How To Clean Brown Stains In Dishwasher

When we moved into our new home three and a half years ago, it had a sparkling clean, brand-new dishwasher. It stayed that way. For a while. Suddenly (and I know it was actually a slow process) there were these nasty brown stains all over the interior of the dishwasher. It was NASTY. The brown stains were the color of rust in our dishwasher.

I thought it was just a stain because it would not scratch off. So I didn't try to clean it after the initial attempt.

[As I was writing this post, I learned that the brown stain on the interior of the dishwasher is likely caused by iron in the water. That makes sense. We have a well. I also learned that there is a product on the market that will do the scrubbing for you. Glisten seems to do the job well, if you trust Amazon reviews (which I do). I already ordered this to use in a couple of months to remove the remaining stains and any new ones.]

But then I was reading Tidy Mom's article on how to clean a dishwasher. (

My husband had just done this, as well as a little tune-up for the dishwasher which quieted the monster nicely.) Since she addressed the basic gunk that can build up within the dishwasher, but not the nasty brown stains, I thought I would ask if she had any advice. Tidy Mom Cheryl suggested that I try to sprinkle baking soda on the stains and scrub with half a lemon. Motivated at that very moment and wanting to use what I had on hand, I got to work as soon as the little children were upstairs for rest time.

I had a bit of lemon juice, a box of baking soda, and plenty of white vinegar. (I actually used the box of baking soda from the fridge knowing it would be replaced soon.)

I began by sprinkling the soda on the door and adding a bit of lemon juice and vinegar. The moment I took my

~~worthless dollar store~~

scrubbing brush to the door, I could see results!! Knowing that, I created a paste. I have to say, I didn't measure any of it, so measurements are approximate. My goal, and yours, should be to make a paste that can be applied to the interior of your dishwasher to remove the brown stain. (I suspect you could use all lemon juice or all vinegar, but below is what was effective for me.)

Dishwasher Scrub
1/2 - 1 cup Baking Soda (depending upon intensity of stain)
3 Tablespoons Lemon Juice
Vinegar (enough to form a thick paste)

I began by using my scrubbing brush and was pleased with how easy the brown iron stain was removed from the dishwasher's door. (Crevices and corners took more effort.) Then to clean the sides of the dishwasher, I used my hand to scoop the paste. Something amazing happened.

My hand scrubbed better than the brush!

Even on flat surfaces, my fingers and palm scrubbed easier than the brush! Who knew?! I proceeded to clean the interior of the dishwasher using my hand, and sometimes a rag, after removing the bottom rack. However, the top rack was not removable, so the top stains remain...

Cotton swabs (Q-Tips) were used in a few corners. I used paper towels to remove some of the dishwasher scrub. Then I ran the dishwasher on the rinse cycle. After a few minutes it beeped and revealed the stains that I missed. I cleaned the remaining stains and rinsed again. I was thrilled with the result, even if more stains are lurking behind the top rack.

It makes me smile every time I open the door! The first time my husband used the dishwasher, he noticed the difference. (It's kinda hard not to!)

It seems that my spring cleaning will be tasks like this...often with a last minute inspiration!

UPDATED: I have now used the Glisten product and loved it. Read my thoughts and see the new before and after pictures of my brown dishwasher that became clean with Glisten!

Interested in more cleaning with vinegar? I use just Dawn, vinegar, and a dish wand to scrub my bathtub. It works surprisingly well!(Click the link for details.)