white or apple cider vinegar. They will probably bring the best possible results. Whichever type you choose, place it on the top rack of the dishwasher.
There is a good reason why we recommend vinegar. It can effectively wash away the loose and greasy grime. Despite that, it can also effectively sanitize and help you remove the musty odors.
After you do that, you should use the hottest water setting and run the dishwasher through a cycle. Logically, the machine must remain empty.
After Vinegar, Use the Baking Soda
Completing the vinegar cycle is not going to make your dishwasher clean. Because of that, you should use the benefits that baking soda can bring. More precisely, you should sprinkle the cup of baking soda around the bottom of the item. After you do that, run it through a short cycle in the same way as for the previous step. More precisely, you should run it in the hottest water setting possible.
Baking soda is good because of different reasons. However, the main reason why you should use it is deodorizing the dishwasher and removing all the stains.
Wipe the Rubber Seal
We believe that you are using the dishwasher every single day. If that’s the case, you should know that the area around the door gets dirty because of that. Cleaning the rubber gasket is not as complex as you might think. There are two things that you will need to prepare to accomplish that task. You will need a clean towel and hot, soapy water. By these two “items”, you will manage to wash any gunk on the gasket.
For the End – Wipe the Front
You will once again need a towel and hot, soapy water to complete the job. Yet, there is one thing that we need to highlight here. People that have a stainless steel dishwasher should use a different method of cleaning. They should use a stainless steel cleaner to get the best possible results.
How Often Should I Clean My Dishwasher?
We believe that question from the above is the one that you currently have. However, the precise answer to that question does not exist. Some people prefer to clean their dishwasher once a month. They believe their dishwasher won’t get too dirty for that period.
The answer depends a lot on how often you use it. If you are using it more often compared to others, then cleaning it once in two weeks might be an answer.
