Slowly but surely the days are starting to get a little longer each day! But most of us are still stuck inside for at least another month or so. So indoor living means indoor eating, which means lots of dirty dishes!
If your house is like ours, cleaning dishes is a never-ending battle. Just when you think you’ve won the war and the sink is empty, another battalion of dirty dishes marches in and you’re back to square one. .
Even more challenging, loading the dishwasher can be like playing a game of Tetris. Do you have a strategy to place each plate, cup, and fork, trying to fit as many as possible without blocking the spray arms or causing a dish avalanche? And of course there is always that one casserole dish that always seems to take up way too much space! Ultimately though, the real enemy here is not the dishes, it’s the food stuck to them!
So.. Today we want to give our Clean Freak Family the ‘dish’ on… How to Clean Your Dishwasher!
1. Run Baby Run!
If your dishwasher has been seeing a LOT of action as of late: Run a hot water cycle before starting a load of dishes to clear out any debris or food particles that may be lingering in the dishwasher.
This is also helpful if your dishwasher has seen a little down time. In this scenario, running the dishwasher at least once a week, even if it’s not full, can help prevent mold and mildew from building up inside.
2. Wipe Down Inside Out
Once a week, try to scrub away any food debris or stains from the interior of the dishwasher with a mild detergent and a sponge or brush. Be sure to pay special attention to the spray arms and the bottom of the dishwasher, as these areas are most prone to buildup.
3. Team Rinse or No Rinse
This seems to be a hot topic among fellow Clean Freaks! Many of us are committed to ‘washing our dishes’ before we put them in the dishwasher! Reason being, the cleaner the dishes are theoretically the cleaner the dishwasher stays.
The past several years there have been a number of new products that are designed to break down food particles very effectively.
4. Fingerprints Be Gone!
Many of us have a Dishwasher with a Stainless Steel front. At times it can be a real challenge to keep our dishwasher fingerprint free. The product we like to use is HERE
Pro Tip: Gently wipe the product on the area to be cleaned. Wipe with the grain of the metal. As you dry and gently remove the product. Continue to wipe and polish with the grain of the stainless steel.
5. Filter? What Filter?!?
Check and clean the dishwasher’s filters. Many people don’t realize that a number of new dishwashers have this feature. These filters, often located at the bottom of the dishwasher, are designed to trap food particles and debris before they can circulate through the dishwasher. If they become clogged, they can reduce the efficiency of the dishwasher.
See how to clean the filter HERE!
There you have it! We may not win the war against dirty dishes but with these 5 Tips we can hold our own! Despite the constant struggle, we Clean Freaks know in the end, a sparkling clean dishwasher awaits, and that’s a victory worth fighting for!