7 Things You Can Add To Your Dishwasher For Sparkling, Odor-Free Dishes

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Dishwashers are a major timesaver and a way to significantly cut down the stress of your day-to-day routine. After all, once you're done cooking, enjoying, and cleaning up the mess from three meals a day, the last thing you want to do is stand over the sink scrubbing away just to return your kitchen to its previously mess-free state. Unfortunately, however, things aren't always as simple as tossing your dirty plates, pans, and silverware into this appliance. More often than not, dishes come out smelling strange, still caked in debris, or holding puddles of murky, gross water. Cleaning your dishwasher is one of the easiest ways to prevent this problem (and something you should be doing regularly), but adding in a little scent booster or disinfectant can go a long way in reducing the unwelcome surprise of opening your dishwasher and being hit with a soggy, unpleasant odor.

Adding something into your dishwasher's cycle is a quick fix that takes much less effort than a deep clean and scrub, and if you incorporate these things into your regular routine, you should be left with a dishwasher that smells much more pleasant. Whether you want to nix odors inside of the appliance with a natural cleaning solution like vinegar, refresh it with some aromatic lemon peels so the scent of citrus wafts through your kitchen, or try out store-bought solutions that promise to blast away icky smells, these dishwasher add-ins will make your dishwasher, dishes, and kitchen smell clean and pleasant.

Vinegar cleaning hacks are everywhere now, but there's a good reason for it. This acidic liquid is easily accessible, eco-friendly, and a workhorse when it comes to cleaning, and while it might sound counterintuitive to use it to improve your dishwasher's odor when it's not exactly the best-smelling liquid out there, it can help eliminate the bacteria and buildup that cause these unwelcome smells. To refresh your dishwasher, simply put 2 cups of this liquid into a dishwasher-safe cup, place it in the lower rack of your dishwasher, and run a normal cycle, skipping the automatic drying function.

Baking soda is another superhero in the natural cleaning world, so it's no surprise that it can also be used to help refresh your dishwasher. Because this powder is safe for consumption, you don't have to worry about it leaving an unhealthy residue on your dishes after cleaning. Simply sprinkle 1 cup of baking soda in the bottom of your dishwasher, then run an extra hot, quick cycle to help deodorize the machine. For extra power and a deep refresh, you can also sprinkle in this common kitchen ingredient after you've run a cleaning cycle with vinegar.

Want to add in pleasant fragrance, not just eliminate the source of bad smells? Lemon will be your best friend. This citrus fruit is a staple in everything from cocktails to delicious meals, but it's not just a flavor booster. If you've ever cleaned a garbage disposal with lemons, you know where we're going with this — lemons are great for refreshing your dishwasher and leaving it smelling fresh. Simply add in a wedge during your next dishwasher cycle (this is a great time to use your cooking discard!) and enjoy a subtle burst of citrusy fragrance.

Essential oils can make your whole home smell fresher, so why not your dishwasher? While you shouldn't overload this appliance with essential oils as a quick fix — most oils aren't safe for consumption, especially when undiluted, and using large amounts in a small space like a dishwasher could cause irritation to your eyes and nasal passages — a couple drops are a great way to create a fresher scent, especially when combined with other cleaning methods. Add three or four drops to your dishwasher before running a cycle, and your entire kitchen should smell cleaner as a result.

Don't want to mess around with DIY fixes? Try out a store-bought dishwasher cleaner to help improve the scent of your appliance and remove stubborn deposits of limescale and food debris. These little tablets go into your dishwasher before a cycle, and as the machine works, they clean everything from the walls to the internal hoses. While there are plenty of brands to choose from out there, Affresh Dishwasher Cleaner is a popular pick. As an added bonus, it has a fresh lime scent, so it both helps to bust odor and replace the smell with something more pleasant.

Among the kitchen products that can double as useful home cleaners, citric acid certainly isn't as popular as vinegar or baking soda, likely because it's not as common to have on hand. That doesn't mean that it isn't worth picking up, however. This powerful (yet edible) acid works in a way that's similar to vinegar. By placing 3 or 4 ounces of citric acid crystals in your dishwasher's detergent compartment and running a cycle, you'll be able to freshen the appliance and dissolve away stubborn mineral and food buildup that's likely the cause of the unpleasant smell.

Another home cleaning hero that deserves a mention is hydrogen peroxide. This liquid is most often used to clean wounds or treat stains, but it's also a powerful disinfectant that can help to nix gross dishwasher smells. If you have some on hand already, consider adding it to your next dishwasher cycle. Measure out ¼ cup, and add it to your dishwasher as you would vinegar. As it runs, the hydrogen peroxide will spread around the inside of the appliance, disinfecting, cleaning, and freshening up surfaces that are likely causing that musty, damp smell.