How to clean a dishwasher: filter, seals and a vinegar cycle

Step by step: how to clean a dishwasher

Safety first. Never mix bleach with vinegar or with a dishwasher cleaner, and do not use bleach at all in a dishwasher with a stainless steel tub. Watch for broken glass when you reach into the filter area.

1. 1

   Empty it and pull out the bottom rack

   Unload all dishes and slide the bottom rack out completely. Look at the floor of the tub for bits of glass, labels, bones or fruit pits, and pick them out with a paper towel.

2. 2

   Remove and rinse the filter

   On most models the filter sits in the bottom center: twist the upper part a quarter turn counterclockwise, lift it out, then pull the lower screen forward. Rinse both under warm running water and scrub the mesh with a soft brush. Our dishwasher filter guide has more detail by brand.

3. 3

   Clear the spray arm holes

   Spin each spray arm by hand; it should turn freely. If you see holes plugged with debris or white scale, poke them clear with a toothpick. Many arms unscrew or pop off so you can rinse them in the sink.

4. 4

   Wipe the door gasket and edges

   With a cloth dipped in warm water and a drop of dish soap, wipe the rubber gasket all the way around, the bottom edge of the door and the sides of the tub. These spots never get sprayed in a cycle, so this is where most gunk and smell lives.

5. 5

   Scrub the bottom front of the tub

   Wipe the area under the door hinge and the front lip of the tub floor, where food soil collects. Clean around the detergent dispenser and its lid with the toothbrush.

6. 6

   Put the filter and rack back

   Reinstall the filter and turn it until it locks; it should not spin freely. Never run the dishwasher without the filter in place. Slide the bottom rack back in.

7. 7

   Run a vinegar or cleaner cycle

   Set 2 cups (500 mL) of white vinegar in an upright glass measuring cup on the bottom rack and run a normal or hot cycle with no detergent and the heated dry turned off. Or follow the label of a dishwasher cleaner tablet instead. Do not use both in the same cycle.

8. 8

   Wipe the outside last

   Clean the control panel and door with a damp microfiber cloth, then dry it. On stainless steel, wipe with the grain and skip vinegar and abrasive pads, which can mark the finish.

Vinegar or a dishwasher cleaner: which should you use?

Either works for routine cleaning. Vinegar is cheap and cuts light film and smell; a dishwasher cleaner tablet reaches deeper and handles heavier scale. To clean a dishwasher naturally, use white vinegar for the cleaning cycle and baking soda to freshen afterward, as in the table below.

Whirlpool’s cleaning instructions give the 2 cup vinegar method and recommend cleaning about every 30 days. They also warn that vinegar is an acid and could damage the dishwasher if used too often. affresh’s tablet directions say to use one tablet monthly, or two for heavy buildup with the machine empty.

Why does my dishwasher smell or have stains?

A smell almost always means trapped food: in the filter, under the door gasket or in standing water at the bottom. Stains usually come from your water.

• Rotten or musty smell: clean the filter first, then the gasket. If water sits in the bottom after a cycle, the filter or drain hose is likely clogged.
• White, chalky film: hard water scale. A cleaner tablet or a vinegar cycle removes it; a rinse aid helps prevent it.
• Brown or orange stains: Whirlpool says these are usually iron in the water supply. A dishwasher cleaner tablet lifts them; an iron filter for the house fixes the cause.
• Gritty dishes: a dirty filter is letting food particles recirculate. Whirlpool suggests cleaning the filter monthly, or every two weeks if you run the dishwasher daily.

Does the method change by brand?

The basic routine (filter, gasket, cleaning cycle) is the same for every brand, but filter removal and how often you need to do it vary, so check your manual.

To clean a Whirlpool dishwasher, follow the steps above: Whirlpool, KitchenAid and Maytag use a two-part filter that twists out from the tub floor, and Whirlpool’s own instructions give the 2 cup vinegar cycle and a cleaning about every 30 days. Bosch’s instructions have you remove the bottom rack, rotate the filter knob to the left, lift it out and clean it every few months. Many older dishwashers have a self-cleaning grinder instead of a removable filter; on those, skip the filter step and clean everything else.

For a full kitchen reset, add the dishwasher to the routine in our kitchen cleaning checklist.

Mistakes to avoid

• Running a vinegar cycle without first cleaning the filter, which leaves the main source of smell in place.
• Pouring vinegar straight onto the tub floor, where it drains away in the first fill.
• Using bleach in a stainless steel tub, or mixing bleach with vinegar or a cleaner tablet.
• Scrubbing the filter mesh with a wire brush or scouring pad, which can tear it.
• Forgetting the door gasket and lower door edge, which the spray never reaches.
• Running vinegar cycles every week; once a month is enough for most homes.