Question from Bonnie
Hi Debra,
My parents are is their 80’s and can not smell anything. There was a strong cleaner smell in their kitchen – I found out it was cascade pod cleaners. Is there a nontoxic brand you know of?
Thank you.
Debra’s Answer
Readers, we’re not talking about dishwasher detergent here.
The question is about dishwasher cleaner. a product that removes limescale buildup, grease, and odors from your dishwasher.
I’m not aware of any nontoxic version of this product. And I haven’t had a dishwasher for more than 40 years, so I don’t have a solution from experience.
Readers. any recommendations?
To clean my dishwasher I pull out filter on the bottom, and clean by hand with water and brush. I also pull out the bottom rack & while it’s apart I pout vinegar and a cup of baking soda mixed together down the dishwasher drain. You want the mix to not be too runny. Let sit for 15 minutes then I pour my entire tea kettle full of boiling hot water down the drain. I then run the empty dishwasher containing a cup of white vinegar on the top shelf. I do this once a month.
I use 7th Generation dishwasher detergent and Whole Foods 365 dishwasher rinse for everyday dishwasher use.
That’s a super important point about cleaning out the filter at the bottom of the dishwasher. I forgot to mention that earlier. But it’s really important, because if it has grime remaining on it, subsequent wash cycles will just redistribute existing gunk and things still won’t get very clean.
I’ve used vinegar (even apple cider vinegar works when that’s all I have available). Put some in a little bowl and place the bowl (facing up) on the top rack of the dishwasher; then put some vinegar in another little bowl and place that one on the bottom rack. Run a regular cycle, but stop it after 6 or 7 minutes and open the door and leave it open for an hour or so. Then resume the cycle and let it complete. By doing this, the water in the washer splashes some of the vinegar out of the bowls, and it ends up on the bottom of the washer, where it sits (diluted) for that hour and looses any gunk that is down there. And the vinegar is in contact with everything during the rest of the cycle as it continues to splash out of the bowl. Works well for me. If necessary, repeat another time, depending on how much gunk is in the washer. It might be necessary to take a rag or paper towel and use some of the vinegar water to remove any gunk along the bottom of the washer, where the edge of the door meets the bottom.
CountryTime Lemonade packets can be used for this which is basically citric acid. Tang or KoolAid works. Wouldn’t drink it though.
http://ehowdiy.com/dishwashers_soap_scum_and_grime.htm
Or Mountain Rose Herbs sells Citric Acid derived from 100% pure anhydrous citric acid from sugar cane. https://www.mountainroseherbs.com/products/citric-acid/profile
I have used Glisten Dishwasher Magic that I buy at my hardware store. The active ingredient is citric acid, at 20-40%. Neither the packaging nor the MSDS list the other ingredients, but I find it tolerable.
http://www.cleanreport.com/pdf/msds/Glisten.PDF
Every dishwasher cleaner that I have found has high chlorine content.
Over the years these are my solutions.
I have used plain old vinegar and run the cleaning cycle. However mine has a stainless interior and the plastic ones seem to hold odor moreso.
Putting a dry cup of baking soda inside the unit for a night also helps, absorbs odors.