How to Remove Soap Scum from a Dishwasher

Co-authored by Chris Willatt

Last Updated: September 11, 2022 Approved

Continuous build up of dishwasher detergent can lead to a scummy white residue being left on your dishes at the end of the wash. Far from appearing clean, such dishes look as if they need to go through the cycle again! The answer lies in cleaning the dishwasher regularly.

Steps

1
Locate the drain trap. This is at the base of the dishwasher and it's not called a trap without reason! This trap should be cleaned regularly to remove the trapped particles of food, grime, and even clumps of dishwasher detergents (especially the cake or powdered varieties).^{[1]
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2
Give the dishwasher a manual scrub. Using a small scrubbing brush, clean off the soap scum residues. Dip the brush into white wine vinegar to help dissolve the scum. Don't forget to clean all of the sides, the racks, the cutlery holder, and the base and roof of the dishwasher. Also scrub the soap dispensers where a lot of residue will probably have accumulated. Stubborn soap can be removed using either citrus oil or eucalyptus oil on a damp cloth.^{[2]
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3
Fill a large dishwasher proof bowl with white vinegar. Put it on the bottom level of the dishwasher and set the dishwasher for a short wash cycle.^{[3]
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Expert Source

Chris Willatt
House Cleaning Professional
Expert Interview. 1 July 2019.}^{[4]
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4
Wipe down all the surfaces after the wash.
5
Test drive the clean. Your next load of dishes should come out sparkling with no residue.^{[5]
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6
Repeat this cleaning process regularly in order to prevent soap scum build up. Once a month is ideal if you use the dishwasher every day; every six months if you use it less regularly.^{[6]
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Community Q&A

Question

What is the recommended detergent for a Fisher Paykel dishwasher?

Community Answer

I use Finish, but it leaves little marks on my cups, so in my experience it's not the best choice. Perhaps you may want to try Cascade.