Is dishwasher cleaner worth bothering with?

[terceira]

We never used to with our old machine but we recently got a new one that has a warning light telling us to run a machine care program every so often. I looked at the Bosch website and it's £8.82 for 3 sachets of powder. The cheaper ones (Lidl etc.) seem to be liquids. I wondered whether running it empty on the care program with some white vinegar would achieve the same. The dishwasher doesn't smell and is normally used every other day.

I just buy the cheap dishwasher liquid at a couple of pounds a time. I clean the filter daily and clean the machine a couple of times a month, but some hidden gunk always does build up under the rubber seal at the hinges. I’d hate to think how bad it would be without cleaning!
White vinegar should work, instructs any to put it in a bowl in the dishwasher. Maybe I will give that a go and compare results to the cleaner.

I empty the filter when I see food. Going strong after 5 years.

You should run the dishwasher empty and on a hot cycle periodically but no special cleaner required. Just use your normal dishwasher tab or whatever.

Once a month I run Mike on its hottest programme with a ramekin of soda crystals in the top rack and o empt a bottle of white vinegar into a Pyrex jug and place that on the bottom rack.

Smells and looks lovely after. On same day I also take out filters and scrub, clean arms with an old toothbrush and wipe round seals etc

In between whenever I have a lemon looking past it's best I cut in half and plonk one in tye cutlery rack and leave while it does it's usual cycle. Again keeps it smelling lovely and it's naturally anti bacterial

Who the F is Mike?!! meant mine, obv

Sometimes my glasses come out with a weird grit stuff on - what is that??

Yeah I do the lemon thing.

I clean the filter once a week/when things come out gritty. Every month I do a hot cycle with a dishwasher cleaner tab, I bought these from Amazon. I used to use the liquids from Lidl but they work out quite pricey per cleaner, tabs are much cheaper.

This is the second Bosch dishwasher I’ve cleaned this way and it’s never caused an issue - I didn’t even know they made their own cleaner til I saw this thread!

I use these dishwasher cleaning tablets from Amazon Dishwasher cleaner. I use two at a time (one in the detergent draw and one chucked in the bottom of the dishwasher) on a maintenance wash once a month. So approx £8 for more than a year's supply.

They do seem to do a good job. I'm sure white vinegar would probably do the same but I like that the tablets tackle limescale.

@rrrrrreatt I didn't know they did either until I read the manual. Which didn't explain what the warning light was but did mention that they sell dishwasher cleaner.

I did a machine care cycle this morning using a normal dishwasher tablet as I've run out of vinegar. It seems pretty clean in there now.

@GameOfJones I was looking at those yesterday. I think I might get them.

Thanks to all who have commented on my terribly boring thread.

I use the same tabs as @GameOfJones , I second them being a good purchase! They actually work better than the little bottles as sometimes the liquid doesn’t come out of them.

Do they leave a smell afterwards? I used the Sainsbury’s dishwasher cleaner liquid and it made the dishwasher pong for quite a few days after cleaning.

I usually run a liquid dishwasher cleaner through about once every 8 weeks. I also retrieve pans with any rice, pasta or veg still in before I send dishwasher round. DH is not that great at packing, but he’s so good at actually washing up that I mustn’t complain.

No strong smell that I've ever noticed!

Liquid cleaner in a bottle.. 2 for a quid in pound shop.. use once a month.. then l use spray white vinegar around the seals etc with old toothbrush.
I clean filter every time l use it.