We don’t often tend to think about looking after our dishwasher until we notice that there is a problem with it (odours, dirt and encrusted food, product residue, etc.). And such problems remind us that just because an appliance is used for cleaning, that it doesn’t mean it needs to be cleaned itself from time to time! If you have no idea of how to do so, you’ll find three simple steps in this article to have your machine gleaming with cleanliness and free from any odours that offend your delicate nose every time you open it!
1) Start with the drain
Repairmen can make many weird and wonderful discoveries when they are called out to repair a dishwasher: chicken bones, crab claws and little pieces of broken glass obviously don’t mix well with the pipes, so we certainly need to give the machine some attention!
Remove the bottom rack of the dishwasher for better visibility. This will allow you to see whether there are any large pieces of food lying around that could damage your machine. Give it a quick clean by gathering up any possible food residue with some kitchen paper, and have a quick look to ensure the pipes aren’t blocked.
2) Run a machine cycle using vinegar
Make sure that the dishwasher is empty. Take a container that is dishwasher safe, such as a bowl. Put it on the upper rack and and fill it with white vinegar. Set the machine to run using the cycle with the highest water temperature.
If you want to be sure that the water is nice and hot from the beginning, you can run the hot water in your kitchen tap before turning the machine on, so that the temperature is raised from the start. The vinegar will remove greasy residue, while disinfecting the machine and getting rid of odours.
3) A second clean using bicarbonate of soda
As soon as the vinegar cycle is finished, remove the bowl and sprinkle a generous handful of bicarbonate of soda into the dishwasher. Set it to run again to remove the final stubborn stains and odours. Go for a short cycle, but with very hot water.
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