Our dishwasher was well overdue a clean this week, it’s not a job particularly enjoy but it needs doing all the same. I usually buy a dishwasher cleaner which to be fair aren’t overly expensive but the cost does add up over time. And considering I had some white vinegar leftover from pickling things it didn’t cost me anything. Here is how to clean your dishwasher with vinegar.
How to clean your dishwasher with vinegar
First of all empty your dishwasher, then clean it with a damp sponge, I popped a little bit of vinegar on the sponge to help. Take out all of the filters at the bottom and give them a good clean and rinse under the tap. If they are particularly built up with grease use hot boiling water although be careful not to scold yourself!
When you have cleaned the inside with a sponge grab a cup and fill it with vinegar (I used white vinegar). Pop the cup of vinegar on the top rack and put the dishwasher on an intensive or hot cycle. I put half a lemon in the cutlery holder just for an extra lemony fragrance.
When the cycle finishes remove the cup and lemon.
Use bicarbonate soda for extra freshness
Using the vinegar on a hot cycle should have cleaned your dishwasher nicely. But if it hasn’t been cleaned for a while you may want to follow up with a bicarbonate soda rinse. Sprinkle some bicarb soda over the bottom of the dishwasher and put it on another hot cycle. This will get rid of any lingering odours that may remain.
I find that keeping my dishwasher clean means it works more efficiently in the long run. Not only that but I want to get as many years out of it as possible! I’m really happy with how well vinegar actually cleaned the dishwasher and I definitely won’t be buying dishwasher cleaner again!
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