Dishwasher Not Cleaning Properly? 5 Quick Tips to Make it Like New

There's nothing worse than seeing gritty residue at the bottom of your drinking glass.

This is especially true if you have company at your house, it's the holidays, and your wife is the one who spotted the problem. So what's the solution?

Here are a few tips that helped us with our dishwasher's efficiency

+Use a granular dishwasher soap instead of gel

+Clean sprayer arms with picture hanging wire and a white vinegar bath

+Remove grit and reside from fine and coarse filters

+Check underneath the coarse filter for grime

+Eliminate hard water scale buildup with Lemi Shine

You can check out my post for additional tips, pictures, and a few short videos. The videos are less than 4 minutes but they take you ...»

Time: 1 Hour Cost: $20 Difficulty: Easy

To see more: http://www.homerepairtutor.com/dishwasher-not-cleaning/

33 Comments Displaying 25 of 33 comments | See Previous

Nancy T Louisa, KY

Cleaning your dishwasher should be a part of regular maintenance in your kitchen. Just like changing the batteries in your smoke alarms or cleaning gutters.

on Jan 12, 2013 · Like 1
Nancy Blandon, PA

cleaning tips

on Jan 12, 2013 · Like 1
Bonnie Waukesha, WI

what would cause the washer not to dry water off plastic? Comes out wet

on Jan 12, 2013 · Like 0
Sharon @ mrs. hines class Spring, TX

I've been looking for a product to eliminate hard water. I tried one recently, but was disappointed. I haven't heard of lemi shine before. I'll have to give it a try.

on Jan 12, 2013 · Like 0
Stephanie Plano, TX

thanks for this awesome tip!! love how simple it is to do....!!

on Jan 13, 2013 · Like 0
Jan Bay Unique Baby Gear ... Oxford, MS

I have a brand-new dishwasher and while I don't have problems like these...yet. I would love to know why the baby bottles and drinking glasses get a film on them and how to fix this problem. Is it a hard water issue?

on Jan 13, 2013 · Like 0
Woodbridge Environmental ... Colonia, NJ

Yes its a hard water issue. You need to use a dish washing cleaner for use in hard water. If left to long it will being to etch the glasses and make it harder to remove.

on Jan 13, 2013 · Like 0
Bambi Cole

Jan Bay Unique Baby Gear - I have very hard water here in upstate NY and everything get that film! I use Lemi-Shine powder as a booster in every load and no longer have the problem! I found mine at the local Walmart and LOVE it! They also make a liquid rinse agent that I plan to try once my other stuff is gone...
Hope it works for you too!

on Jan 14, 2013 · Like 1
Gail Gainesville, GA

Thanks for the post. Just installed a new dishwasher about 2 months ago...now I know how to take care of it. I never liked the gel cleanser, but I do use the Finish Powerballs...is that okay or should I go to using the pourable detergent?

on Jan 14, 2013 · Like 1
Mary S Delta, CO

Using white vinegar in the rinse cup solved all my dishwasher problems. Cheap besides.

on Jan 14, 2013 · Like 0
Jan Bay Unique Baby Gear ... Oxford, MS

This morning I while unloading the dishwasher I noticed that one glass had the film and the other was sparkling clean! How is that happening if it's hard water?

on Jan 14, 2013 · Like 0
Sharron W Memphis, TN

Maybe your spray nozzles are "semi" clogged and not delivering an even distribution of the Soap and rinse water... see in this post above he is talking about how to clean clogged up soap and gunk out of it.....

on Jan 14, 2013 · Like 0
Kimberly D Snellville, GA

This post is so timely.This has been happening for the past couple months. I can't wait to try it!

on Jan 16, 2013 · Like 0
Home Repair Tutor Pittsburgh, PA

Gail, sorry for the late response. You can use the Finish Powerballs. In fact, that's the product we switched to from the Cascade gel and our dishes (and dishwasher) are looking so much better. Not perfect but certainly way cleaner.

