How I Cleaned My Dishwasher

It all started when I bought my husband the TB12 Method book by Tom Brady and some other guy. After trying out TB12 packaged meals from PurpleCarrot.com (#eatlikeagoat), we were both looking forward to a few more Tom Brady recipes.

Unfortunately, my husband’s disdain for certain vegetables narrowed our options. But the Brady Bowl is certainly a winner and it won the lunch meal prepping recipe for a couple weeks. Kale, sweet potato, and curry sauce. The first batch didn’t cause any problems. The second batch left some slight staining down the middle of the door. One wash later our dishwasher looked like this.

Now, our dishwasher is maybe 16 years old. It was in rough shape in the first place. Like the wheels on the bottom rack inexplicably popping off so often that we gave up and have a wheel grave in the junk drawer. Yes, we could replace the dishwasher but we’re currently exploring the possibility of expanding our tiny home since it’s the smallest house on this side of West Boylston.

Lucky for me, as a real estate agent I have come across stained dishwashers before and being the resourceful gal I am, I was able to track down a method of cleaning a dishwasher for a client once and this gave me the opportunity to share it with my clients. You’ll never guess what works!

Tang! Yes, the powdery orange drink you remember from your childhood. If you’re at least as old as me.

The packaging may have changed since the 80s, but it is still that sweet citrusy orange drink. At least it smelled the way I remembered it. Alas, no Tang was mixed with cool water from this container. It was for plastic cleaning purposes only.

So this is how I did it:
1. Empty the dishwasher.
2. Turn on the hot water in the sink faucet.
3. When the water is hot in the sink, turn the dishwasher on and let it run on a “Normal” cycle for 2-3 minutes.
4. Open the dishwasher and fill soap dispenser up with Tang and close it. Then empty what’s remaining in the container of Tang into the bottom of the dishwasher. I poured it right in the center.
5. Let the dishwasher complete it’s cycle.

Then voila!

Clean dishwasher. 😁