How To Clean Kenmore Dishwasher

Are you the proud owner of a Kenmore dishwasher? Confused about the ways to properly clean your appliance to keep it up and running like a power horse for a long time? Then you’ve arrived at just the right spot!

Keeping your dishwasher clean is a fundamental chore that maintains and extends the lifespan of this crucial appliance. In order to know that, you need to know how to properly clean your device as or else, you might end up doing more harm than good.

Now all dishwashers involve similar steps for a proper clean-up with some differences from brand to brand. So today, we’re going for a particular brand and hence are about to walk you through how to clean Kenmore dishwasher like a pro!

Cleaning up your Kenmore dishwasher is no daunting task and requires no special skills or tools. It only involves a few basic and super-easy steps which are as follows:

1. Cleaning The Debris

Start by getting rid of all the food and other debris that has accumulated at the bottom of your dishwasher. In order to do so, empty out your dishwasher by taking out all dishes and utensils.
Then, carefully remove the dishwasher racks, and other removable parts such as the spinning arms, spray arms, etc. This will provide you better access inside your Kenmore dishwasher.
Soak all the removable parts in your sink or large enough container full of dishwasher soap/detergent and hot water solution.
Clean up any clogs inside the spray nozzles with the help of a toothpick or wire piece.
Wipe or vacuum away all water, food debris to have a visibly clean dishwasher interior.
Now it’s time to move on to cleaning the filters.

2. How To Clean Kenmore Dishwasher Filter

Kenmore dishwashers usually come with a total of three different filters in two locations, all of which need to be cleaned. One of the filters resides near the dishwasher’s spray arm and the other two in the back of your appliance.

Open up the cover that is located close to the spray arm by unscrewing. You’ll find the first filter here.

The purpose of this filter here is to trap large food bits, broken dishes, utensils, or any other large items from reaching and getting stuck in the dishwasher’s main pump.

Now go to the filters at the back and unscrew them. One of the filters is coarse, and the other is a finer one.

The coarse filter is responsible for stopping the solid food and other debris which are later removed to some other area for disposal. When it comes to the finer filter, it basically lets the water back into the wash cycle excluding any debris.

With your gloved fingers, wipe off the exterior gunk stuck on both these filters and discard them in the trash.
Let all the removable parts of all three filters soak in the hot water and soap solution.
Meanwhile, complete cleaning the interior of your Kenmore dishwasher with a detergent or soap safe for your dishwasher using a piece of rag or sponge.
Go to the sink and finish off cleaning all the filters and other parts. Scrub them if necessary and rinse them all thoroughly under running clean water.
Place the filters back into their original places and screw them in securely.
To conclude the cleaning process, run your dishwasher on a wash cycle without any detergent.

3. How To Clean A Kenmore Dishwasher With Vinegar

Since vinegar is an acid, it effectively deals with oils and grease that your hands alone can’t get rid of as properly during cleaning. Vinegar also aids in removing the buildup of limescale, further extending the lifespan of your appliance.

Even though it is strong enough to battle the grease, vinegar is a weak acid that doesn’t harm the internal components of your Kenmore dishwasher while it degreases.

The use of vinegar to finish off cleaning your dishwasher is also a smart method of removing and preventing unpleasant odors. It also facilitates the removal of buildups in the drain of your appliance, maintaining the dishwasher performance.

In order to use vinegar to clean your dishwasher, simply clean it up as discussed above. Once you’re done cleaning and reassembling, take a dishwasher-safe mug or bowl and pour in enough vinegar. Around a cup is standard. Use more or less as needed.

Then run the dishwasher on a full wash cycle. This will lead to the interior being fully washed clean and odorless. If you find the vinegar smell too unpleasant, mix some lemon juice with the vinegar, and after the vinegar wash cycle, run another wash cycle without adding anything. Then leave the dishwasher door open to air dry.

4. Some Baking Soda To Seal The Deal

Though not a mandatory step, you can use baking soda for extra-fresh effectiveness.

Not only does it help remove any grease or limescale that the vinegar wash may have missed, but leaves your dishwasher cleaner not only in appearance but smell too!

The proper way to use baking soda when cleaning not only Kenmore dishwashers in particular but any dishwashers, complete the cleaning process, followed by the vinegar wash cycle.

Once both these steps are complete, sprinkle baking soda inside the dishwasher and run a hot water wash cycle to receive a sparkling clean dishwasher interior.

Whatever you do, don’t try to be ultra-efficient by using both vinegar and baking soda together at the same time in the same wash cycle. This is because, when combined, these two products react violently creating foams and carbon dioxide gas.

Though it’s not harmful or corrosive, it’s uncomfortable and annoying. But that’s not why mixing the two isn’t advised.

The main issue with using them together is that it results in a neutralization reaction, leading to both the products losing their properties. Hence, you won’t get the cleaning effect you were expecting or it may be entirely ineffective.

How To Clean Kenmore Elite Dishwasher Filter

Now that you know all about cleaning your Kenmore dishwasher properly, you can easily follow these steps to do so even if you were confused on how to clean Kenmore Elite dishwasher.

Whichever line of Kenmore dishwasher you are using, the cleaning method doesn’t change much. But the Elite line of dishwashers by Kenmore adopts a slightly different type of filter orientation.

They use ULTRACLEAN filters comprised of dual sections- a lower and an upper filter.

While the lower filter looks like your basic dishwasher filter, the upper one looks more like a kidney-shaped flat plate. The upper one is responsible for filtering the larger bits of food and other debris, while the inner one only lets the water go through and is a finer filter.

These two filters work together ultra-effectively, eliminating the need for pump cleaning. You will find both these filters on your dishwasher floor on the right side.

In order to remove them, turn the top filter in an anticlockwise direction by 90 degrees and raise it to remove it. Then unscrew and raise out the lower filter.

Wash them up as the filter cleaning methods we initially discussed and replace them back accordingly. Finish off your cleaning process as usual.

Conclusion

So as we just saw, there isn’t much difference when it comes to the cleaning method of cleaning your Kenmore dishwasher. The main difference lies in the location of filters and removing them.

Now that you know how to clean Kenmore dishwasher from our simple guide, cleaning these vital appliances will hopefully be all easy breezy now!