Day 125: Washing the Dish Washer

We’ve broached the topic of washing the washing machine, which I never in all my life thought would be necessary.  So, of course, another device that doesn’t seem to need cleaning would be – the dishwasher.  I mean, it’s running all the time, cleaning dishes, so you’d think it would remain sparkling, sanitized and perfect.  Right!?!?  I suppose if we ran on that theory, then the shower and the tub would never need cleaning, either.  Yuck.  So, if your dishwasher looks or smells a little funky, just give these three simple steps a try!  You can get a cleaner, gunk-free dishwasher, and you may improve the overall life of this much-needed kitchen appliance, too!

FIRST: Remove the bottom rack and examine the drain area; make sure there are no nasty food bits or random chunks of stuff that could block the drain, cause damage to the pump or even scratch your dishes!  When I unscrewed the dishwasher spray arm (white thing in my hand) from the bottom of our dishwasher, I found a small, sharp (very clean) pairing knife lodged by the pump/motor (gray thing).  That's probably not a good thing... ;)

SECOND: Place a dishwasher-safe cup filled with plain white vinegar on the top rack of the dishwasher. Using the hottest water available, run the dishwasher through a cycle. (Except for the cup of vinegar, the dishwasher will be empty.) The vinegar will help sanitize your dishwasher and will help remove any musty odors.
 

THIRD: When the cycle is complete, sprinkle a cupful of baking soda around the bottom of your dishwasher, and run it through a short but complete cycle using the hottest water. The baking soda will help freshen the smell of your dishwasher and will brighten up the look of the inside of the appliance by removing stains.

Now you can use your dishwasher again, as normal... but hopefully it's much cleaner... and safer!

Now, THAT's neat!

Day 93: Spooning in the Dishwasher?

My neighbor shared a little tip with me. Now, I have heard this one before, but I always thought it would keep the utensils from getting clean... you know, with all that spooning going on and all! But... it seems I may be wrong!

SO, here is another neat freak cheat sheet tip! (Wow! Two in a row!)


When loading the dishwasher, put all the same utensils in the same slot in your utensil bin. So, put all forks together, all spoons together, and so on. That way, when it's time to unload, the sorting is already done! This will save time and energy as you put those dishes away. My neighbor commented, "When unloading, it takes less than 1/2 the time... because [the utensils] are already sorted. For me, it's easier to sort on the front end!"


Now, THAT's neat!