Your dishwasher may help keep your pots, pans, and kitchen utensils clean but inside it could become dirty with leftover food particles and built up soap scum. Though your dishwasher is the master of clean, it cannot clean itself. This is exactly why our team of specialists recommend disinfecting your dishwasher at least once a month if you use it regularly. Our dishwasher experts at Brothers Plumbing have decided to put together this helpful six-step guide on how to disinfect your dishwasher.
Items Needed
- Scrubbing sponge or paper towels
- Baking soda (optional)
- Old toothbrush or small cleaning brush
- Distilled white vinegar
- Measuring cup
- Dishwasher-safe container
- Powdered laundry bleach
Step 1
You’ll want to fill your kitchen sink with hot soapy water. Then take any removable components inside of your units such as utensil baskets, glass guards or cup holders. Wash these items, rinse them and put them back in their spot.
Step 2
Next, remove the bottom dishwasher rack. Never forget to check your drain for debris. Make sure that you thoroughly clean out any leftover bits of food or built up soap scum with your scrubbing sponge or paper towels. Wipe down the area underneath your dishwasher’s spray arm and heating element.
Step 3
After that take your scrubbing sponge and dip it warm soapy water to wipe down the inside of your dishwasher. For a deeper clean, use your baking soda as an abrasive powder to remove tough soap scum or debris. Once you’ve finished with that you can put the bottom dish rack back inside.
Step 4
Take an old toothbrush and dip it in warm soapy water. This will make cleaning the areas surrounding the door of your dishwasher easier. Scrub the areas clean, pay special attention to the crevices along the rubber door seal.
Step 5
Use your vinegar as a mild antibacterial disinfectant by pouring one cup of white vinegar into a dishwasher safe container and put it on the top rack. Set your unit on it’s hottest temperature setting and run it through one regular cycle.
Step 6
The final step is using chlorine bleach as a strong germ-killing disinfectant. Fill your unit’s detergent compartment with regular powdered laundry bleach. Then run your dishwasher through another entire normal cycle on the hottest setting possible.
Succesfully Finished
Upon completing all six of these simple steps your dishwasher should be clean, disinfected and ready to go. To ensure that your dishwasher remains cleaner longer we always recommend that you scrape and rinse your dishes of leftover food before placing them inside your dishwasher. If your dishwasher is having issues that need the attention of a professional, you can always give our trusted team of dishwasher specialists at Brothers Plumbing a call today.
