How to Clean a Dishwasher: Filter, Spray Arms, Door Seals & Cleaning Cycle

If your dishwasher smells sour, leaves a gritty film on glasses or looks grimy along the door, it’s overdue for a deep clean. The good news: how to clean a dishwasher properly takes about an hour of mostly hands-off time and costs a few dollars in vinegar, dish soap and a dishwasher cleaner tablet. The two biggest wins are cleaning the filter and scrubbing the door edges and seals, the spots the wash cycle never reaches.

This guide from the Repairior editorial team walks you through the full deep clean step by step, based on manufacturer care instructions and what appliance technicians see when they open up dirty, smelly machines. You’ll also learn how to fix common smells, how often to clean each part and when a dirty dishwasher is really a repair problem.

Why Your Dishwasher Gets Dirty and Smelly

A dishwasher washes your dishes, but it doesn’t fully clean itself. Food particles collect in the filter. Grease and grime build up on the door edges and gasket, which are sealed off from the spray during a cycle. A little water always sits in the sump below the filter. Put those together in a warm, damp box and you get odors, mold and dishes that don’t come out as clean as they should.

Problem	Most likely cause
Sour or rotten-egg smell	Dirty filter, food in the sump or drain hose
Musty or mildew smell	Grime and mold on the door gasket and edges; door kept closed between uses
Gritty film or food bits on dishes	Clogged filter or blocked spray arm holes
White, cloudy residue	Hard water mineral buildup
Standing water above the filter	Clogged filter, drain hose, air gap or disposal connection

What You’ll Need

• White vinegar
• Liquid dish soap (a degreasing type works best)
• A dishwasher cleaner tablet or packet (citric acid based)
• A spray bottle
• An old toothbrush or small scrub brush
• Pipe cleaners or a toothpick for spray arm holes
• Towels and microfiber cloths
• A non-scratch scrub sponge
• Rubber gloves

How to Clean a Dishwasher in 8 Steps

Step 1: Empty it and remove the filter and spray arms

Unload all dishes and pull out the bottom rack. Then remove the parts that trap food:

• The filter. On most modern dishwashers it sits in the center of the floor, under or near the lower spray arm. Twist it a quarter turn counterclockwise and lift it out. If it looks slimy and dark, you’ve likely found the source of your odor.
• The mesh screen around or under the filter, if your model has one. Lift it out too.
• The spray arms. Many lower and upper spray arms twist or unclip to come off. Food can lodge in their nozzles and weaken the spray.

Not sure how your parts come out? Search your dishwasher’s brand and model number for the owner’s manual. Dishwashers older than about 15 years often have a self-cleaning grinder instead of a removable filter, and their spray arms may not come off.

Step 2: Soak the filter, screen and spray arms

Fill one side of your sink with hot water, add a good squirt of dish soap and about a cup of white vinegar. Submerge the filter, screen and spray arms.

• Dish soap breaks down grease and food stuck to the mesh.
• Vinegar loosens hard water deposits and helps neutralize odors.
• Flip the larger spray arms after 5–10 minutes so every side soaks.

Step 3: Scrub the door edges, gasket and bottom lip

While the parts soak, mix a simple cleaning spray: about 1 cup white vinegar, 1 cup water and a teaspoon of dish soap in a spray bottle. Shake well.

1. Spray the inside edges of the door, the sides of the tub where the door closes and the rubber door gasket.
2. Scrub with a toothbrush to loosen grime from the corners and grooves.
3. Don’t miss the bottom lip of the door, along the hinge where the door folds down. This is where the worst buildup hides, and it’s the spot most people skip.
4. Wipe everything down with a damp towel to rinse away the loosened grime.

These areas get so dirty because they’re sealed off when the door is closed. The gasket keeps water in, which is its job, but it also means the wash spray never reaches them.

Step 4: Check and remove standing water in the sump

With the filter out, look into the sump, the round well in the floor. A small amount of water there is normal; most dishwashers keep a little water in the sump to keep the seals moist.

If water sits above the sump and pools on the dishwasher floor, the dishwasher isn’t draining fully, and you likely have a clog in the filter area, drain hose, air gap or garbage disposal connection.

For a deep clean, soak up the dirty water with a towel or sponge and wipe out any food bits so they don’t keep causing odors. Don’t worry about scrubbing every inch of the tub walls; the cleaning cycle in Step 7 takes care of that.

Step 5: Scrub the filter and clear the spray arm holes

1. Scrub the soaked filter and mesh screen with the toothbrush, inside and out. Grime likes to hide on the inner side of the filter cylinder.
2. Rinse under running water until no residue remains.
3. Push a pipe cleaner or toothpick through each spray arm nozzle to dislodge trapped food, seeds or glass shards.
4. Run water through the spray arm to flush out anything you loosened.

Avoid wire brushes or scouring pads on the filter mesh; a tear lets food through to the pump.

