i load my dishwasher with anything that i think looks spotted or scaled - mainly glasses and silverware. i dump about about 1 cup of vinegar into the dishwasher. i dont measure it, i just splash a couple of glugs into the bottom of the machine. and then i run it on a normal wash cycle with no soap. i am always amazed at how great my glasses look after i do this and its so simple.

if your dishwasher is heavily scummy you may need to repeat it a couple of times... because the vinegar cleans the machine as well as the glasses and silverware.

in lieu of multiple washings you could double the amount of vinegar - but i would rather err on the side of multiple gentle rinsings rather than a too strong of solution that might be hard on rubber parts of the machine. my machine tends to get a crusty hard water stains the nozzle jets in the rotating arm - but after its had a wash of vinegar those little nozzles open right up...

i really find vinegar to be the best cleanser for any hard surface that i want to look shiny and clean.

The guy who came to repair my dishwasher one time used Tang (yes, the drink powder) to clean the inside of the machine. He says it's the best. He just ran it through a regular cycle with some powder thrown in.

Yes, Tang is often used for this purpose. To dissolve mineral deposits you need an acid. Tang is high in ascorbic acid, and since it is a powder, it works well in dishwashers - though I have never used it. I think you need to be clear about whether or not you are trying to clean deposits on the inside of the dishwasher versus those on your dishes and glasswear.

To clean the inside of the dishwasher itself, you can try Tang, or one of the products they make for this purpose--check the area in the market where they keep the dishwasher detergent - several companies make a powder for removing mineral deposits.

For running with your regular cycles to keep water spots off of your dishes, I like to use a combination of cascade (powder), Jet Dry (liquid), and Glass Magic (a powder that you sprinkle in the bottom of the DW prior to turning it on).

Lynne