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Kitchen appliances dot our everyday life nowadays and how to clean calcium buildup in dishwasher thus strives to be one of the most critical questions.
Technological innovation has embraced almost all parts of our lives, and we can stop worrying about how to clean a whole stack of utensils heaped in the basin, and a dishwasher will do the job. So, let’s find out how to save the machine from getting corrupted.
Sometimes, the dishwasher will not check whether the water is hard or soft, and it also doesn’t have any filtering technology. So, it might also use hard water for cleaning the dishes.
Thus, hard water dishwashers often tend to store calcium on their surface. The greyish or white residue on your washer proves the presence of minerals in your tap water.
In these cases, you can use a dishwasher descaler to remove these stains and decalcify the dishwasher. So, if you want to know how to clean calcium buildup in dishwasher, you can give this article a read.
The mineral salts present in your water will leave their mark on your dishes, utensils, or in that case, the dishwasher itself. If the metallic content is high, it can also damage the machine by spearheading rusting inside it.
This can, in turn, lead to damage to the heating elements and pumps present in the machine. So, to tackle these problems, you can use simple cleaning techniques.
How to spot buildups
Often, you might seem to ask how to spot the presence of hard water on your dishwasher.
If you keep your eyes open, you can take note of the uncleanliness of your utensils no matter how hard you scrub their surface. The dishes will appear dirty even after intense cleaning and washing cycles. Soap doesn’t form foam in hard water, and hence, it will not help wash the dishes either.
You will also notice white crust on the dishwasher bottom or the spray hands of the machine. If you spot any of these problems, you should follow these steps to undo the problem.
Cleaning calcium buildups
Here are 7 tips to follow if you want to know how to clean calcium buildup in dishwasher.
Citric Acid
Citric acid responds very well when used for cleaning a calcified dishwasher. The process of de-calcification is also called descaling which is mandatory if you are using hard water.
Lemon juice contains citric acid, and hence you can pour it on the washer and then run this machine as you do on a typical day. Let the water fill up the washer to disperse the juice in the tub.
After undergoing this process, if you remove the machine’s container, you will see the calcium deposits are no longer there.
However, white vinegar is a good substitute if the stains are persistent.
White vinegar
Talking about citric acid as a dishwasher limescale remover, white vinegar can never get missed from the list. Even if your dishwasher is made of stainless steel, white vinegar can come to use due to its versatility. Also, if you have water clogging in your drain hose pipe, white vinegar will be of great help.
You should place the white vinegar on the container’s top rack and let the water disperse it throughout the container’s body. It will dissolve the hard water deposits and eventually get rid of the grease.
Using a toothpick to remove minute stains is also a wise decision.
Borax
The best place to spot borax is in a laundry room, and as you can understand, it is a great agent for removing mineral deposits. It is both a cleaner and a detergent for a dishwasher.
You can use hot water for spraying inside the dishwasher and then sprinkle the element into its tub. After that, you can use a scrubber for surface-cleaning purposes.
After you are done with this process, you can close the lid and then go through the usual cleaning cycle.
Let the door stay open to get the washer dried.
Baking Soda
We have used baking soda in making cakes. But, can you ever imagine, it could also clean your dishwasher. How to clean calcium buildup in the dishwasher can have the answer in your most favorite cake-making ingredient, baking soda.
If your dishwasher has grown mildew and mold, baking soda can eliminate them.
You cannot use baking soda over the dishwasher racks, and you have to remove them first and then fill them with hot or lukewarm water. Then, you can lightly sprinkle the soda on the affected site.
Baking soda will also come to use to eliminate bad smells. You can get two jobs done simultaneously using baking soda as a dishwasher descaler.
Commercial products
Homemade products often take much time. So, you can also opt for other readymade commercial products. So, if you wonder how to descale dishwasher, these are the ready reckoners for you. Some cleaners can be liquid, while others can be tablets. Depending on that, you will shape how you clean the dishwasher. So, a regular wash cycle will make your dishwasher clean.
How to clean the heating element
Often, we seem to turn our eyes from the necessary sub-parts of our dishwasher. Periodic cleaning is essential to keep the dishwasher’s heating element clean and to encourage its smooth running.
To reach the heating element, you will first remove the racks. You can very well spot the heating element by its horseshoe shape. Taking lemon juice for cleaning is the best choice. After dipping a toothbrush in it, you can gently sweep the element’s surface to remove the deposits and the dirt.
Repeat this process until you have made the surface spic and span. A regular cleaning cycle can finally wash the whole dishwasher and be ready to use again.
Final Thoughts
So, if you are still wondering how to clean calcium buildup in dishwasher, these easy homemade steps can bring delight to your life. Worrying about the stack of unwashed utensils will no longer be your nightmare if your best companion is there to stay by your side.
