The vinegar rinse cycle thing I laughed at for 3 years

I always thought pouring vinegar in a dishwasher was some cheap hack that would mess up the seals. Then last month I got tired of scrubbing hard water spots off every single glass. Tried a cup of white vinegar in a top rack bowl on a hot rinse. After 4 cycles the buildup on the heating element actually flaked off. Still skeptical about the long term but my glasses finally look clean. Anybody else do this long term without issues?

3 comments

3 Comments

sethtorres16d ago

oscarmurphy's experience matches what I've seen from other people who run vinegar cycles for years. I've been doing it every other month for about six months now and no seal issues at all. The key is keeping it as a rinse cycle only thing, don't mix it with dish soap or detergent pods. That buildup on the heating element is nasty, once that calcium layer starts flaking off you realize how much work the machine was doing just to heat water through all that crap. If you're worried about long term stuff just start with once a month and see how the seals hold up. I'd rather replace a rubber seal in five years than replace a whole dishwasher because of a fried heater element.

black.jordan14d ago

Did you always use plain white vinegar or try anything else first?

oscarmurphy16d ago

I ran white vinegar in my dishwasher every month for two years straight and never had a seal issue. Just make sure you use plain distilled white vinegar, not the cleaning kind with added chemicals.