Dishwasher Cleaning (2026): Ten Makers’ Routines Side by Side, and Where They Disagree

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Quick answer: Between them, the makers we read cover four jobs: the filter, the spray arms, the door seal and an empty cleaning cycle. Past that, the makers split. In the 35 documents we read, vinegar doses run from about 7 oz to about 2 cups, Bosch forbids bleach while GE uses it diluted for mildew, and pre-rinsing is advised both ways. Your manual settles it.

Comparing machines instead? See LG vs Bosch dishwasher.

What this page is built from

We read 35 documents from 10 appliance brands (Whirlpool, KitchenAid, Maytag, GE Appliances, Café, Bosch, Samsung, LG, Frigidaire, Miele) and two cleaner brands, Finish and affresh. affresh is owned by Whirlpool Corporation, which also owns Whirlpool, KitchenAid and Maytag. Four are owner’s manuals; the rest are maker web pages, all accessed on 30 September 2026. The Café guide we could read is its Canadian site. Finish and affresh are cleaner makers; their lines are their own statements, not appliance-maker instructions.

The dishwasher cleaning conflicts at a glance

What you need

Warm water and dish soap, a soft brush or old toothbrush, a toothpick or paper clip for spray-arm jets, a damp cloth, and white vinegar, citric acid or a dishwasher cleaner, depending on whose routine you follow.

Step 1: Clean the filter first

1. Twist and lift. Whirlpool’s manual, Maytag, GE, Samsung, LG and Miele describe a counterclockwise turn; Whirlpool’s manual and Maytag specify “¼ turn counterclockwise”. Bosch’s spotlight page: “Rotate the filter knob to the left and lift up to remove.” GE starts by removing the bottom rack.
2. Rinse. Running water, per the Whirlpool, Bosch and Frigidaire manuals and Samsung. KitchenAid and Bosch’s web pages add warm, soapy water. For stubborn messes, Maytag’s blog soaks it “for at least 30 minutes in a mixture of equal parts white vinegar and warm water.”
3. Brush gently, if your maker allows it. Soft brush (Whirlpool manual, a Bosch support page), toothbrush (KitchenAid, Samsung), nylon brush (Miele). GE says sponge for its Ultra Fine Filter, because “Scrubbing with scouring pads or brushes can damage the filter.” Whirlpool, Maytag, GE and LG warn against wire brushes, scouring pads or steel wool.
4. Refit it properly. Bosch: “Make sure that the arrow markings match up.” Samsung warns a badly refitted filter can cause “drain or overflow issues.” Whirlpool’s manual, Maytag and Miele say never run without the filters.

Some machines have nothing to remove. GE: “Older GE Appliances dishwashers, as well as some current models, feature self-cleaning filtration.” KitchenAid markets self-cleaning filtration on select models; that is its own claim, unverified by us. Signs a filter is due, per Whirlpool’s manual and GE: gritty dishes, visible soil on the filter, and “a decrease in wash performance”.

How often: each maker’s own figure

Three brands contradict themselves: Whirlpool’s manual chart allows once a year while its web pages say at least monthly; Maytag’s Product Help says monthly while its blog chart runs from once a year to once a week; LG’s 2021 script says every load, while its filter help page’s chart (page date 02/03/2023) runs to once a year. That chart has one cell cut off and, at 1 to 7 loads a week, it has people who wash dishes before loading cleaning the filter more often than people who scrape and rinse, so we do not reproduce the rest of its figures. The workable rule: your manual’s chart is the model-specific document; without it, use your maker’s general figure.

Step 2: Clear the spray arms

• Bosch: limescale and debris “may block the nozzles and bearings on the spray arms”; its support page says clean them “every few months”, using a toothpick on the holes.
• Miele: “approx. every 4 – 6 months”, pushing trapped particles into the arm with a pointed object.
• GE: “a gentle poke with a paper clip or tweezers”, and “Be careful not to damage the jets in any way”.
• Samsung: brush the nozzle, soak it overnight in distilled white vinegar, then run water through it.
• LG (2021): remove the upper arm with a 1/8 counterclockwise turn of its nut; never pull or rotate the variable angle end sections by hand.

Step 3: Wipe the door seal

Miele explains why: the door seal and door sides “are not accessed and cleaned by the spray arm jets.” Whirlpool uses a sponge and warm, soapy water, “then wipe dry with a clean towel.” KitchenAid uses a soft toothbrush “without putting too much pressure on the seal.” Bosch and Miele use a damp cloth, Samsung a cloth soaked in white vinegar. GE uses a bleach solution for mildew; read the bleach section first.