on Jan 26, 2013 · Like 4
Rebecca Macijowsky

I keep a bottle of white vinegar and water (2/3 vinegar to 1 part water) I spray and wipe the door gasket once a week, ansthe gasket on the dishwasher, remove the filter and arms once a week, put the filter and arms in a vinegar bath and rinse with hot water. then I spray the entire stainless steel tub with white vinegar. Also spray the gasket on the dishwasher itself, and don't forget under the edge of the door, gunk builts up there very fast.

on Feb 02, 2013 · Like 1
Debbi C Prattville, AL

The gel's definitely do not clean well. I switched back to powder and now my dishes come out sparkling clean again,. Luckily, my dishwasher is brand new so I'm going to be ahead of the game with keeping it clean and running well. ;-)

on Feb 02, 2013 · Like 0
Home Repair Tutor Pittsburgh, PA

I used LemiShine and it worked well. But I had a hard time finding it again for some reason.
So I've been using Dishwasher Magic. This combined with the Finish Powerball tabs is an awesome combination.
Our dishwasher is always clean and the dishes are sparkling clean with no residue or haze.

on Feb 02, 2013 · Like 1
Nanette F Mount Juliet, TN

i've used gel or gel/powder paks for awhile in old and new dishwashers. Everyone always suggests finish quantum or other finish powder products. That's when i get the film. It doesn't matter where i put the tablet, dispenser or bottom of dishwasher. I always switch back to a gel. My only "secret" is, I run very hot water thru the water lines first, put the gel pack in the prewash dispenser and wash most loads normal but with temperature boost, and don't block the dispenser door with a ...»
large dish or whatever. I don't even use a rinse aid anymore. I clean the dishwasher once a month or so with vinegar or dishwasher cleaner. I do 2 loads a day(we cook alot and have many dogs). It's all working fine.

on Feb 02, 2013 · Like 0
Debra C Conroe, TX

Thanks for this post. I took my dishwasher apart after reading this and couldn't believe the gunk that was under that screen. I don't know how it was even draining. I would put vinegar in the rinse but I just put a rinse aid in there and it doesn't look like it is dispensing. Been in there several weeks and still looks full. Any idea how to get the rinse aid out?

on Feb 02, 2013 · Like 0
Woodbridge Environmental ... Colonia, NJ

Debra, inside the cover where you put the rinse aid in or right next to it there may be a little dial of sorts that adjusts the amount used during every wash. Many machines that I have seen over the years have this option. If you have this, it may be turned down really low and not completely draining it fast enough to see any difference.
If that does not exist on your machine, simply take a dry sponge and soak it up if you do not ...»
want it in there. It does no harm staying there however so I would not really worry about it. With new detergents this device is no longer needed to be used.

on Feb 03, 2013 · Like 1
Jeannette Brooks Pembroke, GA

Great easy ideas. Will have to use these on our "less-than-perfect" dishwasher. Http://www.divinerighttoberich.com.

on Feb 03, 2013 · Like 0
Julie DeGroot Iron Mountain, MI

I had my old plastic tub dishwasher for 18 yrs and it was still running not well but cleaned still..my kids got me a new one with stainless steel interior...I clean it the same way as my old one...once a month....vinegar in container on top shelves....then pour 1 cup baking soda on the bottom.....run full cycle....also once a week clean filter with dawn concentrated soap for grease & baking soda mixed with a toothbrush. Took out bottom screen every couple years and cleaned gunk out. My new ...»
dishwasher says to do this with the vinegar and baking soda also. Works great!

on Feb 03, 2013 · Like 0
Home Repair Tutor Pittsburgh, PA

Thanks Julie for the nice tips.

on Feb 03, 2013 · Like 1
Penster47 Verona, MO

My dishwasher is an 18 y/o GE pot scrubber and doesn't look anything like the one in the picture. It's all plastic, the arms don't come off and the water sprayer is the one that telescopes up. But I'm going to use the solution anyway.

on Feb 26, 2013 · Like 2
Woodbridge Environmental ... Colonia, NJ

Penster, all the arms come off, some have hidden clips, some are held on by screws hidden under caps. Let us know how you make out.

on Feb 26, 2013 · Like 0