How to Clean a Dishwasher (Filter and All)

To clean a dishwasher properly, remove and rinse the filter, wipe the spray arms and door seals, then run a hot empty cycle with white vinegar or a dishwasher cleaner. The whole job takes about fifteen minutes and it is the single best way to stop smells, clear away grease and keep the machine draining freely. The steps below cover how to clean a dishwasher from top to bottom, how often to do it, and when a cleaning problem is actually a repair job.

A dishwasher spends its life washing food off your plates, so grease, limescale and food debris build up inside it. Regular dishwasher cleaning clears that build-up before it turns into odours, poor drainage or a film on your dishes.

How to clean your dishwasher, step by step

You do not need any special tools for this, just warm soapy water, a cloth, an old toothbrush and either white vinegar or a supermarket dishwasher cleaner. Switch the machine off at the power point before you start, and make sure it is empty.

Step 1: Clean the filter

The filter is the most important part to keep clean, so if you only learn how to clean a dishwasher filter and nothing else, make it this. It sits in the base of the tub, usually as a round cylinder you twist anti-clockwise to release. Lift it out, tip away any trapped food, then rinse it under a hot tap. Scrub the mesh with an old toothbrush until the water runs straight through, then drop the filter back in and twist firmly to lock. A clean filter keeps the machine draining and stops most dishwasher odours before they start.

Step 2: Clear the spray arms

The spray arms are the spinning bars that fire jets of water over your dishes, and their tiny holes clog with limescale and food particles, which weakens the wash. Lift or unclip each arm (most pull straight up or unscrew by hand), poke any blocked holes clear with a toothpick, rinse it under the tap, then click it back and check it spins freely.

Step 3: Wipe the seals and door

Grime, grease and even mould gather in the rubber door seal, and this is a common source of smell. Dampen a cloth in warm soapy water and wipe right around the seal, getting into the folds where residue hides, then clean the door edge and the detergent dispenser. This is one of the quickest wins when you are working out how to clean a smelly dishwasher.

Step 4: Run a hot cleaning cycle

With the inside wiped down, it is time to clean the parts you cannot reach by hand. Stand a cup of white vinegar upright on the top rack, or add a dishwasher cleaner as directed, then run the hottest cycle with nothing else inside. The hot water and vinegar cut through grease and limescale, freshen the interior and flush the drain line. For an extra lift, sprinkle a cup of bicarbonate of soda across the base afterwards and run a short hot rinse. That vinegar and bicarb routine is the classic fix for how to clean a smelly dishwasher at home.

How often to clean it

Doing it on a regular schedule matters as much as the clean itself, and a little and often beats one big scrub. Rinse the filter about once a month, or more often if you run heavily soiled loads or do not scrape your plates first. Wipe the door seal every couple of weeks, and run the hot vinegar or dishwasher cleaner cycle monthly to keep grease and limescale in check. In hard-water parts of Perth, limescale builds faster, so lean towards the more frequent end of that range.

Why a clean dishwasher matters

Cleaning is not just about appearances. Most of the everyday problems people book a technician for start as maintenance that got skipped. A blocked filter is the number one cause of a dishwasher that will not drain and leaves standing water in the base. A greasy interior is what makes a dishwasher smell, and clogged spray arms leave a gritty film on supposedly clean dishes. Staying on top of dishwasher cleaning prevents all three and extends the machine’s working life. If your dishwasher is already holding water at the end of a cycle, our guide on a dishwasher that is not draining walks through the causes and safe checks.

When cleaning is not enough, call a technician

Cleaning and maintenance are safe for anyone to do. Where it stops being a DIY job is anything internal or electrical. If you have cleaned the filter, cleared the spray arms and run a hot cycle and the machine still will not drain, smells, leaks, or throws an error code, that is a fault inside the machine rather than a cleaning issue. Those parts carry water and mains electricity together, so leave them to a licensed technician.

That is where our team comes in. CAI Appliance Services provides dishwasher repairs across Perth, with fully qualified mobile technicians who come to you, from Beeliar to Yanchep. We have repaired Perth appliances for over 25 years and hold a 4.8 star rating from more than 360 reviews. We are an authorised service agent for Bosch, Electrolux and their affiliate brands, so the work is done with the correct parts. Call CAI on 0415 343 413 to book a technician.

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