Does Your Dishwasher Need Disinfecting? Here’s How Often You Should Be Cleaning Appliances

You rely on your kitchen appliances to help you prep meals, to keep your family healthy, and to clean up after cooking and dining. But how much TLC do you give back to your appliances? If you’re like most people, it’s probably not enough.

The new year is a perfect time to set up a schedule for cleaning appliances. Take a few moments now to learn how, then add these maintenance tasks into your calendar so you can stay on track. 

Cleaning the Microwave

Take a quick look inside your microwave. What do you see? If the inside of your nuker looks like a Jackson Pollack painting, it’s time to clean it out! Luckily, this is a quick and easy cleaning job.

You will need a microwave-safe cup. A coffee mug or a Pyrex measuring cup will work just fine.

Fill it with water and a good glug of white vinegar. Place this inside the microwave and heat it for three minutes.

Remove the cup (carefully!) and wipe down the interior of the microwave with a microfiber cloth or paper towels. The steam generated from the vinegar water should make this a snap.

Clean your microwave at minimum once a month.

Cleaning the Dishwasher

You’ll use a similar process for disinfecting the dishwasher. First, set another cup, this one filled with vinegar, on the top rack of the machine. Run a full cycle on the hot-water setting, with nothing else in the dishwasher.

Once that’s complete, remove the vinegar and sprinkle the bottom of the dishwasher with baking soda. Use about a cup of baking soda in total. Run the dishwasher through a half-cycle, again with hot water.

Afterwards, leave the door of the dishwasher open so that everything can dry out. This is a chore to do once a month if you use this appliance daily.

Cleaning the Refrigerator

Time to clean out the science experiments – er, leftovers!

At least several times a year, remove everything from the fridge so you can give it a top to bottom cleaning. Toss any unidentifiable foodstuffs or anything that has expired.

Either remove the shelves to wash them or wipe them down with a mixture of one tablespoon baking soda and one-quart warm water. Don’t forget the shelves on the door, which tend to get covered in icky, sticky condiments.

If possible, pull the unit away from the wall to vacuum behind and underneath it. Use your vacuum’s detail attachment to clean all the vents at the bottom, as well. 

Before you throw everything back in all willy-nilly, research the best way to organize your refrigerator to keep your foods fresh, and your family healthy.

Final Thoughts on Cleaning Appliances

Here at Dirt Busters, we actually think cleaning is fun!

If you don’t feel the same way, why not contact us today to get an instant quote? We’ll take care of cleaning appliances, floors, countertops, windows, or anything else that could use a little tender loving care.