View Full Version : Cleaning the dishwasher
There's a persistent idea on the internet that if you run your dishwasher empty with two packs of lemon Kool-aid (no sugar)it will clean the dishwasher.
That seems unlikely to me. If it's a matter of acidity, surely vinegar would be more effect.
Has anyone here ever tried the Koolaid thing? If so how did it turn out?
If not, how do you clean the inside of your dishwasher?
TIA
We take it apart about 2x a year and wash it down with regular household cleaner, flush out all the flushable parts, etc. which reminds me, it's about time to do this again.....
That was the advice we got from a dishwasher repair technician. It seemed low-risk (even monetarily), so we tried it. I can't say as it made a huge difference in the appearance of the inside of the dishwasher (ours is stainless steel). And it certainly did not clean the gasket and other parts which aren't supposed to get wet in the first place. But it did help in the discharge hose, which is corrugated (against my better wishes; it is what the manufacturer specifies) and was collecting food and getting a little stinky when the dishwasher started up. Low investment, low outcome.
That was the advice we got from a dishwasher repair technician. It seemed low-risk (even monetarily), so we tried it. I can't say as it made a huge difference in the appearance of the inside of the dishwasher (ours is stainless steel). And it certainly did not clean the gasket and other parts which aren't supposed to get wet in the first place. But it did help in the discharge hose, which is corrugated (against my better wishes; it is what the manufacturer specifies) and was collecting food and getting a little stinky when the dishwasher started up. Low investment, low outcome.
The koolaid? Or the taking apart?
This thread caused me to google dishwasher cleaning. I never knew this was supposed to be done. Have lived in about 5 places over the years that had them and we have moved every 2-5 years since 1981.
I'm so glad we are moving this summer to a place without one. I use them when they are there, cause I think they start smelling bad when not in use. But I prefer not to have one.
Maybe the bad smell is old food. I never knew.
I read where it is the citric acid in lemon Koolaid that is the cleaning agent and is recommended. I run a batch of vinegar through every so often and clean it once a year approx. our dishwasher is 21 years old and still going strong.
razz, a vinegar rinse is a good idea. I'll have to try that.
Our old dishwasher gather grease in a place where I could see it, just one of the many things I hated about that thing. Our current one probably needs cleaning, just not so obviously.
Tiam, I didn't take anything apart. We just tossed the Kool-Aid in the DW during the first fill cycle and let it do its thing. Real cheap, real easy, really not much happened. I actually had bought some straight hose in anticipation of removing the corrugated hose and replacing it -- a stinky job requiring a contortionist, which was one reason it hadn't yet been done -- but the tech said that the manufacturer specifies the corrugated one, so *shrug*. I should still have at the gaskets and such on the DW with a brush or something. A project for another snow day, perhaps.
I've found that my dishwasher's funny smell- actually in the sink drain, not the dishwasher- went away when I started flushing a bucket of water down the drain in the sink daily. I have a dishpan to catch gray water, hand washing etc. that I used to use in the garden, but now it goes down the drain to rid it of the funky smell. It needs to be dumped all at once so there is pressure action.
My dishwasher is my husband and I don't think this would do him any good at all. :~)
iris lily
4-22-13, 10:59am
My dishwasher is my husband and I don't think this would do him any good at all. :~)
au contraire, a fresh rinse of vinegar would be beneficial for anything, warm blooded mammals included! I think anyway, haha.
No I meant the Koolade! :)
Gardenarian
4-22-13, 2:11pm
I've never cleaned my dishwasher - always assumed it was self cleaning!
Is it really necessary?
Wildflower
4-22-13, 10:03pm
I don't think it's necessary. Mine appears to be clean and I don't have problems with it, so I don't worry about it...
We never felt the citric acid/KoolAid treatment was necessary until we were told it would resolve the discharge-hose smell issue. But I'll admit that the door hinge and area around the gasket of our DW could use some attention.
Give it a try, Reader99. Whenever I come across a remedy that is simple, frugal, and without worry, I'm all for it.
P.S. Please check back with us to let us know how it worked! Sounds like a totally neat-O idea!
Tussiemussies
4-25-13, 9:12pm
We just got a new dishwasher and I did the lemon Kool aid just to wash off any dirt inside from dirty hands that worked on it before I used it. In other sites I have also read that it is the citric acid that cleans...if anyone tries the vinegar let me know if it seems to work better.....
rosarugosa
4-26-13, 4:52am
I shower with the dishwasher - I wash his back and he washes mine! :)
Give it a try, Reader99. Whenever I come across a remedy that is simple, frugal, and without worry, I'm all for it.
P.S. Please check back with us to let us know how it worked! Sounds like a totally neat-O idea!
I don't use my dishwasher so I couldn't test it. Some more internet searching revealed that the expensive commercial dishwasher cleaners are made of citric acid, so either lemonade mix or citric acid from the canning aisle at the grocery store would be the same and cost less. I also saw videos on Youtube about taking it apart and really cleaning it, and getting crud out of the little holes in the spin arm, and how stuff can build up near the drain area and cause standing water in the machine. All very interesting.
Hi, Reader99.
I very seldom use my dishwasher either. Maybe a handful of times in a year, that's it. I much prefer washing/drying the old-fashioned way, but I wonder what effect a little bleach would have on odours, etc, if one ran a bleach load through.
I wonder what effect a little bleach would have on odours, etc, if one ran a bleach load through.
If your dishwasher has a stainless steel interior, don't use bleach. It will discolor the stainless and remove its stainless property. I suspect it might also be hard on rubber and plastic parts in the water discharge plumbing, too. Maybe a solution weak enough to disinfect a countertop. But bleach should be a no-no unless you're trying to actively kill mold or mildew, and then it should be a topical application.
Thanks for the advice, SteveinMN. Ours has a white plastic interior. Never had a problem with odours, standing-water, etc, but have never used it overly much. Our old house didn't have an automatic dishwasher and I used to think, "if I had an automatic dishwasher, I'd use it all the time", yet when we moved into our new home (this home) which came with one, I happily continued doing dishes the old-fashioned way.
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