Someone asked me how to remove hard water stains from a stainless steel dishwasher the other day and I wasn’t sure if I could figure out how to resolve that problem. Then it dawned on me…why not use our DIY Kitchen Sink Cleaner recipe?! It worked perfectly for the sink, so it should work perfectly for the dishwasher!
Now, I did modify the recipe a bit because I wanted to make a cleaning concoction thick enough to sit vertically on the dishwasher without slipping off. Even with a few tweaks, this cleaner worked perfectly! And of course, test this out on a small corner before doing your entire dishwasher… some finishes don’t work as well as others!
How to Remove Water Stains from Your Stainless Steel Dishwasher
It’s pretty difficult to see what I’m fighting so here is a close-up shot:
See all those spots and water stains? It looks pretty bad when you’re standing right in front of it.
Now that you have an idea as to what I’m trying to get rid of, we can move on.
How to Make Your Stainless Steel Cleaner:
Here are the supplies you’ll need:
- Baking Soda
- Vinegar
- Lemon Juice
- Olive Oil
- Soft Cloth
- Spoon
Once you’ve got those ready, mix 1/4 cup vinegar to 1/2 cup baking soda. Add a tablespoon of lemon juice and a tablespoon of olive oil. Stir all of your ingredients so they form a paste.
How to Clean Your Dishwasher
Once your paste is made, take a soft cloth and dip it into your mixture and rub it in small circles over your dishwasherrub with the grain of the stainless steel.
Cover the Entire Surface:
Notice how we accidentally rubbed the stainless steel cleaner in circles instead of with the grain. This could cause small scratches (thanks Sara for letting us know). Make sure to rub with the grain!
Wipe it Off:
Once the mixture has been sitting on your dishwasher for about 5 to 10 minutes, it’s ready to wipe off. Simply dampen your towel and start wiping!
See how nice that gunk is coming off?! I love how simple this is!!!
Once the dishwasher has been wiped off, you can add a few drops of olive oil to a soft cloth and buff it right into the dishwasher surface to give it an even better shine!
The End Result:
It might not be perfect but it certainly looks 99% better! I’m happy!!! I hope this post helps to make your cleaning journey a little easier!