How to Clean a Dishwasher

Day in and day out, the dishwasher cleans our dishes. The least we could do for this faithful machine is give it a cleaning occasionally. Here's what to do.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• vinegar
• liquid vinyl (optional)

1. Remove the racks and check the bottom for chunks of food, stray silverware or broken glass. Take a look at the opening where the water sprays out of the spray arms. If any food or debris is lodged in there, remove it with a toothpick.

2. 
    

   If the rack shows wear or rust or sharp tips, you can get a liquid vinyl to apply over bare spots. Glue rubber tips over the sharp points. (see the link below for these)

3. 
    

   Kitchen Aid suggested putting 2 cups of vinegar in the bottom and running a normal wash followed by an extra rinse cycle. Bleach is not recommended for this. Do this only once a year, so it doesn't cause the seals to prematurely age.

4. Westinghouse recommends occasionally wiping down the rubber seal around the door and the surface it touches. This avoids any build up on those. Check where the door attaches to the machine for possible grunge.

Resources

• Vinyl and tips for dishwasher repair

[rakhib]

on 12/6/2009 gr8 post.5* and a recc

[static404]

on 12/4/2009 Boy does my dishwasher need this. Thanks for the advice.

[MargaritaBobita]

on 11/28/2009 Interesting tip about the vinegar to clean out dishwashers. They get so gross - thanks for sharing this article.

[cherold598]

on 1/25/2009 Using vinegar really helps. Great article and I recommended you too.

[painthorse42]

on 1/10/2009 Never knew about step #3, I can sure use the tips here! Thanks! 5*