Step 4: Run an empty cleaning cycle

• Bosch manual: wipe heavy soiling, add detergent, run the highest-temperature program without dishware.
• GE: three to four ounces of citric acid crystals in the detergent cup, then another cycle with a full cup of detergent.
• LG (2026): citric acid or a cleaner in the dispenser; on some models, hold HEAVY for three seconds for Machine Clean.
• Samsung: chlorine-based detergent, white vinegar or a tablet, but “Do not use detergent and vinegar at the same time.”
• Whirlpool manual: a monthly product “such as affresh®† Dishwasher Cleaner”, a same-owner brand.

The vinegar split, source by source

LG’s newer page does not say it replaces the older scripts. LG’s 2026 page also says to “remove all dishes, silverware, and the silverware holder from your dishwasher.” Café’s line comes from its Canadian site, not GE’s US advice. Whirlpool, KitchenAid and LG warn against overuse; Whirlpool’s manual: “Vinegar is an acid, and using it too often could damage your dishwasher.” KitchenAid adds that “not every dishwasher interior should be cleaned with vinegar”, so check your Use and Care guide. None of the 35 documents we read forbids vinegar outright.

Baking soda: only 2 of the 35 documents give a procedure, both Whirlpool Corporation brands. Whirlpool: after the vinegar cycle, “sprinkle 1 cup of baking soda in the bottom of the dishwasher and run a hot water cycle”, never in the same cycle as vinegar. KitchenAid: one cup, “a short, hot water cycle”. We found no GE, Bosch, Samsung, LG, Frigidaire or Miele statement on it.

Bleach: the real split

GE’s two strengths differ roughly fivefold and GE does not reconcile them; its advice covers GE machines only. Samsung’s odor page lists “chlorine-based detergent” as a cleaning agent while forbidding bleach in stainless interiors. We found no bleach statement from LG, Whirlpool, KitchenAid, Maytag, Miele or Finish. GE’s warning applies to everyone: “Under no circumstances should you ever mix chlorine bleach and ammonia.”

Pre-rinsing: scrape or rinse?

• Scrape, don’t rinse: Bosch’s manual (“To save resources, do not pre-rinse dishware under running water.”), Miele’s manual (“There is no need to rinse items under running water!”), Whirlpool’s manual (its chart marks scrape only as the “*Manufacturer’s recommendation”) and GE’s lifestyle article.
• Rinse: Samsung: “Rinse your dishes before you put them in the dishwasher!” affresh (cleaner maker): “Rinse dishes before loading the dishwasher, but don’t pre-wash.”
• Conditional: Frigidaire’s manual says pre-rinse, or use Rinse Only, if the load will not run at once.

If it still smells

• Filter or drain: Whirlpool lists a clogged filter, food on the walls, gasket mold and a clogged drain. Frigidaire: standing water from poor draining.
• Installation: GE calls dirty water between uses “an installation problem caused by an improperly installed drain hose.”
• Idle machine: GE says running it at least once a week usually prevents odor. KitchenAid and Frigidaire suggest a rinse-only cycle. Bosch and Samsung say leave the door slightly open.
• Low temperatures: Miele warns that mainly using programs below 120°F/50 °C risks bacteria and odors.
• The sink: Samsung says a lingering odor “may be coming from the connected sink.”

Mistakes the makers warn against

• Abrasive pads or strong cleaners inside (GE; Bosch manual)
• A steam cleaner (Bosch manual)
• Metal items during vinegar or citric acid treatments (GE, Frigidaire manual)
• Vinegar with detergent (Whirlpool, Samsung, LG 2026)

When cleaning is not the fix

Finish, a cleaner maker, says that with holes or damage in the filter “it may be time to replace it.” GE calls a drain-hose fault an installation problem, and Samsung says a smell that survives cleaning may come from the sink. Shopping instead? Our LG vs Bosch dishwasher comparison covers two brands whose routines appear here.

What we could not verify

Café’s US guide, Maytag’s main dishwasher cleaning blog and Miele USA’s care page each refused our request; Frigidaire’s blog returned no readable text. The Bosch and Miele documents we read say nothing on vinegar, and Finish does not mention it. KitchenAid’s self-cleaning filter claim is unverified.