Cleaning the dishwasher - this eliminates grease and odors

• Material and preparation
• Removal of grease and odors in dishwashers
  • 1. Start full program
  • 2. Clean the dishwasher manually
• What you should pay attention to
  • Beware of harsh cleaners
  • Clean rubbers
  • Unpleasant mold growth
  • Cleaning the sieve
• Tips for efficient prevention

A new dishwasher will do its job for some time without you having to clean it. If you find that fat deposits or smells, you should clean the dishwasher. You can do the cleaning yourself and do not need to invest in expensive detergents. In addition, you have the opportunity to effectively prevent heavy pollution.

In most households, the dishwasher is in daily operation. A large family needs to turn on the dishwasher even after each meal. Over time, unpleasant odors may spread inside the dishwasher. These usually do not access dishes, pots and cutlery. Nevertheless, they must be removed for reasons of hygiene. In older dishwashers, it also happens that deposits fat. It should be removed immediately, because in the long term, fat can affect the functioning of the dishwasher. You do not need customer service for cleaning and removing grease and can do the work yourself. The necessary aids are available in every household.

Material and preparation

Before you can start cleaning the dishwasher, you should make some preparations. Then the work will be easier for you. Prepare the things you need for cleaning.

You need this:

• hot water
• Tool for removing the dishwasher arm
• Essigreiniger
• dish soap
• gloves
• Sponge or rag

Removal of grease and odors in dishwashers

A dirty dishwasher can be cleaned in different ways. If thorough rinsing is not sufficient, you can clean attachments individually or use a detergent to remove the grease and odors. As a rule, the measures have a high success rate, so that you can use your dishwasher afterwards as usual.

1. Start full program

If fat accumulates in your dishwasher or if you perceive unpleasant odors, you should first go through the full program once. This is the program where the dishwasher heats up the water to the highest possible temperature. For most dishwashers, this is 70 degrees . You can support the full program by placing boiling water in the dishwasher. Avoid inserting cutlery or dishes, but let the dishwasher run completely empty. After completing the program, check that the odors have been neutralized and the fat has been effectively removed. If this is not the case, it can be successful if you run the full program a second time.

Do not wait until the inside of the dishwasher has cooled down, but start the program immediately. If the second rinse does not work either, try the cleansing based on the recommendations in the next step.

2. Clean the dishwasher manually

The neutralization of odors and the removal of grease can also succeed if you manually clean the dishwasher. It is recommended to do the cleaning after a wash. The inside of the dishwasher is warmed up and the cleaning is easier.

Before you can clean the dishwasher, you should remove the baskets. Also remove the arms. To do this, loosen the screws and carefully remove the arms from the dishwasher. It is also important that you remove the filter and subject it to intensive cleaning.

Now wash the empty interior of the dishwasher with a degreasing detergent. Dissolve the detergent in hot water. When you wear gloves, the high temperature of the water does not come into contact with your hands. Clean the walls, bottom and top of the dishwasher with the hot solution. Use a sponge or a rag. When you have finished the cleaning process, rinse the inside of the machine with hot water. It is advantageous if you have a shower mixer that you can take off. Then the inside of the dishwasher can be easily rid of the residues of the detergent.

Instead of dishwashing liquid you can also use vinegar cleaner . This removes fat residues very persistently. Vinegar cleaner is harmless to health. Nevertheless, you should take into account that the vinegar cleaner is very concentrated and should not come into contact with the crockery or cutlery during the next operation of the dishwasher.

After manual cleaning, it is advisable to start another full program to completely remove the foam and the residues of the cleaning agent. You should refrain from loading the dishwasher. Before you can start the cleaning program, you can

What you should pay attention to

Beware of harsh cleaners

Hot household cleaners are an alternative to dishwashing detergents or a natural-based cleanser. Often you will achieve better results with this cleaner than if you use a detergent. However, sharp detergents have the disadvantage that they should not come into contact with the dishes and cutlery. Otherwise, you may be able to absorb the residue at the next meal. This can be detrimental to your health. If you use harsh detergents, then you must rinse the dishwasher thoroughly and activate at least two full programs until you are sure that you have removed all residues completely.

Clean rubbers

Unpleasant odors can also occur if the rubbers of the dishwasher are dirty. For this reason, it is recommended to clean the rubbers at regular intervals. Use warm water and a light detergent. Not only do you clean the rubbers superficially, but also include the grooves in the cleaning process. Underneath can be leftovers, but also residues of the cleaning agent. In principle, you can prevent the accumulation of food particles in the dishwasher by removing them under running water. Only then should you put dishes, pots, bowls and pans in the dishwasher.

Unpleasant mold growth

In addition to fat deposits and odors, mold can also be a problem. The mold is created when the moisture inside the dishwasher is very high and when the fungi find a breeding ground. These are food scraps. Remove mold manually by cleaning the affected area with a rag. If you clean the dishwasher and be very thorough, you will notice the mold immediately. Persistent spots are best treated with bleaching soda. After cleaning, the bleaching soda must be thoroughly rinsed off. If it comes in contact with a detergent, it can come in the worst case to a chemical reaction.

Cleaning the sieve

Regular cleaning tasks include emptying and cleaning the machine screen. This is integrated in the bottom of the dishwasher. You can remove it for cleaning purposes. The machine screen picks up scraps that have been on the dishes or cutlery. Ideally, you should empty it after each cleaning process. This is especially important if you do not rinse the dishes and cutlery before sorting them in the dishwasher.

An added machine screen may interfere with the operation of the dishwasher. In addition, fat deposits and odors can be favored. Small food particles that are not removed spoil in the machine screen. In the following wash, they can be rinsed out of the pores of the sieve and settled in the gums or on the wall of the dishwasher. You avoid such contamination if you attach great importance to the regular cleaning of the machine screen.

Tips for efficient prevention

If you have successfully cleaned your dishwasher, you can effectively prevent new fat deposits and odors. Follow these tips when buying a new dishwasher, because then it can not or only in exceptional cases come to a fatty deposit.

Many modern dishwashers have a so-called Eco program. It is suitable for slightly soiled dishes and for rinses in which the dishwasher is only moderately filled. The Eco program, which is also referred to as a short program or quick program, should save energy. The dishes will be cleaned in a shorter time. To make this possible, the dishwasher does not heat up to the normal rinse temperature of 65 to 70 degrees Celsius. The dishes are only cleaned at 50 degrees Celsius. For lightly soiled cutlery and dishes this temperature is sufficient. However, it will be problematic if you use the dishwasher permanently or predominantly in the eco-program. Also on slightly soiled plates are fat deposits from the food and there are odors that are not neutralized due to the low temperature. For this reason, it is advisable to use the Eco program only in exceptional cases.

Be sure to run the dishwasher at least once a week on a full program at the highest possible temperature. Due to the high temperature odors can be neutralized and fat residues can be removed. Even if you do not use your dishwasher so often, it is advisable to run the full program once a week. The residues are removed from the inside of the dishwasher and can not settle permanently. Unpleasant odors do not even come up. With the regular use of the full program you spare your dishwasher and thus also your wallet. The savings are higher than the electricity costs, which you save with the regular use of the Eco program, because your dishwasher has a longer life.