Step 6: Put everything back

• Seat the mesh screen, then insert the filter and twist it until it locks firmly in place. A loose filter can let food into the pump and drain.
• Reattach the spray arms and spin them by hand to make sure they turn freely.
• Slide the bottom rack back in.

Step 7: Run a cleaning cycle

Place a dishwasher cleaner tablet or packet in the detergent dispenser, not loose on the floor, unless the cleaner’s instructions say otherwise. Then run your dishwasher’s Clean or Sanitize cycle if it has one, or the hottest Normal or Heavy cycle with high-heat dry.

Dishwasher cleaners are mostly citric acid, which dissolves grease, food film and hard water scale throughout the tub, racks, utensil basket and pipes, places your normal detergent isn’t designed to deep clean.

Step 8: Clean the outside of the dishwasher

1. Mix a few drops of dish soap in warm water.
2. Wipe the door, handle and control panel with a soft cloth. Use a non-scratch sponge on sticky spots.
3. On stainless steel, always wipe and scrub with the grain.
4. Rinse with a damp microfiber cloth, then buff dry with a clean one to prevent streaks.

Spray cleaner onto the cloth, not directly onto the control panel, to keep moisture out of the electronics.

How to Clean a Dishwasher With Vinegar (and Baking Soda)

If you don’t have a dishwasher cleaner tablet, vinegar is a common alternative:

1. Clean the filter and door edges first (Steps 1–6).
2. Place a dishwasher-safe cup filled with about 1 cup of white vinegar upright on the top rack.
3. Run a hot cycle with the dishwasher otherwise empty.
4. For extra deodorizing, sprinkle about a cup of baking soda on the floor afterward and run a short hot rinse cycle.

A few cautions: don’t use vinegar constantly, because frequent high-acid cycles can be hard on rubber seals over time, and some manufacturers recommend a commercial dishwasher cleaner instead. Never mix vinegar and bleach. Check your owner’s manual for what your brand recommends.

Cleaner Tablet, Vinegar or Baking Soda: Which Works Best?

Method	Best for	Notes
Dishwasher cleaner tablet	Monthly deep clean, grease and hard water	Easiest and most thorough; follow package directions
White vinegar cup on top rack	Hard water film and light odors	Cheap; use occasionally, not every week
Baking soda on the floor	Odor freshening after a clean	Doesn’t remove heavy grease or scale on its own
Scrubbing by hand	Filter, gasket, door edges	Essential; no cycle cleans these fully

How to Get Rid of Dishwasher Smells

• Rotten egg or sour smell: clean the filter and sump, then run a cleaner cycle. If it persists, check that the drain hose has a high loop or air gap so dirty water can’t flow back.
• Musty or mildew smell: scrub the gasket and door edges, and leave the door slightly open after cycles so the tub can dry.
• Sewage smell: often comes from the drain connection or garbage disposal. Run the disposal before the dishwasher and check the drain hose loop.
• Fishy or plastic smell: can come from a new machine burning off residue or a plastic item touching the heating element. Inspect the bottom of the tub.
• Burning smell: stop the dishwasher, turn off power and call a technician. It can mean an electrical or motor fault.

How to Clean a Dishwasher With Mold

Black or pink spots usually show up on the door gasket, the door lip and the utensil basket. Scrub them with the vinegar and soap spray and a toothbrush, rinse, then run a cleaner cycle. For stubborn mold on a plastic tub, a diluted bleach solution can help if your manual allows it, but never combine bleach with vinegar or other cleaners, and avoid bleach on stainless steel interiors. Keep the door ajar after cycles to stop mold coming back. For rack rails, pink mold and stubborn black mold, see our full guide on how to clean a moldy dishwasher.

How to Clean Hard Water From a Dishwasher

A white, chalky film on the tub, racks and glasses is mineral scale from hard water, not leftover soap. It builds up fastest in areas with hard tap water and makes dishes look cloudy even when they’re clean.

1. Clean the filter first so loosened scale has somewhere to go.
2. Place a dishwasher-safe cup with about 1 cup of white vinegar upright on the top rack, or use a citric acid dishwasher cleaner in the detergent cup.
3. Run the hottest cycle with the dishwasher empty.
4. Wipe any remaining white crust on the door and tub with a cloth dampened in vinegar.
5. Soak spray arms in vinegar if their holes are crusted, then clear them with a toothpick.

To keep scale from coming back, keep the rinse aid dispenser full, turn up the rinse aid setting if your model has one, and repeat the descaling cycle monthly. If your dishwasher has a built-in water softener, make sure its salt reservoir is filled.

How Often Should You Clean Your Dishwasher?

Most households should clean the dishwasher filter and run a cleaning cycle about once a month. If you run it daily, have a big family or skip scraping plates, clean the filter every two weeks. Here’s a part-by-part schedule:

Task	How often
Clean the filter	Once a month; twice a month for daily use or large families
Run a dishwasher cleaner cycle	Once a month
Wipe door edges and gasket	Every 1–2 weeks, or whenever you see grime
Clear spray arm holes	Every 2–3 months, or if dishes come out dirty
Wipe the exterior	Weekly
Pick out visible food from the floor	After every few loads

Habits That Keep Your Dishwasher Cleaner Longer

• Scrape food scraps into the trash before loading. You don’t need to pre-rinse dishes, but large food chunks clog the filter fast.
• Run the garbage disposal before starting the dishwasher if they share a drain.
• Run the kitchen tap until it’s hot before starting a cycle so the first fill is hot.
• Use a rinse aid if you have hard water.
• Leave the door cracked open after a cycle to let moisture escape.

