How To Deep Clean The Dishwasher

Grab our step by step guide for how to deep clean the dishwasher and say goodbye to residue buildup, odors, and potentially expensive repairs.

You probably think that while your trusty dishwasher is hard at work cleaning your dishes, it's also magically cleaning itself. Well, hate to break it to you, but that's not the case!

Over time you'll notice that your dishwasher starts to get grubby inside. Bits of food catch in the filter plate at the bottom, greasy deposits build up in the dishwasher filter and the stainless steel dishwasher interior loses its sparkle!

This can lead to your glasses and dishes coming out of the wash cycle dirty, with smears and gunk still on them. And nobody wants dirty dishes!

We think it's essential to give your dishwasher some TLC with a regular cleaning schedule you can fit into your household cleaning routine. We'll run you through what you need to do daily, weekly and monthly to keep your dishwasher clean and reduce the chance of grease and food bits causing damage.

So if you want to avoid expensive repairs, don't forget to show your dishwasher some love!

How To Deep Clean The Dishwasher

How Often To Clean Your Dishwasher

Daily Cleaning

• Remove food debris

This is super quick, after each dishwasher load, when you empty the dishwasher, just remove any particles of food or build up you can see on the filter panel at the bottom of the dishwasher or caught in the any of the racks.

Weekly Cleaning

• Wipe door edges
• Wipe door seal
• Wipe spray arms
• Clean dishwasher filter
• Polish outside of dishwasher

Deep cleaning the dishwasher is a lot easier, if you keep up with weekly cleaning.

Each week, wipe around the door edges both inside and outside the dishwasher, pay attention to the hinge area at the bottom, this can often accumulate greasy buildup. We do this using some hot soapy water and a microfibre cleaning cloth.

Wipe around the rubber seal using a microfibre cloth or even a soft bristle toothbrush or crevice brush, to remove any accumulated food particles, grime or gunk.

Gently wipe along the water spray arms to remove any food or grease. The little holes where the water sprays from can become blocked with grease and food debris over time if not cleaned regularly.

Also remove and clean the dishwasher drain filter from the bottom of the dishwasher - do this using hot soapy water in the kitchen sink.

Rinse well under hot running water to remove all traces of greasy build up, mold or mildew, and replace. Be sure to replace and click it into place properly after cleaning, as running the dishwasher without it properly fitted can cause damage.

Polish the outside of the dishwasher weekly (or as needed) we wipe the door down using hot soapy water, and buff dry using a clean, soft cloth which removes any smears and streaks. If your dishwasher exterior is stainless steel - you may prefer to use a specialist stainless steel cleaner.

Monthly - Deep Clean The Dishwasher

• Use a dishwasher deep cleaner

Every month we deep clean the dishwasher by running a dishwasher cleaner through the machine. These convenient bottles of dishwasher cleaner, just fit into the bottom rack of the dishwasher and do a deep clean on a hot water cycle with no dishes or other detergents.

These tend to clean away any soap scum and hidden limescale, without the need for any scrubbing or hard work from you!

We've tried and tested the following dish washer cleaners and recommend them. The Finish one is our favourite, as we prefer the scent.

• Finish Dishwasher Cleaner - this one is our favourite, leaves everything squeaky clean and shiny with no stains!

• Dr Beckmann Service It Deep Clean Dishwasher Cleaner - this one also cleans the dishwasher really well.

How To Deep Clean The Dishwasher With Vinegar

If you like to be more eco-conscious with your home cleaning and use green-cleaning methods, then you can deep clean the dishwasher using vinegar.

Simply add a cup of white vinegar (sometimes called distilled vinegar) to a dishwasher-safe cup or bowl and place it on the top rack of the dishwasher. Then run the dishwasher on a hot cycle with no other pots or detergent used.

And if you're looking to remove dishwasher odors just sprinkle a cup of baking soda (around 4-5 tablespoons) into the bottom of an empty dishwasher and run on a quick cycle. This helps to freshen up the dishwasher and banish any odours.

Top Tips For Keeping The Dishwasher Clean

• Always scrape pots, pans and plates well before loading them into the dishwasher
• Always remove visible food debris after each load
• Don't skip the daily and weekly cleans.
• Always do a monthly deep clean.
• Never clean the dishwasher with bleach

More Kitchen Cleaning Tips

• How To Clean The Kitchen Sink
• How To Clean The Kitchen In 5 Minutes
• How To Deep Clean The Kitchen
• How To Clean Copper Pans