How Do I Clean The Inside Of My Stainless Steel Dishwasher

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INSIDE: Go the simple, 3-stride cleaning procedure that will accept the within of your dishwasher looking (and smelling) like new once again!

When we renovated our kitchen, back in 2022, we plant the verbal dishwasher we wanted at a scratch-and-dent appliance shop for a fraction of the price.

It'due south a paneled dishwasher (information technology looks similar the cabinets, non an appliance) and honestly, I nonetheless love information technology all these years later.

That'southward the dishwasher, down in that location on the correct… it blends right in!

While it looks lovely on the exterior, we shortly realized that stainless steel dishwashers require a little extra maintenance to go along the insides make clean and aroma-free.

Nothing major or too time-consuming, but before getting a stainless dishwasher, cleaning our dishwasher (specifically our dishwasher drain) wasn't really ever a business concern.

Now, several years later, I have the dishwasher cleaning process down to a scientific discipline — and information technology really is quite simple.

Equally a consequence, we enjoy a mostly smell-free, clog-complimentary dishwasher all year long.

If you lot've had issues with gross smells, clogs, or other dirty dishwasher issues, give my tips a try!

Allow'southward start with the garbage disposal:

I know this post is about dishwashers… only I still suggest cleaning your garbage disposal (if you have 1) before focusing on the dishwasher.

Most dishwasher drains are connected to the garbage disposal — so if the garbage disposal is stinky, that smell volition be quite pungent every time you run your dishwasher (making you lot remember it'due south a problem with your dishwasher drain).

Plus, cleaning the garbage disposal is even faster and easier than cleaning the dishwasher — which is why I e'er start here beginning!

Pace 1. Articulate your garbage disposal.

To assure your garbage disposal is clear (non chock-full), fill your kitchen sink virtually half full with water, so remove the drain plug while running the garbage disposal AND running more common cold water from the tap. This should flush out any gunk currently in your garbage disposal.

NOTE: I do this every time I wash dishes.

STEP ii. Clean your garbage disposal.

Next, remove the rubber gasket effectually the opening of your garbage disposal and use a long-handled brush to scrub out the inside (being very careful non to turn the disposal on during this time!)

This volition be pretty gross if y'all've never done it before. 🤢

Afterwards the debris is scrubbed away, put the rubber gasket back in place, throw a few ice cubes and citrus rinds into the disposal, plough the cold water on, and run the disposal for 30-sixty seconds.

Grab my simple recipe for DIY Garbage Disposal Cleaning Tabs

how to make garbage disposal cleaning tabs

If you lot don't accept a garbage disposal, this DIY drain cleaner should work for y'all.

In one case your garbage disposal and/or drain are clean, it's fourth dimension to focus on the dishwasher!

How to Clean the Inside of your Dishwasher

STEP 1. Remove and clean the drain.

This is the only step that requires physical work from you… and then rest assured, one time you have step 1 consummate, it's smoothen sailing.

However, footstep 1 is somewhat gross — I suggest wearing thick rubber gloves.

If you have a stainless steel dishwasher, chances are pretty adept that yous'll find a removable drain at the bottom of the unit (we never had a removable bleed with our non-stainless dishwashers).

The drain is unremarkably fairly unproblematic to remove, your instruction manuals should offer advice on how to do this.

My dishwasher drain simply twists out.

One time the drain is out, use a small scrub castor to knock out all the gunk (I practise this under running water).

If you have a screen that covers the bleed area, remove and clean that too.

I besides use a damp rag to wipe around the bleed area (it can be pretty nasty if yous've never done this earlier).

Once everything is clean, put the bleed and drain encompass back in identify.

Pace 2. Run the empty dishwasher on the hottest setting with a dishwasher cleaner inside.

In general, I try to avoid commercial cleaners — preferring to make clean everything with vinegar or one of my other bootleg cleaners.

Then for years and years, I used a cup of white vinegar for this pace.

However, later our plumber assured me our dishwasher would go And then much cleaner (and be much less stinky) if I used a product specifically formulated for the inside of a dishwasher, I decided to give it a try.

Well, friends, he was correct!

I picked up i "canteen" of dishwasher cleaner at the grocery store, used information technology that night, and was honestly amazed by how sparkling make clean the within of our dishwasher was when I opened information technology the next morning.

