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- The dishwasher and oven are among the appliance workhorses in a home that need to be cleaned regularly. What are the best cleaners for your appliances?
- LemiShine Multi-Purpose Appliance Cleaner can tackle the crud and odor in your washing machine, dishwasher, and garbage disposal.
How can you demand that your appliances perform at their best if they are dirty? Expecting fresh, clean clothes from a smelly washer or sparkling plates from a dishwasher crusted with hard water minerals is a fool’s errand. All you’ll get is frustration and chronic disappointment.
Luckily, there are easy-to-use products available that can restore appliances back to their prime. Many of them use natural ingredients and are not toxic to the environment or your lungs. Just a seasonal cleaning will usually remove the build-up and flush away odors, allowing the appliances to do their jobs well. Of course, if your household has some big messes, you may need to clean the appliances more often.
Along with my own housekeeping, I’ve been testing cleaning products for decades as a home economist for companies and publications. You can be assured that I’m always looking for the most effective, easiest to use, and best value in products. After cleaning for a living, the last thing I want to do is work harder when I get home.
Here are the best cleaning products you can buy for kitchen and laundry appliances:
- Best appliance cleaner overall: LemiShine Multi-Purpose Appliance Cleaner
- Best dishwasher cleaner: Finish In-Wash Dishwasher Cleaner
- Best garbage disposal cleaner: CLR Garbage Disposal Foaming Cleaner + Freshener
- Best washer cleaner: LemiShine Washing Machine Cleaner
- Best oven cleaner: Easy Off Professional Max Fume Free Oven Cleaner
- Best glass stovetop cleaner: Weiman Cooktop Cleaner Max
Read on in the slides below to discover our top picks to clean dishwashers, garbage disposals, ovens and cooktops, and washing machines.
The best appliance cleaner overall
Amazon
Why you’ll love it: If you are looking for one product that can take care of odors and soil build-up in your dishwasher, garbage disposal, and washing machine, LemiShine Multi-Purpose Appliance Cleaner is your best bet.
Even with all of the water and detergents that pass through the dishwasher, garbage disposal, and washing machine, they can still accumulate a layer of residue that traps soil, odor-causing bacteria, and minerals from hard water. When all this gunk clings to the inside of the appliance, it cannot perform optimally and causes problems.
LemiShine has developed a formula, based on crystallized citric extracts, that works to cut through that residue. By adding an envelope of the powder to an appliance and running a cycle with hot water, you will quickly have cleaner dishes and laundry, and an odor-free garbage disposal.
Of the nearly 250 reviews on Target, LemiShine Multi-Purpose Appliance Cleaner has a 5-star rating. One Indiana user says, "I was looking for a product to remove the … crud in my dishwasher left by our terrible water here in Indianapolis. I chose LemiShine because of its safety factor. It worked wonders! So I used it in my disposal and washing machine, too!"
While LemiShine offers individual appliance cleaners, the Multi-Purpose is a best value because of the versatility and price. I keep some on hand for quick and thorough cleanings anytime I see or sniff a problem.
Pros: Non-toxic, uses natural ingredients, fresh scent, pre-measured individual packets, simple to use, suitable for multiple appliances
Cons: Does not clean the outside of the appliances
Buy LemiShine Multi-Purpose Appliance Cleaner in a 3-count box at Target for $3.49
Buy a 3-pack of LemiShine Multi-Purpose Appliance Cleaner on Amazon for $17.99
The best dishwasher cleaner
Finish Dishwashing
Why you’ll love it: Easy to use and a top performer, Finish In-Wash Dishwasher Cleaner can be used while you wash a load of dishes. No extra cycle needed.
Stop and think of what lurks on your dishes when you stick them into the dishwasher — grease, bacteria, and crusty food. A good detergent and the volume of hot water swirling in the dishwasher cut through all of that gunk, leaving the dishes clean. But where does the messy stuff go?
Most of it gets flushed away, but some clings to the sides, seals, and components of the dishwasher. Eventually, the build-up becomes too much and redeposits on your dishes. No one needs that.
That’s where Finish In-Wash Dishwasher Cleaner comes in to cut through the limescale, grease, and fatty deposits that you can see but also those in the hidden parts of the dishwasher. All that crud can clog pumps, drains, and pipes, which reduce the performance of your machine.
Every three months or so, I simply place one of the tablets in the bottom of the dishwasher tub when I’m ready to run a full wash cycle. There are no wrappers to remove or a need to empty the dishwasher of dirty dishes. Since Finish Quantum Max Powerball Tablets is rated as one of the best dishwasher detergents, using the Finish In-Wash Dishwasher Cleaner was the next natural step.
Other buyers on Amazon agree with 75%, giving Finish a 4 or 5-star rating. According to one user, "This worked really well for me. Dishwasher kept leaving food deposits in glasses on the upper rack until I tried these. You don’t have to empty dishwasher to use it either, unlike other cleaners I’ve tried."
Pros: Can be used in a dishwasher loaded with dirty dishes, no wrapper to remove, effectively removes grease deposits, limescale, and odors
Cons: Excellent choice for regular cleaning, but may not remove years of heavy build-up
Buy Finish In-Wash Dishwasher Cleaner in a 3-count package on Amazon for $4.97
The best garbage disposal cleaner
CLR
Why you’ll love it: The fun-to-watch foaming action of CLR Garbage Disposal Foaming Cleaner + Freshener leaves the disposal free of greasy residue and odors.
Maybe it’s because I always loved the vinegar and baking soda volcanoes at the science fair, but watching the foaming action of CLR Garbage Disposal Foaming Cleaner + Freshener makes me happy. Happy because I know that the foam is helping to dislodge bits of food and grease that is causing my garbage disposal to smell quite funky.
The individual, premeasured packet contains citric acid and sodium bicarbonate, along with some other ingredients to help cut through the gunk and leave a fresh clean scent. It is so easy to use but you should follow the directions to allow the ingredients time to be effective. The cleaning time is around seven minutes, and there’s no need to scrub — just watch the science experiment happen.
More than 50% of the buyers on Amazon give the product a 5-star rating. One user wrote, ” I love these for cleaning the yucky disposal lines. I use them weekly and keep things fresh smelling and cleaner. They are easy to use, and bubble up to clean clear to the top. CLR is a trusted name in heavy duty cleaning supplies in my book!"
I use CLR Garbage Disposal Foaming Cleaner + Freshener when I get a whiff of something foul. It should be noted that these packets will not remove a severe clog or jam in the disposal.
Pros: Non-toxic ingredients, simple to use, effectively removes odors and residue from disposal
Cons: Does not remove clogs or jams in the disposal
Buy CLR Garbage Disposal Foaming Cleaner + Freshener in a 5-count bag on Amazon for $9.99
See the rest of the story at Business Insider
See Also:
- 17 top-rated products to clean every room in your house
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- The best kids’ cameras you can buy
Source: Business Insider – feedback@businessinsider.com (Mary Marlowe Leverette)