8 Best Dishwasher Cleaners, According to Cleaning Experts

Good Housekeeping Seal-holder Cascade Platinum Dishwasher Cleaner comes in a convenient, single-dose packet you can pop into your dispenser every month. Run your machine empty on a hi-temperature cycle and limescale, grease deposits and odors will melt away.

In our Lab tests, the concentrated powder-gel formula effectively removed bad odors, limescale, mineral deposits and grease. While a dishwasher may appear clean, these deposits can settle on the spray arms, the tub and parts you can’t see of your appliance.

Both a cleaner and a limited disinfectant, the Glisten Dishwasher Magic Machine Cleaner is EPA Safer Choice Certified, which means the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency verifies that the product's ingredients are safe for the environment, people and pets. Not only does this product remove limescale and rust in a dishwasher, but it also kills some strains of E. coli and Salmonella.

Beyond sanitizing, this cleaner eliminates odors and leaves behind a fresh lemon scent. "Left it clean and smelling fresh, with all stains and marks gone! Looks brand new inside," one online customer wrote. To use, remove the cap to expose the wax plug, place the bottle upside down in the silverware basket, and run your machine's hottest, longest cycle.

Need a fast fix? This EPA-registered product can clean your dishwasher while your dishwasher cleans your dishes. Simply place the tablet onto the floor of the machine and your detergent in the dispenser and run like usual.

In just one cycle, these tablets cleaned plates, added a lemon scent to the machine and busted limescale and mineral deposits from hard water in our Cleaning Lab tests.

With over 53,000 five-star reviews, online customers love this cleaner for its ease of use, pleasant scent and long-lasting effects. One even called it "a miracle in a tiny little tablet." Another wrote, "Throwing just one tab into the dishwasher made a noticeable difference."

The powerful Finish Dishwasher Cleaner Liquid breaks down grease and limescale build-up in your machine. "I decided to give this product a try and wha-la new again after first try, fresh and clean as a dishwasher should be," one Amazon reviewer wrote. Another said the floral scent is a bit much, but that it goes away in less than 30 minutes.

This liquid is so convenient to use that you don't even have to remove the cap. Just peel off the top sticker and place it upside down in the silverware basket or lower rack of an empty dishwasher. Run a heavy cycle to break down grease and mineral deposits in hard-to-reach spots.

Lemi Shine is a favorite eco-friendly cleaning brand in our Cleaning Lab. The brand's Garbage Disposal Cleaner even won a Good Housekeeping Cleaning & Organizing Award. The single-use dishwasher cleaner is powered by citric extracts to remove build-up that can impact machine performance.

To use, distribute one pouch of crystals into the bottom of an empty dishwasher (use two pouches for extra heavy grime), then run your normal cycle and enjoy. While people loved the amazing lemon scent that was left behind in their dishwasher, some online reviewers didn't find it too effective. "It did help a lot with the weird smell but can't say it made it sparkling clean," one wrote.

Rather than shopping for a specific dishwasher cleaner, you can opt for a quick DIY option, place a glass container with one cup of white vinegar securely on the top rack of an empty dishwasher and run a normal cycle without detergent or the heated dry setting. The vinegar will mix with the water as it circulates to clean and remove residues. You can also sprinkle a cup of baking soda into the bottom of the machine afterward and run a second cycle for extra cleaning.

This EPA Safer Choice Certified cleaning product can be used all around the house to tackle stains, rust, calcium and limescale deposits. It's one of our Cleaning Lab's picks for best rust removers thanks to its plant-based ingredients and its versatility — sanitizing toilets, unclogging shower heads, scrubbing bathtubs, wiping glass and, of course, cleaning the inside of dishwashers.

To clean your dishwasher with CLR, pour a half cup of CLR into the bottom of your empty machine. Run two normal cycles and your dishwasher will be free of mineral buildup and smell fresh.

This new product from Lemi Shine can be used all around the house — even for cooking, preserving food and making soap. Citric acid — which is the main active ingredient in Lemi Shine's Washing Machine Cleaner — can be used to remove mineral deposits by pouring it into the detergent dispenser and running a normal rinse cycle.

Plus, this plant-based formula is free of additives, dyes and fragrance. "This is a versatile chemical that I use to clean faucets and sinks as well as an additive to my dishwasher soap dispenser to counteract very hard water problems," one Amazon reviewer said.