Getting your first college apartment is to feel a true sense of freedom and independence. You can say goodbye to gross dining hall food, you can ditch your shower shoes, and you can have free laundry whenever you need. However, it isn’t until about a month into school when the dust bunnies begin to pile up, the refrigerator starts to smell a little weird, and the bills start coming through that reality begins to set in. If you are anything like me, whatever preparation you thought you did before moving into an apartment or off-campus house was not enough. All the sudden my fire alarm would go off every time I cooked, I had an ant problem I didn’t know how to deal with, and there was food stuck at the bottom of my dishwasher that made it smell.
Maybe it sounds silly, but in my brain, washing machines and dishwashers clean your dirty clothes and plates, so the thought of cleaning them never even crossed my mind. But after a few months, I was left with half clean dishes, a lingering odor when I opened the dishwasher, and food pieces rotting away at the bottom of the machine. That was when I realized I needed to step up my cleaning game.
The Basics
How often should I clean the dishwasher? This depends on how often you use it. For example, if you regularly use your dishwasher, putting cups and plates in there after each use and running it 4 times per week, then you should clean your dishwasher on a monthly basis. However, if you only use your dishwasher for an occasional pre-wash once a week then every six months if plenty.
Does it matter if I clean my dishwasher?
The possibly unfortunate answer is yes! Without regular cleanings, there can be a build up of grime, minerals, and grease. This not only causes unpleasant smells, but it also makes your dishwasher less effective, and no one wants to pick up a plate that still has spaghetti sauce on it.
Where To Start
If the thought of cleaning your dishwasher is overwhelming, start simple. The easiest place to begin would be with the removable parts of the machine, such as the utensil basket and dishwasher racks. Simply remove these items and carefully rinse or wipe off any food residue. If there are any tough to scrub food left behind, then fill your sink halfway with warm water and add two cups of white vinegar. Once they soak for 20 minutes, take them out and rinse them with water.
Remove The Smells
One of the best hacks for eliminating grime build up and bad odors is using vinegar. Simply take everything out of your dishwasher. Then, fill a microwaveable bowl with one cup of vinegar and leave it in the top rack of the dishwasher. Next, run the hottest cycle, skip the drying cycle, and let the inside of your machine air dry. Another solution is adding a cup of baking soda on the floor of your empty dishwasher and running a short cycle on the hottest setting. If your dishwasher is not stainless steel and does not contain stainless steel, you can also clean it with one cup of bleach. Simply follow the same directions for how you would clean it with vinegar, but don’t forget to use a microwave-safe AND a bleach-safe bowl. All of these options work great, but remember not to employ any of them at the same time.
Dishwasher Door Maintenance
If you are anything like me, then you probably don’t know any of the formal dishwasher vocabulary either. Like what the heck is a gasket? (It’s the rubber seal that stops any water from leaking out of the dishwasher.) To clean one, simply take an old toothbrush and gently scrub the gasket with a mixture of three cups of hot water and a half a cup of vinegar. However, some machines will tell you to only clean with warm water, so make sure to read your machine’s manual.
Cleaning The Filter
Cleaning the filter of your dishwasher is one of the most important things to eliminate odors. Many newer dishwashers have self-cleaning filters, but if yours does not, then you need to manually remove it and thoroughly clean it at least once a month. To do this, make sure you are checking the filter base for any food residue and gently wipe it away with a microfiber towel. Then, wash the filter by hand in warm soapy water and if needed scrub gently with a small soft-bristle brush to get a full deep clean.
The Drain
To wash the dishwasher drain, dump one cup of white vinegar in a microwave safe bowl and heat it up for 15 to 20 seconds in the microwave. Next, stir in two tablespoons of baking soda and pour it into the drain, which you can find at the bottom of the dishwasher. Let it sit there for 15 to 20 minutes. Finally, boil some water and just as the boil begins to die down, pour it down the drain slowly to help clear any clogs or debris buildup.
Don’t Forget The Exterior
The dishwasher exterior often gets overlooked in the deep cleaning process, so here is your reminder to give it some love. Use a paper towel or a cleaning cloth, and soak it in warm soapy water before wiping the dishwasher door. Then, dry it with an old towel. If you happen to have a stainless steel dishwasher, you can use glass cleaner to do this.