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DIY Plumbing Blog | How to Disinfect Your Dishwasher

January 18, 2019 | Blog

The dishwasher in your home could be your best friend after a long and exhausting day, washing all your troubles away. Unfortunately, your dishwasher will get dirty inside overtime with leftover food particles and soap scum build up. This master of cleanliness cannot clean itself so there will come a day where you need to roll up your sleeves and take action into your own hands. You may be wondering where to even begin on how to disinfect your dishwasher and that’s exactly why our team of technicians at Public Service Plumbers have decided to put together his helpful six-step guide.

Materials Needed

  • Scrubbing sponge or paper towels
  • Baking soda (optional)
  • Old toothbrush or small cleaning brush
  • Distilled white vinegar
  • Measuring cup
  • Dishwasher-safe container
  • Powdered laundry bleach

Step 1: Clean Removable Components

Fill your kitchen sink with hot soapy water and take out any removable components in your dishwasher like cup holders, glass guards or utensil baskets. Wash them thoroughly in your sink, rinse them and put them back in their place.

Step 2: Wipe Down Underneath Bottom Rack

Remove your bottom dishwasher rack and then check your drain for any built up debris. Be sure to really clean out any leftover food bits or any soap scum build up with a scrubbing sponge or paper towels if you have no sponge available. Then wipe down the area under your unit’s spray arm and heating element.

Step 3: Clean Area With Soap & Water

Dip your scrubbing sponge in warm soapy water and wipe down the inside of your dishwasher. For a deeper clean you can use your baking soda as an abrasive powder, this will help remove difficult soap scum or debris. When you have finished that you can replace your bottom dish rack inside.

Step 4: Clean Crevices With an Old Toothbrush

Dip your old toothbrush in warm soapy water and clean the areas surrounding the door of your dishwasher. Using a toothbrush will make this easier as it will help you scrub into those hard to reach areas. We recommend paying special attention to those crevices along the rubber door seal.

Step 5: Use Vinegar to Disinfect

You can use vinegar as a mild antibacterial disinfectant. You will want to pour one cup of white vinegar into a dishwasher safe container and put it on the top rack. Be sure to set your dishwasher on it’s hottest temperature setting and then run it through one regular cycle.

Step 6: Use Bleach to Kill of Germs

The last part is to use chlorine bleach as a strong germ-killing disinfectant. We recommend filling the detergent compartment of your dishwasher with regular powdered laundry bleach and running it through another whole normal cycle on the hottest setting available.

Your Dishwasher Is Ready

Once you have finished all six of these simple steps your dishwasher will be completely disinfected and ready for more cleaning action. In order to make sure your dishwasher last longer clean, we advise scraping off leftover food and rinsing your dishes thoroughly before putting them into your unit. If your dishwasher is having problems that require the attention of a professional, reach out to our team of dishwasher technicians at Public Service Plumbers today.

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