How do you know your dishwasher needs cleaning? You can see scale, soap scum, oils, grease or slime buildup. You notice a funky smell coming out of your dishwasher. Dishes aren't coming completely clean, and frequent repairs. What is the odor coming from my dishwasher? Leftover and built-up detergents, oils, and grime are the perfect food source for odor-casing mold, bacteria, mildew, and slime. Are dishwashers dirty even though you run detergent in each wash? Yes. Most detergents don't fully dissolve over the course of a washing and rinsing cycle. Over time, these detergents, along with minerals from your water, can build up and leave a residue that becomes very difficult to remove. Why let the product soak and scrub before running a cycle? Like we stated before, these built-up residues can become very difficult to remove over time. Soaking and scrubbing allows our cleaner to penetrate deep into the contamination making it much easier to remove during the cleaning cycle. WARNING: If you have a heavily soiled dishwasher, do not use more than two ounces on the first cleaning to prevent too much Yuk from being removed and clogging your drain. Instructions: For best results, pour a small amount of cleaner onto heavily soiled areas and scrub with a sponge. Add a total of 4 ounces to your empty dishwasher's dispenser and inside the machine. Run a heavy load with hot water.