Can you put vinegar and baking soda in dishwasher at the same time

Be honest. When was the last time you cleaned your dishwasher? And I’m not talking about running a washing cycle with an empty chamber, I’m talking about a deep cleaning of filters, cartridges and crates. I’m guessing that quite a bit of time has passed since your last cleaning. Well, tiny bits of food, grease and dishwasher soap scum can cling together and form deposits in all the nooks and crannies of your dishwasher. After a time, they can not only make your dishwasher look and smell bad, but decrease its efficiency as well.

Here at Cleancult, we’re big fans of cleaning our different home appliances and keeping them working in top shape! So, for the benefit of everyone and their machines, today we bring you an easy, effective and swift way of cleaning your dishwasher using only vinegar, baking soda, and a toothbrush. So gather your cleaning supplies, because it’s time to give new life to your dishwasher.

According to cleaning experts, you should clean your dishwasher at least once a month to keep it working properly and in top condition. Follow these few easy steps and give your dishwasher the cleaning it deserves.

What you need:

1 cup of vinegar (both white or apple cider vinegar will do the trick) 1 cup of baking soda A toothbrush Dish soap

The steps:

  1. Examine the drain - The first thing you want to do is to pull out the bottom rack of your machine and examine the drain are to make sure there are no hard chunks of material that may clog the drain, cause damage to the pump or scratch your dishes. You’ll be surprised at what you find lying there! Dishwasher repairmen commonly find bones, crab shells, bits of glass, and even small pieces of gravel!
  2. 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.
  3. 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. Then using the hottest water setting possible, run the dishwasher through a cycle. The machine should be empty, apart from the vinegar-filled cup.
  4. Run a wash cycle with Baking Soda - After the vinegar cycle finishes, sprinkle the cup of baking soda around the bottom of the dishwasher and run it through a short cycle, again in the hottest water setting possible. The baking soda helps in further deodorizing your dishwasher and in removing any stains.
  5. Done! - Get rid of any hard-to-remove stains with the toothbrush, replace the filter, and you should have a squeaky-clean dishwasher.

A word of caution, though! Even though some sites recommend running an additional cycle with a cup of bleach in your dishwasher, we advice against this. Even though bleach may leave your dishwasher looking whiter than ever (if it is indeed white), it may also harm the stainless steel parts of it and eventually shorten its lifespan, therefore making it a counterproductive measure.

It doesn’t matter which kind of detergent you usually to wash your dishes, either dishwasher gel or dishwasher detergent pods, regularly cleaning your dishwasher not only helps to achieve a better and more effective cleaning, but may even extend the life of your machine. If you do so, you will also find that fewer repairs are needed and will actually help you save money!

You should never put vinegar and baking soda in the dishwasher at the same time.     The two will combine and foam up and there will be a mini explosion or reaction.

This is because vinegar and banking soda is very acidic.    If you combine the two together you will get a reaction of sodium acetate and lots of water.   Basically the vinegar will cause a foam volcano when it interacts with the baking soda.   In a sealed container like a dishwasher, if you put enough of the two elements in the mixture you could cause a mini explosion which would not be good for the dishwasher.

How To Clean a Dish-Washer With Vinegar and Baking Soda

The dishwasher is one of the filthiest things in our households! It is because it is least cleaned in our homes even though its purpose is to clean dishes! How ironic, right? We should at least clean our dishwasher once a month to keep it looking brand new and smelling fresh. Keeping it clean also keeps its cleaning system from damaging and keeps it working effectively!

Dishwashers get dirty due to all the grease and grime from our food leftovers! Also, the odors they leave are not very pleasurable to our senses. We should also know that the bacteria make a home in such dirty places. And many diseases can get birth in these types of places. Some may prove to be fatal. So, we must clean this essential household object. It should not be washed with harsh acids or other cleaning items as they also contain chemicals that may destroy the metal.

Baking soda and vinegar seem to be the best option to clean this machine. As we all know that the baking soda contains cleaning properties, white vinegar is used to absorb any bad odor and leave the dishwasher smelling fresh.

Take out big chunks:

To clean your machine, the first thing you should do is to take a look and see if there are any big or pick-able chunks in your machine! If yes, then take them out!

Clean the filter:

 After that, take the filter out and wash it separately. To do that, you have to place the filter in the soapy water, better if it’s warm, for about 10-15 minutes, then take it out and rinse it with clean tap water.

Place vinegar:

Now, the main step comes! Take a cup filled with white vinegar, then place it on the top rack. After that, start the dishwasher like you usually do but put it on the hottest cycle possible. By doing so, you will see that your dishwasher looks as good as new. Vinegar has the ability that takes the grease or grimes out, especially when it is cleaned with warm water. Warm water melt any grease formed, and then they become easy to wash.

Sprinkle baking soda:

Now sprinkle some baking soda on the racks and the lower part of the dishwasher. Baking soda used should be equal to at least a cup. Now again, start your machine on the hottest cycle. Doing so helps to take away the musty odors or any stains left from the previous cycle.

After it is done, take a brush and scrub away any stain that has been left. Due to vinegar and baking soda, all the grease or grim has either been removed or has melted enough to easily scrub it away.

All done:

Now see how fresh and new your dishwasher looks. You have given the dishwasher its life back by cleaning it up thoroughly. Just keep in mind to do this every month to maintain its ability to clean effectively! If you don’t clean it once every month, it can damage your dishwasher. So remember to clean it every month!

Can you wash with vinegar and baking soda at the same time?

Don't use vinegar and baking soda in laundry together. That's because when they're used together, vinegar and baking soda in the laundry will neutralize each other, effectively canceling out the benefits of vinegar's low pH and baking soda's high pH.

Does mixing baking soda and vinegar cancel each other out?

Mixing baking soda and white vinegar is not the be-all, end-all cleaning solution. Used separately, both substances are great. Together, though, they cancel each other out. Yet, there are still ways to use them effectively if you know what you're doing.