Yes, You Need to Clean Your Dishwasher—Here’s How

Sometimes, cleaning a dishwasher can feel like a mildly surreal task. It’s used to clean things—why would it need a scrub-down itself? After all, you don’t wash soap.

But dishwashers can accumulate all sorts of grossness. The filter obviously gets pretty disgusting, but beyond that, the interior walls and spray arms can gather food remnants, grease, undissolved detergent, and minerals from the water (particularly if you live in an area with hard water). The door edges and top section can also get pretty grimy over time.

So, what do you do? Read on for some helpful tips about how to properly clean a dishwasher, including how often you should be doing it, dealing with dishwasher seals, and more.

How Often Should You Clean Your Dishwasher?

Most dishwashers offer the option of a cleaning cycle, which you are generally advised to run monthly. (It should go without saying, but if you’re a heavy user and go through umpteen dishwasher loads daily, you’ll want to run this cycle more frequently.)

You can use an official dishwasher cleaner when you run the cleaning cycle monthly. Alternatively, you can save a few bucks by putting a bowl of white vinegar on the top rack and running the hottest cycle with no detergent. After that, sprinkle a cup of baking soda on the bottom; running a quick no-detergent cycle will be like icing on the cake in terms of cleanliness. 

It’s also a good idea to remove any loose food littering the bottom of the dishwasher, ideally every day. That stuff can get awfully stinky awfully quick. When you empty it, check the racks for anything stuck there, too. Scraping plates carefully before loading your dishwasher means less will accumulate there in the first place. 

When to Clean Your Dishwasher Seals, Gasket, and Filter

Muck and grease can gather on the inside of the door and along the rubber seal that goes around the whole thing. Once a week or so, wipe all this down along with the gasket (the bit on the inside of the door where the detergent dispenser is). An old toothbrush can be used to clean the nooks and crannies of this part.

Regularly removing and cleaning the filter can also be a core part of dishwasher maintenance. Don’t wait until your dishwasher is noticeably doing a worse job—pre-empt that by cleaning it weekly. Rinse the filter under warm water and deploy that old toothbrush again to dislodge anything that might be stuck in it. 

Washing the dishwasher is kind of like the internal affairs department of the kitchen; it might seem like a big deal at first, but it actually ensures everything goes smoothly—and correctly. After all, a clean dishwasher tends to run more efficiently and will give you cleaner dishes in the long run. 

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