How To Clean Dishwasher With Vinegar

Below is a video giving tips for how to clean a dishwasher with vinegar.

You should routinely clean your dishwasher once a month, at least.

This helps get rid of stuck on food, detergent build up and hard water deposits, all of which can make your dishwasher not run as well and not clean your dishes as well.

A simple way to clean your dishwasher, especially when you have detergent build up and hard water stains, is to use distilled white vinegar as a cleaner.

You can use vinegar as a homemade dishwasher cleaner.

To clean your dishwasher add 1 cup of white vinegar either in a bowl, into your dishwasher, or pouring it directly into the bottom of the dishwasher, and run the dishwasher, while empty.

Run the dishwasher for a full cycle with the hottest water possible.

You will see great results if you do this regularly.

Here is the video for full details:

You can share your own uses for vinegar in your home here, or read other tips already submitted here.

How to clean dishwasher with vinegar {on Stain Removal 101} #CleanDishwasher #UsesForVinegar #VinegarUses

You can also get more dishwasher cleaning tips here.

Photo by shooting brooklyn

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Comments for How To Clean Dishwasher With Vinegar

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Don't forget to clean the filter!
by: Anonymous

If your dishwasher has a filter (my Bosch does) don't forget to clean it!

Vinegar in Rinse Dispenser
by: Armchair Guppy

Ever since phosphates were banned, it has been a losing battle with dirty, scummy, spotted dishes and white film all over the inside of the machine, including the stainless steel interior. All-in-one detergents and rinse aids helped get the food and spots off, but eventually all the dishes, silverware, and especially glass were streaked, cloudy, gummy and sticky like they had a coating of soap buildup. I hand scrubbed all the glasses one day with dish soap and vinegar to get the gook off and it worked. So I put vinegar in the rinse dispenser with a drop of food coloring so I will be able to tell when it's empty. It works. The glasses are staying clear, and the white film inside the dishwasher is getting better with each wash, and is almost gone. Everything comes out squeaky clean and shiny like it used to.

I can't vouch for the effect this will have on the longevity of the dispenser or other dishwasher parts. But at this point, I don't care because I was almost ready to stop using a dishwasher anyway, it was that bad. What good is a dishwasher if it will last longer but still not work right?

removed smells from dishwasher
by: Anonymous

I opened my dishwasher the other morning after it had run the night before to the smell of eggs (yuk), so I re-ran it with vinegar alone and voila, no smell. Yaay!

Stainless steel interior
by: Anonymous

What would vinegar do to my stainless steel dishwasher interior? I am concerned the acid will pit the finish.

Order to add things
by: Glen

The first thing all dishwashers do is drain out, so if you put your vinegar in and then start a cycle it will get pumped out. You need to start the cycle, wait for a minute while it drains, and then when it starts to fill with water you open the door and put your vinegar in or you are just wasting your time. Also this is only going to be useful for locations that suffer from hard water. If you do not have hard water then the vinegar is going to do nothing.

septic safe?
by: Anita

Is it ok to do this when you have a septic tank?

My way is a little different
by: Jennifer

We moved into a new home last August and since then I have struggled with the old dishwasher. To keep it running smoothly I have to clean with vinegar once a week. My method is to turn the dishwasher on until the bottom fills up with hot water, then pour two cups of vinegar into the bottom. I let the dishwasher sit over night this way before letting the cycle finish in the morning.

response re using baking soda and vinegar together
by: Taylor

Setha2z, you are correct exactly on the chemistry of what happens when both baking soda and vinegar are used at the same time. Therefore, my post doesn't suggest using them together, although I know that a comment did suggest it. However, for the same reasons as you, I don't suggest using them together because it will not be as effective (by far) as using vinegar alone.

Use Vinegar & Baking Soda Separately
by: setha2z

If both are used (as suggested elsewhere herein), white vinegar and bicarbonate of soda should not be combined. Since the vinegar is an acid and the soda a base, they would tend to cancel one another out chemically, limiting the amount of cleaning accomplished on the dishwasher itself (the purpose of this exercise). I'm inclined to just run the machine hot with a cup of white vinegar, and forget about the soda. Soda might be good for brushing the seal strips though; I'm not sure.

Cleaner
by: Jacki

I use vinegar and bicarbonate of soda to clean but also use vinegar in the liquid dispenser to rinse.

Tang
by: Elinore

Tang, the powdered drink mix, cleans dishwasher perfectly.

citric acid based substances
by: Allee

I've had good results tossing a half cup of vinegar in the bottom on an empty cycle. I've read, but not yet tried, that a couple of packets of lemonade mix work wonders too, because they, like LemiShine, contain citric acid.

naturally acidic substances
by: Amy

Lemon juice works and so does white vinegar.

Tang
by: Drew

Tang works well.

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CAUTION: This website is provided for informational purposes only. It is provided as is, without warranties or guarantees. Some stains and messes just won't come out, and are permanent. Further, some cleaning methods can harm your item, so if what you want to clean or launder is sentimental or expensive call a professional. See disclaimer of liability for more information.