Dishwasher, Meet Vinegar

We are always after the most efficient and natural ways to clean. When our dishwasher kept giving us results that were not so sparkly, we had to get to the bottom of it. We depend so much on the dishwasher to do cleaning for us, that we didn’t think to clean it! We keep our floors clean and windows shiny—why not clean our larger appliances more? Especially when it’s the appliance that washes the dishes and cups we drink out of daily.

Cleaning larger appliances can seem intimidating, but you know we always keep it simple here at Boulder Clean. Over time dishwashers collect grease, soap scum and food debris ruining it’s efficiency to clean, hence the cloudy glasses we had now on hand!

How to Clean Your Dishwasher

The next time your dishwasher is empty, clean the drain to remove any bits of food captured there. Then place a cup of white vinegar in a dishwasher-safe container on the upper rack. After, run the dishwasher through a hot-water cycle. That’s it—we told you we’d keep it simple!

The vinegar works to break down grease and build up in your machine. If this cleaning cycle sounds familiar, it works on the same principle as running a cup of white vinegar through your washing machine. If vinegar isn’t enough to keep your machine sparkling and smelling fresh, next time try a baking soda wash following your vinegar cycle. Simply sprinkle the baking soda across the bottom of the dishwasher and run a short wash cycle with hot water. The baking soda should leave the machine brighter and fresher.

This story originally appeared on Southern Living.
Cover photo by Andre Popov/Getty Images.