Running a vinegar cycle to clean a dishwasher
One of the few household remedies a manufacturer prints in its own manual — with a specific method, and citric acid named as the fallback.
What is claimed
That running a dishwasher with white vinegar cleans and descales it, and that this is a safe home alternative to a proprietary machine cleaner.
Where this comes from: Originated with a manufacturer.
Does it work?
Supported
Supported by the manufacturer's own printed procedure, which is as good as this class of claim gets. Not raised higher because it is one maker's instruction for named models and is not compared against alternatives.
This is a verdict on whether the technique is effective. Whether it is safe on a particular surface is a separate question, answered below.
Where not to use it
Dishwasher
Safe only in specific conditions
This is only appropriate within specific limits. Outside those limits, CleaningHQ makes no claim.
Safe within the manufacturer's stated method — empty machine, no detergent, vinegar added to the bottom during the main wash — and the guide establishes nothing outside it.
Precautions
- Check the manufacturer's instructions
- Never mix with other cleaning products
- Do not apply to a hot surface
Why it works
Acetic acid reacts with the calcium carbonate deposited from hard water, converting it to soluble salts that drain away, and the wash action distributes it over the tub and spray system. Citric acid works the same way and additionally chelates calcium, which is why it appears as the stronger fallback rather than as an alternative of equal strength.
Background
Most folk remedies in this catalogue are refuted by the manufacturer whose product they are used on. This one is in the manual. For film on dishes the guide's own procedure is to run the machine empty with no detergent, select the longest cycle, let it run into the main wash, then open the door and pour two cups of white vinegar into the BOTTOM of the machine before closing it and letting the cycle finish — and if that does not work, to repeat with a quarter cup of citric acid crystals instead. Two details separate this from the version that circulates online. The vinegar goes into the bottom of the tub mid-cycle rather than into a bowl on the top rack, and the machine runs empty without detergent rather than alongside a normal load. What the procedure addresses is film, meaning mineral and detergent deposit. It is not offered for etched glassware, which the same guide says is permanent, and not as a disinfection measure, which the guide does not discuss at all.
What it does not do
- One manufacturer's procedure for two named models; other makers restrict acids in their machines
- It addresses film and deposit, not etching, which the same guide says is permanent
- The guide makes no disinfection claim and none may be inferred
- Rubber and plastic seals tolerate acid for the duration of a cycle and not indefinitely
What to use instead
- Citric acid — A mild solid acid, widely used for descaling. Effective on limescale, and destructive to carbonate stone for exactly the same reason.
- Descaling — Dissolving mineral deposits with an acid. Effective, well understood, and the wrong answer on any surface made of the same mineral.
Evidence
Supported
Supported by the manufacturer's own printed procedure, which is as good as this class of claim gets. Not raised higher because it is one maker's instruction for named models and is not compared against alternatives.
Sources
Owner's Manual: Dishwashers GSD4500, GSD4800
GE Appliances · Manufacturer documentation
Relied on for: That film is addressed by running the dishwasher empty with no detergent on the longest cycle, pouring two cups of white vinegar into the bottom during the main wash, and repeating with a quarter cup of citric acid crystals if the vinegar rinse does not work. (states this directly)
Verification: a person has read the passage relied on.
Read on — 'Caring for the dishwasher' and the film, cloudiness and marks entries in Troubleshooting Tips. Supports the claim as stated.
Last reviewed by a person on .
Last reviewed by a person on .