The inside of a dishwasher can get quite dirty with a layer of film inside. If you do the following it will keep your washer tip top and sparkling clean.
Fill the washer with crockery NO silver OR other metals. Place a bowl with 1/2 a cup of bleach on the bottom rack and allow the machine to run through the wash cycle only. Then fill the same bowl with 1/2 a cup of vinegar and this time run the machine through the whole cycle. Make sure that the bleach has been thoroughly washed away incase the bleach you are using does not agree with the vinegar. (Mixing bleach with other household substances should always be avoided)
Not ready to run the dishwasher, but can not stand the smell of the tuna you had for lunch? Sprinkle a handful of Baking Soda on the dishes or in the bottom of the dishwasher to absorb these odors, so you can wait until the washer is full! The Baking Soda will do double-duty: deodorizing before you run the dishwasher and then cleaning in the first wash cycle. With Baking Soda handling the first cycle, add your detergent only to the cup that closes, for use in the second cycle.