7 Best Dishwasher Cleaners of 2025

Hard water can leave limescale build-up and stains on your dishwasher. To get rid of them, check out the Finish Dual Action cleaner. This gel cleaner will give your dishwasher a hygienic clean like never before.

What’s great about this is that it breaks down and removes limescale. Not just where it’s visible but in the hidden parts, too. It cleans, freshens, and even helps maintain your machine so it will last longer.

Also struggling with bad odors? Give this a try! It’ll leave behind a nice fresh scent.

This gel cleans the filter, the pipes, and the spray arm. No detail of your dishwasher is left untouched.

We recommend using this once a month or whenever you notice a build-up. To use, just empty the dishwasher, remove the sticker, and place the bottle upside down in your dishwasher. Run the hottest cycle possible. Discard the bottle afterward.

These handy tablets are suitable for all types of dishwashers, whether yours is plastic or stainless steel. If you live in a hard water area, you’ll love these. They’re designed to scrub away limescale and mineral buildup, leaving your dishwasher sparkling clean and super hygienic.

What we love about these tablets is that you can use them in a cycle full of dishes if you’d rather. That saves you money and energy. You can also use it on an empty cycle.

Choose whatever temperature you like, but keep in mind that hot water cycles work best to dissolve tablets.

Since you can use these alongside dishes, you’ll be pleased to know that the tablets will help remove hard water spots and stains on dishes, glasses, and silverware. So not only will you have a fresh dishwasher, but you’ll have spotless dishes, too!

Have you noticed mold in your dishwasher? It might be an initial moment of panic, but what if we told you that Finish In-Wash Dishwasher Cleaner can help? These tablets are specifically formulated to clean mold, mildew, and hard water stains. So if that sounds like the inside of your dishwasher, transform it now with these tablets.

This product is extra cool because you can use it with the dishes inside, saving energy and money. Simply follow the instructions to add this to your next cycle and watch the dishes and the dishwasher transform from dirty to spotless.

Not only will this clean the dishes and the interior, but it will get into all the nooks and crannies. This includes the spray arm, the filter, and even the pipes! It has 100 percent more grease-fighting power than some of Finish’s other products, so you can be sure that your dishes will come out sparkling clean.

These dishwasher freshener pods are super handy. Just pop one in at the bottom of your dishwasher, fill it as usual, and then turn it onto any cycle.

When you next open your dishwasher, you’ll notice that these pods have freshened and cleaned your machine. This includes fighting buildup and foul odors in all parts of the machine, including hidden corners.

Free of phosphates and bleach, this is safe for all kinds of dishwashers. But you can also use these in the washing machine to freshen and deodorize it, too! So it’s a multi-purpose and versatile product.

We recommend using this regularly because it can help to prevent clogs. Clogs can often cause bad smells, so keeping on top of them is the best way to prevent them!

You’ll also love the lemon fresh scent that not only adds fragrance to the dishwasher but the whole room. However, some customers reported the scent throw was minimal.

Are you welcomed by a terrible smell whenever you open your dishwasher, even after you’ve washed a load of dishes? Well, for that, we recommend the Lemi Shine cleaner.

This natural dishwasher cleaner can tackle bad smells so that your dishwasher is nice and fresh for another few weeks! It’s powered by 100 percent natural citrus extracts to not only make your dishwasher smell great but to fight and remove odors properly.

As well as tackling odors, this cleaner cleans and optimizes your dishwasher, so it works better for longer. Even in hard water areas.

Simply pour the powder into the bottom of the dishwasher, run a hot cycle, and let the cleaner do the hard work.

If you’re looking for something specifically for rust, we recommend the Glisten Magic Cleaner. This powerful formula can remove rust and buildup caused by hard water. Rust isn’t a good look for any dishwasher; the quicker you tackle it, the better.

Not only does it remove rust, but it also removes grease, detergent build-up, and food residue that just isn’t budging. If you use this on a hot wash, it can also completely disinfect your dishwasher so that it’s a more hygienic place to clean your dishes. Basically, this cleaner can reset your dishwasher, so it’s as good as new and lasts much longer.

This dishwasher cleaner protects your home from viruses and bacteria, including E-coli and Salmonella.

Phosphate-free products are more eco-friendly since phosphates can build up in lakes and rivers and cause algal bloom ⁽¹⁾.

Phosphates really aren’t necessary for a dishwasher cleaner because the other ingredients do a fab job. For a phosphate-free formula, we recommend the Cascade Platinum cleaner.

This pac can help eliminate your machine’s limescale, grease, and odors. What more do you want? Use this and be wowed by how clean your dishwasher is!

It comes with two ready-to-use, individual pacs. Cascade recommends using these on an empty dishwasher once a month to get the best results.

Customers love that the results from this cleaner are long-lasting. Some described that it tackled odors for up to four weeks, based on one use alone!