Vinegar dishwasher how much

Everything it takes to outsmart mess and overpower grime. How to Deep Clean Your Dishwasher. What you need:. Dishwasher repairmen commonly find bones, crab shells, bits of glass, and even small pieces of gravel! Wash the filter - Remove the filter and wash away any excess or gunky remains you may find. Place in warm soapy water for about 10 minutes and then rinse.

Run a wash cycle with vinegar - Fill a dishwasher-safe cup with plain white vinegar or apple cider vinegar and place it on the top rack of your dishwasher. The vinegar is very effective in terms of washing away the loose, greasy grime, sanitizing, and helping to remove the musty odors from your dishwasher. Vinegar is an acid with a pH of around 2. It's only one tick up the pH scale from sulfuric acid which destroys most substances it comes in contact with. Because it's is a strong acid, vinegar can break down the rubber gaskets and hoses in your dishwasher, eventually causing a costly breakdown.

Also, if it mixes with salt, say from bits of food on your dishes, vinegar can discolor metal pans, flatware and mixing bowls. Those rinse aids you can buy at the store are also acidic, and some even contain vinegar, but they are formulated in a lab to be used in a dishwasher.

The acidity is low enough that most brands won't damage the rubber pieces in your dishwasher or discolor metals. I know some die-hard vinegar fans out there will cry foul. You love your vinegar and don't want to let go. There are some ways you can keep your all-natural rinse aid while causing as little damage to your dishwasher as possible. First, try to find a brand of vinegar that is only 5 percent acetic acid. This is the lowest concentration of acid for a household vinegar and will cause the least amount of damage.

Brands will either have the acetic acid amount on the label, or you can search for the information online. According to house-maintenance expert Bob Vila , you should clean your dishwasher filter and drain once a month. Cleaning dishwashers isn't difficult. Here's how to clean the dishwasher. Even if you have a relatively new dishwasher, Vila suggests that it's a good idea to clean the dishwasher monthly to help maximize its efficiency.

It just takes a few steps to get your dishwasher cleaner.