Dishwasher Isn’t Cleaning Dishes? Try These 7 Solutions

If your dishwasher stopped cleaning dishes or if your dishwasher isn’t rinsing, first check to ensure the interior surfaces of the dishwasher are clean. Let’s face it, your dishwasher has to tackle some pretty tough messes on your dishes, pots and pans. Over time the interior of your machine can become dirty with grease, food deposits, hard water and detergent buildup. Dirt and debris on the interior might be a reason the dishwasher isn’t washing well. The spray can deposit the material back onto your dishes. Here are a few steps to make the inside sparkle again and help your dishwasher clean dishes properly.

Remove the racks, run them under hot water and wipe them down with a soft cloth or damp sponge. Check to see if any food particles are in the tub or stuck in crevices. Stuck on debris can be removed with a sponge dampened with white vinegar.

Bad odors can also make it seem as if the dishwasher isn’t washing well. After cleaning the tub, there are a couple of options to finish cleaning and remove any lingering smells and odors. The first is ready-to-use dishwasher cleaner solutions that can remove grease, lime, rust, mineral buildup and hard water stains. Simply follow the directions, running in an empty dishwasher to clean away stains and odor.

A second option is using household vinegar and baking soda. Pour 8 ounces of white vinegar in a mug or dishwasher-safe bowl and run a cycle at the hottest setting without drying. After this is done, sprinkle a cup of baking soda on the tub’s bottom and run a rinse cycle, again at the hottest setting. Cleaning with either method once a month will leave your dishwasher clean and fresh.

If a dishwasher isn’t cleaning dishes on the top or bottom rack, clogged nozzles or jets on the spray arms might be the reason. The spray arms spin below your dishes, distributing hot water and detergent to clean your dishes and, at the end of the wash, to rinse your dishes. Over time, the small jets in the spray arms can clog due to food particles or hard water deposits. This leads to a reduction in water pressure and might be a reason a dishwasher isn’t washing well. This reduction of water pressure might also be the reason the dishwasher isn’t rinsing – the pressure might be too low to fully rinse away food particles and detergent. If your dishwasher has spray arms above the top rack, clogged nozzles here can mean the top rack of the dishwasher isn’t cleaning properly. Thankfully, cleaning the arms is a simple procedure.

To remove the arm, check your owner’s manual to see if they snap out or are held in with a small screw. Once detached, clean with a soft brush and dish soap. Examine the jets again to make sure they are not still clogged. Any clogs can mean the dishwasher won’t wash well or rinse fully. If the jets are still clogged, take a toothpick and gently clear them. Run them once more under hot water and replace, giving them a test spin to ensure they are installed correctly. Your water pressure should return to normal. Run a few loads to see if clearing the jets solved the problem of the dishwasher not cleaning dishes and not rinsing fully.

Food particles in the drain filter can be the reason your dishwasher stopped cleaning. Some dishwashers have hard food disposers that crush food particles, disposing of them through the drain. Other models have a removable filter at the bottom of the tub, underneath the racks. When this filter clogs, dirty water and food particles can’t drain from the tub, so the dishwasher may be depositing the material on the dishes, creating a situation where the dishwasher isn’t washing well even after a full cleaning cycle. Dirty water remaining in the tub for the rinse cycle might also mean the dishwasher isn’t rinsing. In general, if you’re using your dishwasher once a day and you scrape the dishes before loading them, clean the filter at least twice a year. If you don’t scrape the dishes, plan on cleaning the filter weekly. Refer to the owner’s manual for removal instructions and clean as directed.

If a dishwasher isn’t cleaning well, low water temperature might be the cause. Ensuring that your dishwasher’s water temperature is high enough is important for two reasons, to thoroughly clean your dishes and to properly dissolve and activate your detergent. The regular wash cycle temperature on most dishwashers today runs about 130-140 degrees. Low water temperature might also be the problem if the dishwasher isn’t rinsing well. On the rinse cycle, water might reach 180 degrees to ensure a proper clean and assist with drying. If you notice your dishes aren’t getting clean or the detergent hasn’t completely dissolved, then low water temperature may be the problem. You may need to have your water heater’s setting checked by a licensed professional.

Along with proper water temperature, a good dishwasher detergent is key to getting clean dishes. Using an incorrect detergent or one of poor quality can leave your plates dirty. There are a wide variety of pods, tabs and liquid detergents that are all excellent for using in your machine. Refer to your owner’s manual for suggestions and correct amounts for an optimum clean.

If your dishwasher isn’t cleaning dishes, check the soap dispenser. A defective soap dispenser prevents detergent from getting to your dishes or from distributing at the proper cycle time. The problem may be buildup around the mechanism or a faulty or jammed spring in the dispenser door. There’s a simple fix if your dishwasher isn’t washing well because buildup is interfering with the dispenser. Using an old toothbrush, apply a solution of hot water and vinegar to remove debris and grease.

If a broken spring or door is the reason the dishwasher stopped cleaning, you’ll need to have the part replaced. Also, be sure to look at the dispenser gasket for signs of cracking or damage. Replace if necessary.

Water quality might be the reason a dishwasher isn’t washing well. If your home has hard water, you are aware of the problems it causes; scale buildup, ineffective clothes washing, and spots on dishes and glassware in the dishwasher. The minerals in the water are responsible for the chalky buildup, potentially making it appear the dishwasher isn’t rinsing. Installing a whole home water softener can help reduce a hard water problem.

Etching can also occur from pre-rinsing dishes, particularly if you live in a soft water area. The reason for this is that the detergent does not have the fats and proteins from food debris to cling to and remove, thus leaving a cloudy film on your dishes and glasses. Skipping the pre-washing and using a high-quality detergent can prevent this from occurring.

In addition to the problems and fixes above, making some simple changes in the way you use your dishwasher can help if the dishwasher isn’t cleaning dishes like it should or if the dishwasher isn’t rinsing well.

• Use the Right Amount of Detergent: Even a high-quality detergent can cause problems if you use too much or too little. If your dishwasher isn’t washing well or you notice the dishwasher not rinsing, check your manual to make sure you’re adding the correct amount of detergent.
• Consider a Rinse Aid: Your manual might recommend a type of rinse aid to use. If the dishwasher isn’t rinsing like it should, a rinse aid might help. As with detergent, use the correct type and amount.
• Scrape Your Dishes: While most manufacturers recommend against pre-rinsing your dishes before loading them, scraping away large collections of food is a good idea. This practice helps keep food particles off of your dishes and out of the filter. If your dishwasher isn’t cleaning dishes, make sure you’re scraping them well.
• Load the Dishes Correctly: If your dishwasher isn’t cleaning dishes like it should, make sure you’re loading the dishes according to the manual and that you’re not overloading. Loading the dishes incorrectly makes it difficult for the detergent and water to reach all of the surfaces. Overloading can also be a reason a dishwasher isn’t rinsing.
• Check the Wash Cycle: If your dishwasher isn’t washing well, make sure you’re choosing the right cycle. For example, if you’re using a quick cycle on heavily soiled dishes to save time, it might seem like your dishwasher stopped cleaning correctly. However, the cycle might be the problem. A quick cycle is usually best for lightly soiled dishes — it doesn’t clean heavily soiled dishes as well.

Check your dishwasher manual for more tips to make sure you’re getting the best out of your appliance. If you can’t find your manual, a downloadable version might be available on the Lowes.com product page or on the manufacturer website.