Best Household Product for Cleaning a Dishwasher?

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phyllis

Should I use bleach or vinegar to clean a dishwasher?

By phyllis from Home, NC

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Robin

July 15, 20100 found this helpful

Personally, I would use anything other than bleach. Bleach is so toxic. White vinegar is a great cleaner and can be enhanced by using an essential oil (EO). I use a lot of peroxide and often times alcohol. You can also use vodka to clean with. Put in a splash of tea tree essential oil and you've got yourself a wonderful, non-toxic, amazing cleaner with ton's of benefits to kill germs. Do a quick Google search on tea tree oil. It's awesome! If you need something to clean counter's with you could add a splash of orange EO or lemon (EO), lemon (EO) kills odors and uplifts your mood..orange does about the same. It all depends on personal preference. I clean my hardwood floors with essential oil enhanced home made cleaners all of the time.

I used to pay about $35- $50 bucks a month to purchase store bought cleaners. Not anymore! I now spend maybe $3 bucks a month, of course I sneak some of the essential oils from my own personal stash! It's about the only thing that's a little costly but you don't have to use but a drop to make your whole house feel like you've walked into a lemon or orange grove.

A little lavender spray for your bedding also makes you sleep like a baby. it can be made with equal parts of spring water and witch hazel with a splash of any EO of your choice. I also use a similar spray to iron our clothing with.

(*EO*) means essential oil

Louise B.
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July 16, 20100 found this helpful

Usually the problem with a dishwasher is lime buildup, so vinegar is useful for that. Bleach will not remove limescale. If there was some type of bacteria or mold, than bleach would be the product to use. However, in general, the hot water that you use in the dishwasher is all the disinfectant that one needs.

Finish makes a cleaner specifically for dishwashers, although I have never tried it. Some people have used TANG crystals; it would be the citric acid in that that does the cleaning. I haven't tried that either.

Michawn
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July 17, 20100 found this helpful

Here is a great way to clean your dishwasher, get rid of bacteria etc. and clean your plastic and dishes, no metal!
Fill dishwasher with dishes, plastic etc. Place a glass dish at the bottom of the dishwasher and fill with 1 1/2 cup bleach, run for regular wash (no detergent) and no drying! Dump out the water left in. Then do again with vinegar 1 1/2 cup. Then the dishwasher and the glasses/plastic are super clean!

Grandma J
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July 17, 20100 found this helpful

Vinegar.

Annie Rios Hill
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July 25, 20100 found this helpful

Ok my dishwasher is new after 10 months a smell was bad. I tried all types of cleaners. Turned out, it was garbage disposal. Used costly cleaners to no avail. What finally worked was a 5 pound bag of ice cubes put through the disposal with cold water.

It cleaned the blades. My maintenance man told me and it was cheap and easy. Wished I had done that first. It took the sour smell out of dishwasher. Good luck.

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