I’ve been a homemaker for the 5 years my husband and I have been married, and in those 5 years I’ve made a few mistakes along the way: berries stains on the counter, blending hot soup without a vent on the blender, choosing to cook weird recipes…

But not maintaining a clean dishwasher has got to be the biggest one yet!

I’ve been struggling with something called Histamine Intolerance, and through changing my diet, adding supplements, and reducing stress, I’ve been getting better.

A few months ago I started to notice my symptoms getting bad again, which kept me in bed much more than I wanted to be and my husband wasn’t feeling too great either… As it turns out I haven’t been maintaining my dishwasher like I should and it was full of mold!

I was embarrassed to say the least.

I had thought that with the heat and the detergent, my dishwasher couldn’t get too dirty, and boy was I wrong!

My husband and I have been deep cleaning and sanitizing everything as much as possible in the dishwasher so we can have it back.

But in the meantime I’ve been researching how to clean a dishwasher and keep it clean so that this doesn’t happen again. Surprisingly enough, this isn’t that uncommon.

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How to Deep Clean a Dishwasher:

Before we start:

Everyone’s dishwasher is different, so you will want to start by checking your manual. You will want to know if there is a filter that needs to be taken out, and read through how they recommend you clean it; some dishwashers can be damaged by bleach or vinegar, so read carefully.

My manual recommended using vinegar occasionally, so I used vinegar and dish soap to clean my dishwasher and all of the parts I took out.

Make sure your dishwasher is off and cooled down before starting.

Step 1- Take Apart Everything that You Can:

• The top and bottom racks
• The Silverware basket/rack.
• The gasket around the door.
• Any easily removable rubber pieces.
• The cover on the vent
• See if either of the sprayer arms can come out.

It may be a good idea to take pictures as you go along so that you don’t forget how it all goes back together…speaking from experience.

*Please be careful if you want to take more than this apart, there are a lot of electrical things and some have blades that can hurt you. You may be able to find videos on YouTube to help, but if you’re unsure, you can hire people to do this for you.

Once you have all that you can get out, you may be able to see more clearly how bad it needs to be cleaned.

Step Two- Wipe Down All of the Pieces You Took Out, and Give Them a Good Scrub:

• Fill a spray bottle with half vinegar and half water, and spray everything down. The vinegar is optional but it does help break up all the grime, you could also use all water instead.
• Using a rag, wash that off with some dish soap or dishwasher detergent.
• Rinse well with hot water.
• Allow to air dry.

Step Three- Clean the Inside of the Dishwasher:

• Gather some cotton swaps, tooth picks, a brush, and paper towels or cleaning rags.
• Spray everything down with the vinegar ( if using) mixture from step two.
• Use the cotton swabs, tooth picks, and brush to scrub everything, making sure to get every nook and cranny.
• Wash the vinegar off with dish soap or dishwasher detergent using the rags.

Step Four- Put Everything Back and Run a Cycle:

There is two ways to do this: with vinegar or a dishwasher cleaning tablet.

To run a vinegar rinse:

1. Put 2 cups of white vinegar in a glass or dishwasher safe dish on the bottom rack.
2. Run the dishwasher through a complete washing cycle and allow it to air dry with the door open. Do not use detergent in the step.

If it’s not recommended to use vinegar in your dishwasher at all, run a cycle using a dishwasher cleaning tablet following the instructions on the box.

Tips for Keeping the Dishwasher Clean:

• Scrap off large pieces of food from the dishes.
• Load the dish-washer properly. If you’re unsure how, your manual should tell you or a quick search online should do the trick!
• Don’t leave unwashed dishes set for too long.
• If you air dry your dishes, make sure the door is open while doing so.
• Leave the door slightly open while not in use to prevent moister from building up.
• Take out the door gasket, and clean it once a week with hot water and dish soap
• Clean the dishwasher once a week with dish soap or dishwasher detergent, being sure to take everything out and wipe it down.
• Clean with vinegar, or a dish-washing tablet once a month, or as often as recommended in your manual.

“I had thought that with the heat and the detergent, my dishwasher couldn’t get too dirty, and boy was I wrong!“

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Not having a dishwasher growing up, I had no idea how to keep it clean. And since there is no shame in not knowing something, I wanted to share my experience with you so that this doesn’t happen to you and if it already has, you can prevent it from happening again along with me.

Isn’t that the purpose of this blog, to share what I’ve learned and to learn with you?

Thanks for joining me today!

What are some things in your home you don’t know how to clean? Let’s learn about them together!