Thread Number: 90454  /  Tag: Vintage Dishwashers
Best and safest method for cleaning the inside of a KitchenAid Superba
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Post# 1150010   6/1/2022 at 07:40 (665 days old) by Sjrenard (Massachusetts )        

I want to refurbish our KitchenAid Superba to remove decades of dirt around the door and stains from the inside. What are the best and safest methods for doing this?

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Post# 1150014 , Reply# 1   6/1/2022 at 08:19 (665 days old) by christfr (st louis mo)        

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is it grease or mold or just icky goo on the door seal? id try a tooth brush and ammonia water and just keep at it. see how well that cleans up. then you can set the machine on the longest wash cycle and let it fill the pour in like maybe half gal of white vinegar and let it run the cycle. thats what i use on mine gets rid of the lime build up and stains and gunk.

Post# 1150016 , Reply# 2   6/1/2022 at 08:50 (665 days old) by kd12 (Arkansas)        

I would try running a Cascade dishwasher cleaner pod for the inside first. That may clean most of it. For the door seal, I'm not at all sure of the best method, but the Cascade cleaner may help with that too. Just run the hottest cycle with the cleaner pod in an empty dishwasher.

Post# 1150030 , Reply# 3   6/1/2022 at 12:52 (665 days old) by Tomturbomatic (Beltsville, MD)        

For the gasket, I would use a product like Soft Scrub with bleach on a wash cloth or similar. After it's clean, I would rinse it with clear water then with water with some vinegar added to neutralize the bleach. The front of the gasket is not exposed to water in the machine's operation. If the walls of the tank have iron stains, Bar Keepers Friend will remove them with gentle hand scrubbing.

Post# 1150033 , Reply# 4   6/1/2022 at 14:05 (665 days old) by Sjrenard (Massachusetts )        

Oh thank you all. I didn’t even think of bar keepers. I’ve got that on hand. I’ll give that a go. Then I’ll scrub gently around the gasket and rinse it well. Then run the machine with vinegar. I don’t want to damage anything because we really love our old dishwasher. My husband was a kid when it purchased and put in where it sits today. It’s the best dishwasher ever.

Post# 1150038 , Reply# 5   6/1/2022 at 14:53 (665 days old) by Marky_mark (From Liverpool. Now living in Palm Springs and Dublin)        

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The above suggestions of using vinegar and dishwasher cleaners are good.  But I have found that for improved cleaning of the inside (all areas that are touched by water) I would run several "soak n scrub" cycles with lots of Lemishine (this is just citric acid) in the prewashes and the main wash.  Dispensers completely full, and more poured on back of door.  I did this with mine, which is now gleaming and is in daily use.  It was gunked up with hard water deposits when I got it.  

 

I have just unloaded my dishwasher and taken these photos.  This is how it should look after cleaning with Lemishine.

 

For the areas that water doesn't touch, such as the door seal, I have never had to do this to quite the extent that your machine will require, so I would follow the suggestions that the others have made.

 

 


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This post was last edited 06/01/2022 at 18:11
Post# 1150074 , Reply# 6   6/2/2022 at 01:33 (665 days old) by bradfordwhite (central U.S.)        

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I would carefully remove the seal kit in it's entirety, removing any metal rods and clips that hold it in place. Then spool that up and put it into a 5 gallon pail. Fill the pail with at least 1 cup of bleach, 1/2 cup of baking soda, and some dish soap. Then add hot water enough to cover the gasket so the entire thing is submerged. You may need to put something with a plastic base on top the seal so it doesn't float above water. Then cover and let it sit for a couple of days.

Carefully remove, rinse, and with a tooth brush, baking soda and soap, rinse and wash it.
If you have another dishwasher, you could put the seal in the top rack of that and run it through.
It should come out like new. It may even regain some ply-ability.

Good luck. That thing looks so ..... I've never seen anything like that.


Post# 1150076 , Reply# 7   6/2/2022 at 03:25 (665 days old) by chachp (North Little Rock, AR)        
Get a new seal

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These seals do come up on eBay and other places.  I would look for a new one.  Remove the old one and clean really well underneath and install the new one.  If you provide the actual model number of your machine someone here will help with the part number to search.


Post# 1150083 , Reply# 8   6/2/2022 at 08:00 (664 days old) by Sjrenard (Massachusetts )        

We are also looking for a replacement top rack as the one we have lost some vinyl coating and is rusted in spots. Our rails are in adequate condition.
Serial number: T-X 2936578
Model: KUDS220T1 (not positive if that’s a zero or the letter O)

If anyone knows where one of these might be I’d appreciate a lead.


Post# 1150086 , Reply# 9   6/2/2022 at 09:06 (664 days old) by DADoES (TX, U.S. of A.)        

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KUDS220T1 (zero).  TX2936578 serial indicates manufacture July 1990.

I had a KUDS220T4, Nov 1991.


Post# 1150127 , Reply# 10   6/2/2022 at 19:46 (664 days old) by bradfordwhite (central U.S.)        

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It looks like the plumbing piping and/or water quality is bad. Do you have old iron pipes or iron in your water supply?

Depending on how bad the racks are, they can be mended. After cleaning the rust off with steel wool or a wire wheel, cleaning the bare metal with alcohol or the like; rubber coating can be applied and one can use tine covers on the tips. It comes in a couple different colors.


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Post# 1150454 , Reply# 11   6/6/2022 at 20:56 (660 days old) by valvashon (Seattle, U.S.A.)        

I just had really good luck with a bottle of "Glisten" dishwasher cleaner. My KitchenAid Imperial (sorry if that's too downmarket for this thread, but the price was right) smelled like it was used at the grease factory but was otherwise in good condition. I thoroughly cleaned it on the outside, which helped, but the inside proved a challenge.
I scrubbed and scrubbed with GooGone kitchen degreaser and Bar Keepers Friend but that faint smell of an old greasy kitchen remained, especially when the drying fan kicked in. I had to add some hot water from a pan on the stove to raise the interior temperature enough to melt the wax plug in the Glisten bottle but once the cycle completed the greasy smell was gone!

Highly recommended!


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