When a Dirty Dishwasher Is Actually a Repair Problem

Cleaning fixes most smell and residue issues. Call a technician if any of these persist after a full clean:

• Water stays pooled above the filter after the cycle ends.
• Dishes are still dirty with a clean filter and clear spray arms, which can mean a weak wash pump or a broken spray arm bearing.
• The dishwasher doesn’t fill, heat or dry.
• You smell burning or see leaks under the door.
• An error code keeps coming back.

Find Dishwasher Repair Near You

If your dishwasher still won’t drain, wash or dry properly after a deep clean, compare local appliance technicians and request free quotes. Mention the brand, model and what you’ve already tried for a more accurate estimate.

Browse dishwasher repair companies · Get free dishwasher repair quotes · Dishwasher repair service guide

How to Clean a Dishwasher: Frequently Asked Questions

How do I clean my dishwasher filter?

Twist the filter counterclockwise and lift it out, soak it in hot water with dish soap and a little vinegar, scrub it inside and out with a soft brush, rinse well and lock it back in place. Do this about once a month.

How often should you clean your dishwasher?

Clean the filter monthly and run a dishwasher cleaner cycle monthly. Do a full deep clean of the door edges, gasket and spray arms every few months, or sooner if it smells. With daily use, clean the filter every two weeks.

Is there a filter on a dishwasher?

Yes, most dishwashers made in the last 10–15 years have a removable filter in the floor of the tub, under the lower spray arm. It usually twists out counterclockwise and needs hand cleaning about once a month. Many older models use a self-cleaning hard food disposer instead.

Can I clean my dishwasher with vinegar?

Yes. Place a cup of white vinegar upright on the top rack and run a hot, empty cycle. It helps with hard water film and odors, but use it occasionally rather than every week, and check your manual’s recommendations.

Why does my dishwasher smell so bad?

Most odors come from a dirty filter, food left in the sump, or grime on the door gasket and edges. A drain hose without a high loop can also let dirty water flow back in.

Is standing water in the bottom of a dishwasher normal?

A little water in the sump under the filter is normal. Water pooled above the filter on the dishwasher floor after a cycle means a drain problem that needs clearing.

Where do I put a dishwasher cleaner tablet?

In the detergent dispenser for most cleaners, so it releases during the main wash. Always follow the package instructions, since a few cleaners are designed to sit on the floor or top rack.

Can I use bleach to clean my dishwasher?

Only if your manual allows it, and never on stainless steel interiors or together with vinegar or other cleaners. Vinegar, dish soap and a dishwasher cleaner tablet handle most jobs safely. See can I put bleach in my dishwasher for the safe method.

Do older dishwashers have filters?

Many dishwashers older than about 15 years use a hard food disposer that grinds food instead of a removable filter. Check your manual; you can still clean the door edges, gasket and spray arms.

Related Guides

• Can I Put Bleach in My Dishwasher?
• How to Clean GE Dishwasher
• How to Clean a Bosch Dishwasher Filter
• How to Clean a KitchenAid Dishwasher
• How to Clean Maytag Dishwasher
• How to Clean a Frigidaire Dishwasher
• Dishwasher Repair Houston
• Garbage Disposal Repair Houston
• How to Clean a GE Profile Self Cleaning Oven
• Why Is My Oven Not Heating Up?
• Appliance Repair Houston

Conclusion

Knowing how to clean a dishwasher properly means going beyond running an empty cycle.

• Clean the filter and mesh screen; it’s the biggest source of smells and dirty dishes.
• Scrub the door edges, gasket and bottom lip by hand, since the wash spray never reaches them.
• Clear the spray arm holes so water reaches every dish.
• Run a dishwasher cleaner tablet in the detergent cup once a month.
• If water won’t drain or dishes stay dirty after a full clean, get free quotes from a local technician.

About This Guide

Editorial policy

This guide was written by David C and reviewed by the Repairior Editorial Team using appliance manufacturer care instructions and standard service practice. We update guides when manufacturer guidance changes. Businesses cannot pay to be featured in our how-to content.

Content transparency

Filter locations, cycles and cleaning recommendations vary by brand and model. Always follow your owner’s manual where it differs from this guide. Repairior earns revenue from optional business plans, which do not affect this guide.

About the author

David C is part of the Repairior Editorial Team, which researches home appliance care and repair and works with local repair businesses across the US, helping homeowners keep appliances running well and know when it’s time to call a pro.

Helpful official resources: ENERGY STAR dishwashers, EPA mold guidance and CPSC recalls.