How to clean your machine

We'd say every 1–2 months.

Over time, things like detergent residue, grease, mould, limescale, food scraps and funky odours can quietly build up where you can't see them.

If you use your machine daily, tackle particularly messy loads, or live in a hard water area, you may want to clean it a little more often! A regular maintenance clean with Skipper Machine Cleaner helps keep your machine fresh, hygienic and doing what it does best. Squeaky clean dishes and clothes are a must in any Skipper home.

Yes! Cleaning the filter is one of the most important parts of appliance maintenance.

Dishwasher filter assemblies and washing machine drain pump or lint filters trap food scraps, lint, hair, grease and debris. Over time, blocked filters can cause bad smells, poor cleaning performance, drainage problems and even machine damage. Our model-specific guides show you exactly how to locate and clean your appliance filters safely and correctly.

To deep clean your appliance, use the hottest cycle available. For dishwashers, this is usually an Intensive, Hygiene or Heavy cycle. For washing machines, use a Drum Clean, Tub Clean or hottest cotton cycle with an empty drum. Pairing a hot cycle with Skipper Machine Cleaner Powder helps dissolve hidden grime, detergent build-up, grease and odours from inside the machine where regular cycles can’t reach.

Common signs your appliance needs cleaning include bad smells, cloudy dishes, mould around seals, detergent residue, poor washing results, slow draining, excess lint, greasy build-up or visible grime inside the machine. You may also notice your washing machine drum or dishwasher spray arms looking dirty. Regular maintenance cleaning helps prevent these issues and keeps your appliance performing properly.

Machine Cleaner is a powerful deep-descaling powder designed for dishwashers and washing machines (but not limited to just those).

It helps tackle the grease, limescale, residue and funky odours that can build up over time. You know, the kind of thing you suddenly remember exists when the dishwasher starts smelling a bit yuck or you peek under the rubber seals of your washing machine.

It also helps your machine clean better, smell fresher and keep doing what it does best for longer. And we're here for a long-living appliance.

Vinegar and bleach both have their place around the home, but when it comes to cleaning your dishwasher or washing machine, we think it's best to use a product designed for the job.

Why? Vinegar isn't always strong enough to tackle heavy build-up, while bleach can be a little too harsh on rubber seals, internal components and the bits you'd rather not replace.

Our Machine Cleaner is specifically formulated to tackle the grease, limescale, residue and funky odours that can build up over time. It gives your machine a deep clean without the harsh chemical smell, all while helping keep things fresh, running smoothly and smelling softly of lemon.

Think of it as the difference between using a butter knife and the right tool for the job. Both could work, but one's definitely going to make life easier and safer.

You don't.

Our Machine Cleaner is designed to work in both dishwashers and washing machines, so there's no need to keep separate cleaners under the sink.

One sachet on the two hardest working machines in your home sounds much better to us!

In our testing, no.

We've spent more than four years testing and formulating machine cleaner powders, tablets and blocks, and powder consistently came out on top.

Why? Powder dissolves more completely, circulates more effectively through your machine and gives us greater flexibility to include the ingredients needed for a proper deep clean.

That's why we landed on an Aussie-made powder formula rather than a tablet or block.

We also designed Machine Cleaner to work in both dishwashers and washing machines, so there's no need to buy, store and remember two separate products. Simple is always best around here!

Yes, we don't mess around with anything that isn't.

Our Machine Cleaner is formulated with planet-friendly ingredients designed to give your dishwasher or washing machine a squeaky clean without relying on unnecessarily harsh chemicals.

It's all the usuals: Biodegradable, septic safe, grey water safe and packaged in a kerbside recyclable paper sachet.

And here's something people don't always think about: a well-maintained machine is generally better for the planet, too. Keeping your dishwasher or washing machine clean can help it run more efficiently, perform better and stick around for longer.

Because the most sustainable appliance is usually the one you don't have to replace anytime soon.

We've been conditioned to think bubbles mean something exciting is happening. But it's just foamo.

This is deliberately a non-foaming product (just like Dish Tabs). It cleans through chemistry, not suds. Foam in dishwashers can lead to leaks, overflow, and poor cleaning. And because it doesn't foam, it rinses away easily without leaving a soapy film behind.

Machine Cleaner is designed to get to work where it counts, tackle build-up, grime and odours inside your machine without putting on a big show about it.

So yeah, we're a little less theatrical. But a lot more practical with our ingredient list and getting the job done!

PS. A Chemistry Note

Regarding 'Fizzing': If the cleaning job is descaling (acid dissolving limescale), the acid-plus-carbonate fizz reaction actually neutralises some of that acid, the energy goes into making gas instead of dissolving scale. So a heavily-fizzing acidic tablet can have less descaling punch left than a slow-dissolving non-fizzing acid powder that keeps the water at low pH for longer.