It looked make new!

This step only requires that you lot follow the instructions on the back of the dishwasher cleaner — usually running an empty dishwasher on the hottest setting with the full bottle of cleaning solution within.

I do this right before bed and information technology's perfectly clean the adjacent morning.

In full disclosure, this cleaner has a very strong "chemical" smell (which is why I usually dislike using chemical cleaners.) I frequently run the empty dishwasher (on the quick cycle with no cleaners) i more fourth dimension in the morn, just to flush out some of the chemically smell.

After that, it's practiced to go for some other few months.

Note: this post is NOT sponsored. I take tried different brands of dishwasher cleaner over the years, only I always come back to Finish since it seems to give me the best results.

STEP 3. Add a rinse aid or white vinegar to the rinse cup.

This is another tip from our plumber…

Plain, our dishwasher drain hose is a few feet longer than it should be based on the manufacturer's instructions. This is very mutual whenever a dishwasher is not located straight next to the sink.

Considering the hose is a few feet longer than recommended, the pre-programmed amount of time the dishwasher has to "drain" the hose isn't actually long enough to fully drain all the dirty water from our hose — which can cause that gross olfactory property.

I don't know the science behind it, but our plumber said that as long every bit nosotros keep our rinse loving cup filled with white vinegar or another rinse aid (like Jet Dry) we wouldn't have a smell.

And once again, he was right!

Maintenance Moving Forward:

We run our dishwasher every single night after dinner (whether information technology's completely total or non) so I would be very sad if my dishwasher was out of committee for fifty-fifty a day or ii.

To keep this much-loved appliance in tip-tiptop working I do the post-obit maintenance:

I make clean out the bleed every week (information technology's not that bad if I do it weekly).
I also make sure the rinse cup is filled with Jet Dry on a monthly basis.
And I utilize the Finish Dishwasher cleaner roughly every 3 months.

If information technology'southward been a while since you cleaned your dishwasher (or if you lot didn't even know y'all could clean your dishwasher), I'd suggest giving this elementary 3-pace procedure a try.

You might be surprised how much meliorate your dishwasher runs (and smells) as a result!

Dishwasher Quick Tips:

Run hot water through your kitchen faucet right before turning the dishwasher on — this will increase the life of the heating coils in your dishwasher since the h2o volition already be hot.
Use the quick cycle to speed up the cleaning process — we utilize the quick cycle every nighttime and our dishes are sparkling clean lx minutes after!
Clean more only dishes in your dishwasher. Hither'south a huge list of things you could be cleaning in your dishwasher!
Running the dishwasher daily could be a game-changer for your routine — fifty-fifty if it's not 100% total, the routine of running the dishwasher every evening and waking upwardly to an empty dishwasher every morning is and so fantastic.
Cleaning out the dishwasher is a great task for kids — Nora has been cleaning out the dishwasher every night for a couple of years at present. She gets to stay upwardly later the other 3 go to bed and ane of the things she does during that time is clean out the dishwasher. She times herself and tin can do information technology in five-7 minutes (yes, she's my daughter!)

Active Time x minutes

Additional Time ii hours

Full Time 2 hours 10 minutes

Difficulty Easy

Instructions

Remove and clean the drain at the bottom of the dishwasher
Wipe whatsoever debris and grim with a damp material
Run the empty dishwasher on the hottest wheel with dishwasher cleaner inside
Use a rinse aid to keep the bleed smelling fresh

Notes

If you have a garbage disposal, yous might also want to give that a little attention too as the drains for the dishwasher and disposal are oft connected.

1. Fill your sink half-full of water, remove the plug, and run the disposal and tap water every bit it drains -- this volition help to flush out whatsoever junk that could exist bottleneck your dishwasher.

two. You can also scrub the inside of the disposal with a long-handled scrub castor, and/or apply garbage disposal cleaning tabs.

My uncomplicated iii-step process to clean the inside of your dishwasher should work for the vast bulk of dishwashers (even non-stainless ones) but if yous're concerned, simply read the transmission that came with your appliance, enquire your local plumber, or cheque with the shop yous purchased your appliances from.

In only a few minutes, and with less than $five worth of production, your dishwasher will look and scent brand new once more!