I do. The appliance repairman, here for a reason not my washer, told me it's important to regularly run the clean cycle on the HE top loading machines (which I have, the lower water use type). I probably don't do it every month since I do wash loads (whites) in straight hot - but run the machine cleaning cycle with Affresh about every 6 weeks.

Probably less often than that, I run one of the dishwashing tablets through with a load. Unlike the washing machine which is used sans clothes, the dishwasher formula tablet can be run with dishes. I bought a bulk supply of each at a great price using Ebay and have enough for more than a year still on hand.

I don't know how appropriate they are for the new dishwashers, or even if mine needs it.... I have a Kitchen Aid about 12 years old, do use the sanitizing rinse somewhat often.

I don't. Once in awhile I use citric acid in the dishwasher, but not often. I have soft water so never any hard water buildup and I mostly use a chlorine and phosphate based detergent. My dishwasher stays clean.

In my Front Loader I do many sanitize loads a week so don't neeed the Affresh, I do run a clean washer cycle with Bleach about once a month since I rarely use chlorine bleach on textiles.

I use Clorox in my front loader for towels and wash a lot of things on hot. Hot is yesterdays warm and warm is cool so my cold water tops get washed on the warm cycle. With a front loader I can do smaller loads without water waste so it gets used frequently enough to not let anything "grow". The clean cycle on a washer is just a very hot water cycle. If you use the sani cycle on towels or bed linens you are killing 2 birds with one stone.

My dishwasher is used daily. It gets clean at the same time my dishes do. If it didn't I wouldn't be using it for dishes. We have a full house softener so no hard water build up. If we did I'd just use citric acid I guess.

Every time I have ever brought in a new washer I have run a cycle using a scoop of dishwasher detergent to cut factory oils and residue before I use the appliance. No need for special cleaners.

Watchme, the Affresh for dishwashers is citric acid.

What the service person told me about the machine cleaning cycles: the normal washes in at least the top loaders is such a low level of water, things can build up/splash up behind the tub where we can't see it. Particularly true for people using liquid detergents and cold water washes. I don't use liquids or cold, but definitely agree with him that the cleaning cycle is the only one on my top load machine that fills the machine to the brim...it has a glass top so I can see it. I only wish I had that much water for washing clothes ;0)

It's more a maintenance issue to avoid future service, I don't want to pay a service man to take my machine apart and clean if I can do it. So I do occasionally, even though I wash some things in hot, and I do occasionally use bleach/Clorox for whites.

Yep Morz...in washing machines its not just hard water deposits to worry about its oils, soil, detergent residue and fabric softener residue that build up where we can't see. nothing short of frequent hot washes removes this. There are typical household textiles that should be washed in hot, bed sheets, kitchen towels, bath towels and most whites. I will assume most people wash their sheets weekly and use hot water so there's at least one hot wash in everyone's washer weekly. I know many people use cold washing, but surely not on sheets. Where was I going with this....the more hot washes you do the more likely your washer will thank you.

No cold for sheets here Mama. ALL my sheets are white ;0)

My dishwasher repairman recommended that they be used regularly. I do it irregularly -- because I just don't remember to.

I bought a new HE top loading washing machine about 3 years ago. The owner's manual stresses using the cleaning cycle, and recommends using Affresh, so I do. Probably not nearly as often as they recommend, though. But I doubt I do as much laundry as they expect, as I only have my own to do. I do all my linens in hot water, occasionally adding a Clorox soak. All my sheets, pillow cases, towels, washcloths, etc., are white 100% cotton. My washer doesn't have a sanitizing cycle. I don't have a dishwasher, it broke down several years ago, and I just never replaced it. (Repairing it wasn't feasible.) But I'd never heard of running a cleaning cycle on a dishwasher until I started reading these forums! But then, I'd never heard of a cleaning cycle on a washer, either, until I started seeing Affresh ads on TV. I guess it's the low water usage that makes them necessary? So that makes me wonder if using so much less water is all that good. It sure does make a difference in the utility bills, though!

Rusty

Rusty...soaking textiles in Clorox bleach is a bad idea. Textiles should never be in contact with chlorine bleach more than 5 to 6 minutes. All the benefits of chlorine take place within that short time any longer and its damaging the fabric.

Our HE washer prompts us when it's time to clean it.

Nope. I don't have a dishwasher and I do frequent hot washing in the clothes washer. 140° hot and occasionally do a bleach cycle. Have a Speed Queen top loader and keep the top cracked when not in use. The big thing on any washer is air circulation and if you use too many cold washes it doesn't matter the detergent you use, you'll get buildup and smell so you need to maintain it. Front loaders, of course, are more problematic but maintenance isn't a big problem and you really don't need special tablets. It just makes things more convenient and I'm certainly not opposed to convenience at the right price.

I keep my FL washer door open when not in use, and remove the detergent tray to dump out any water and allow it to fully dry (and air to get in there). I wash frequently in hot, which my water heater gets to 130/131.

No internal washer heater, although I think that will be a consideration when I replace our washer.

linda_6

Our HE washer prompts us when it's time to clean it.

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What make do you have?

My Duet also prompts when to clean it. after a year the clean washer light has never come on. My onboard heater will reach temps ovove 154F on my Allergen cycle. I use this cycle for all sheets and kitchen towels.