Green Daily

I have an older dishwasher and I am fighting a battle to keep it running in good condition until I can go buy a nice, eco-friendly, energy efficient model. If you are on a quest for sparkling dishes too, some of these tips might be helpful.

First, we considered having a repair man in for a check up on the dishwasher. We were getting lots of little food particles sprayed everywhere. Then, before we called the repair man we put boiling hot water and baking soda down the kitchen drain adjacent to the dishwasher and cleaned out the bottle of the dishwasher really well. There was much improvement.

Other options to consider would be getting and old toothbrush and some white vinegar and scrubbing areas like the door seal and all the little nooks and crannies at the bottom. You can also wipe down the inside with white vinegar to combat staining and gunky build-up.

You can also run a high heat cycle with a cup or bowl of white vinegar in the top rack (no dishes, just the vinegar) to help get rid of any more gunk you couldn't get with the toothbrush.

If you're trying to make your dishwasher last longer until you can afford a sparkling high efficiency model, a good green cleaning might drastically improve your performance. Try it and see!