The invention concerns a machine cleaner to clean kitchen appliances, comprising an alkaline system and a complexing component to bind metals or metallic cations, wherein the complexing component comprises a combination of at least one element from each of the following groups of complexing agents or complexing aids: methyl glycine diacetic acid or polyaspartic acid or salts thereof; polyepoxysuccinic acid or salts thereof; and gluconic acid or gluconates. The invention also concerns the use of a combination of different complexing agents or complexing aids in an alkaline machine cleaner as well as the use of a machine cleaner in accordance with the invention to clean kitchen appliances, in particular in the commercial kitchen sector.