Recently we were called to a home in North Cincinnati to repair a dishwasher that had stopped running, and were surprised to see how clean the dishwasher was. Most of the dishwashers we see are riddles with mineral deposit stains and random bits of food debris. Intrigued, we asked what the homeowner did to maintain such a clean machine. We were surprised by her answer: Lemonade flavored Kool-Aid. That’s right Kool-Aid.  

The citric acid content in Lemonaid Kool-Aid can clean your dishwasher of lime deposit and iron stains.  It’s important if you’re going to try this at home to only use the Lemonde flavored variety as it is the type full of citric acid. Also, only use the sugarless variety as the sugared variation can cause a residue.

The process is quite simple. Just pour one packet of sugar free Lemonade Kool-Aid into your dishwasher’s powdered detergent containt, set the machine to the normal cycle and sit back and relax while the citric acid goes to work. For incredibly tough stains if Kool-Aid doesn’t work, she recommends Bar Keeper’s Friend Liquid Soft Cleaner available on Amazon and in your local grocery.

For more tips on cleaning and maintaining your home’s dishwasher check out our dishwasher repair page, and let us know if this trick works for you!