Dishwashers clean your dirty dishes, but they don’t clean themselves.
And Arizona’s “hard” water, which can build up limescale in water-using appliances, can combine with food, grease and soap scum to leave yours surprisingly filthy. Couple that with its warm, dark moist environment and you’ve got a breeding ground for bacteria, germs and foul odors.
Consider adding a water purification and filtration system in your home. And clean your dishwasher regularly. Here’s how:
- Scrub the inside of the dishwasher. Use a small scrub brush or even a toothbrush dipped in hot, soapy water. Use a non-abrasive cleanser if you need something stronger to remove grime and stains. Scrub the folds in the rubber seal around the door and the bottoms of the dish racks. Loosen debris that has collected around the drain; it can scratch your dishes. Wipe the whole thing down with a wet sponge to remove the junk you’ve loosened and to rinse off the soap.
- Place a dishwasher-safe cup filled with white vinegar on the top rack of the dishwasher. Run the otherwise-empty dishwasher on its hottest cycle. The vinegar will cut through any leftover grease and grime and will neutralize odors.
- Remove the empty cup and sprinkle some baking soda on the bottom of the dishwasher tub. Run a short cycle on hot to remove stains and freshen the unit.
