How do you clean your dishwasher?

[ParadiseLaundry]

So every three days or so there's a thread about cleaning washing machines (not a complaint, I live reading them!)

But I've never seen one on dishwashers. But presumably they need cleaning in the same way.

I know you can buy ready made bottles to clean the dishwasher but I'm thinking there must be a soda crystals/white vinegar/baking soda combo I can use, but not sure what would be best.

Tell me, wise mumsnetters, what do you do?

I run it on the hottest cycle with bleach then when that's done i take out the filters and take off the rotors and clean the holes with a toothbrush so they aren't clogged then i clean the filters and reassemble everything and give the door and seals a wipe down and then put it on a hot wash again to make sure all the bleach residue has gone and the rotors are fully working
Ive tried using finish dishwasher cleaner but my method is more thorough

I really need to give mine a good clean. I use the cleaners you buy every couple of months and occasionally put it on a hot wash with nothing in it but that’s about it. Have never cleaned the arms or the rim which is a bit dirty.

Love these threads. And the washing machine ones. I find them oddly comforting!

Re the arms: Mine seem to block up regularly with mostly little bits of egg shell or sweetcorn, that sort of thing. I wash them under a hot tap or whoosh them around in a sink and stick little cocktail sticks into the holes and they're clear for a day or two. But my question is, the little bits are still inside the arms and it doesnt look like these can be taken apart so the little bits are just still inside the arms! What to do?

Is washing soda any good for dishwasher cleaning? I recently bought some after reading some of the cleaning threads on here but I’m a bit vague on what I’m meant to do with it...!

'Love these threads. And the washing machine ones. I find them oddly comforting!'

I do too Cider

Adagio, I wondered about that myself and I noticed on another thread someone said their DH had put soda crystals in the dishwasher instead of salt and loads of commenters said 'oh, it will do a great job of cleaning your pipes!' I was too scared to try any as no one mentioned it here but in principle I should think if you can use in in a washing machine you can use it in a dishwasher? Does anyone know for sure?

No, do NOT use soda crystals in the dishwasher, best case, it will do nothing at all, worse case it will seriously damage, (if not break) your machine - unlike washing machines, dishwashers deal with a lot of grease and fat which can build up in your pipes, washing soda can adhere to this and completely block them internally and will be £££ to fix.

Baking (bicarbonate of) soda is good, as is vinegar. A bit of bleach won’t hurt (a lot of dishwasher detergents used to be chlorine based).

Thanks e1y1, great knowledge, that makes sense. I will stick to vinegar and baking soda.

I religiously clean mine, approx every 4 years.

I was eyeing up the (unopened) soda crystals this morning after emptying the dishwasher - so glad I remembered to revisit this thread first! Thanks @e1y1

I added salt to my dishwasher as advised on here and it’s like a new dishwasher. Smells better and dishes are lovely and clean. It seems so obvious now and despite cleaning the filter regularly, which is next to the salt bit, I never even noticed it!
Thanks everyone. Glad I checked MN as I was resigning myself to buying a new dishwasher