How to Clean a Dishwasher

Pull out the bottom rack and you'll see the filter sitting at the base of the tub. Twist it counterclockwise and lift it out. Take a look - mine usually comes out with a layer of food sludge on it.

Pull the bottom basket out too. Drop both into the kitchen sink, fill the sink with warm water, add about a cup of white vinegar, and squirt in some Dawn dish soap. Leave them to soak while you work on the rest of the machine.

Mix one cup white vinegar, one cup water, and a teaspoon of Dawn into a spray bottle. Spray the inside edges of the dishwasher tub - the corners, the lip just inside the door, and along the seals.

Run a microfiber cloth around every edge. Pay special attention to the strip just inside the door that gets shut against the gasket when you close the machine. Water can't reach that spot during a cycle, so it builds up the most gunk.

Look at the inside of the door for a small round vent. Not every dishwasher has one - if yours doesn't, skip ahead.

Use a flathead screwdriver to twist the cover a quarter turn and lift it out. The recess underneath usually has a layer of dried-on food. Drop the cover into the soaking sink with the filter, then wipe out the recess with the vinegar mix and a microfiber cloth.

The filter and basket have been soaking for about ten minutes by now. Drain the sink and you'll see most of the gunk has already lifted off.

Run each piece under hot water and rub off whatever's still clinging. The filter mesh sometimes needs a quick scrub with a dish brush or old toothbrush to clear the holes - hold it up to the light to check that water can pass through every cell.

Pop the vent cover back into the door and turn it a quarter turn to lock it. Tight is good - you don't want water working its way under there during the cycle.

Drop the filter back into the base of the tub and twist it clockwise until it's snug. Put the bottom basket back in, slide the bottom rack into place, and clip the utensil holder onto the side rack.

Drop a Cascade Platinum dishwasher cleaning pod into the detergent compartment and snap it closed. No Cascade pods on hand? Set a glass measuring cup full of white vinegar upright on the top rack and run the cycle that way.

Before you press start, walk over to the kitchen sink and run the hot tap for about thirty seconds. That clears the cold water out of the supply line so the dishwasher pulls hot water from the very first second. Set a normal cycle, high temperature wash, and turn off heat dry. Press start and walk away.

While the cycle runs, give the front of the dishwasher some love. Spray Bar Keepers Friend stainless steel cleaner onto a dry microfiber cloth - not directly on the door, which can leave drip marks.

Wipe with the grain of the steel, top to bottom or side to side depending on how the brushing runs on your machine. Then flip to a dry side of the cloth and buff over the same area to lift any remaining streaks.

Once the cycle finishes, open the door and pull the bottom rack out. Look at the heating coils running around the base - they sometimes pick up a little rust over the years.

Spray the coils with the vinegar mix and run a microfiber cloth gently along each one. Wipe down any other spots that still look dingy, then slide the bottom rack back in and pop the utensil holder back into place. Close the door and you're done - it should already smell completely different inside.