Have you ever looked at a newly washed glass and seen gunk at the bottom?
My wife has noticed this on multiple occasions and even though our dishwasher is a few years old its cleaning efficiency has dropped off significantly.
Just today our daughters were complaining about mucky residue on their plastic cups. These are the same kids who can’t stand taking showers (their tone will surely change once they get old enough to date, at 25!!!)
I’m sharing these tips because a dishwasher not cleaning dishes is a frustrating problem.
Hey, I don’t mind washing dishes by hand. But it’s nice to have a machine do this for you when both parents work full-time, coach softball & basketball, serve as a taxi service for kids, etc.
A dishwasher is like Alice from the Brady Bunch – an extra set of hands that makes your day a whole lot better.
After reading this post you’ll be able to remove your dishwasher’s spray arms & unclog them, understand how to thoroughly clean the inside of your dishwasher machine, and discover how to eliminate dirty dishes.
These are the supplies you need
- Ratchet
- 1/4 inch socket for ratchet
- White vinegar
- Baking soda
- Putty knife
- Fine steel wool (grade 00)
- Sponge
- Steel wire for hanging pictures or steel cable or wire hanger
- Old toothbrush (or spouse’s toothbrush depending on your mood)
- These Amazon affiliate links help support Home Repair Tutor
All the tips are easy and can be done in less than an hour.
You can do this, trust me. It’s not that hard and if your dishwasher isn’t cleaning properly you’ll thank yourself for performing this project š
Tip 1: Remove and Unclog Spray Arms
Clogged spray arms have to be the #1 problem we encounter with our dishwasher. It’s a function of the hard water we have here in Pittsburgh and the new non-phosphate dishwasher detergent.
We have a stainless steel GE Cafe dishwasher with SmartDispense technology. The SmartDispense concept seemed like a good idea. You could dump in a ton of liquid dishwasher soap and not have to worry about manually filling up the soap cup every time dishes needed to be cleaned.
When we started using the SmartDispense dispenser the directions were followed and the correct soap was used. Then soap manufacturers changed their formulas and eliminated the use of phosphate. Which was good for the environment but bad for our dishwasher system.
The two different kinds of soap caused residue or scale to buildup in our dishwasher. There’s a good chance you have the same problem.
If your dishwasher is like our GE brand then you can remove the lower spray arm by turning it counterclockwise and pulling up at the same time.
Remove the top & middle spray arms by using a ratchet and appropriately sized socket, which was 1/4 inch for me.
Here’s a brief video to help you with removing your spray arms
Check all of the holes in your spray arms for clogs. You can use three different methods to remove debris from the holes.
Steel wire (the kind for hanging pictures) or steel cable can be used like dental floss to thoroughly clear out the holes in the arms. If you’re unsure what size steel cable to use you can take the arm to the hardware store and test it.
You can also use a wire hanger, the cheap kind you get at the dry cleaner’s, to unclog the arms.
The next step will help neutralize any crud you missed with the wires or cables.
Tip 2: Soak Spray Arms in White Vinegar
Mechanically removing scale or bits of food from the holes in the spray arms will help transform a dishwasher from not cleaning to one that works a lot better.
Since the arms are already removed you can soak them in a bath of white vinegar to clean them even more. White vinegar will naturally break down old dishwasher soap and scale buildup.
You can do this one of two ways.
The first option is to place the arms on a four-sided cookie sheet and add the white vinegar. The second option is to put the spray arms in a clean kitchen sink and soak them with vinegar.
In my video, I put duck tape over the holes of the arms, but this didn’t work all that well. At least you can learn from my bone-headed ideas and save some time š
Tip 3: Clean the Inside of Your Dirty Dishwasher
Make it a habit to look inside and see if you have a dirty dishwasher. Once a month isn’t too much to ask, right?
You’d be surprised at what you might find: chunks of old food, glass from broken dishes, popsicle sticks, toys, you name it!!!
The obvious first step is to check the bottom of the dishwasher for debris. The mat-like thing you see is called the coarse filter and is meant to catch big particles that could prevent your tub from draining.
Feel around with your hand in areas you can’t see and remove the cover to the reservoir where the water drains. Reach down into this reservoir and take out any food or other muck. Yes, this is gross but you have to do it for the sake of mankind (and to prevent that dreaded call to the appliance repair person).
There was a plastic popsicle wrapper in my reservoir along with some other items that I won’t mention. Sure I’m a little embarrassed but this is life.
If these large bits are just floating around in the dishwasher water they can certainly be sprayed back onto the dishes, which defeats the purpose of having a dishwashing machine!!!
There is also a fine filter in your dishwasher. It looks like a circular spaceship that has fine mesh sections to it. Clean off the mesh with a sponge or run it under hot water. Our fine filter had what looked like coffee grounds on it.
Again, this is the stuff that could be sprayed back up into your cups or dishes. So cleaning the fine filter should be on your to-do list every month.
Tip 4: Eliminate Residue & Scale Buildup
In Tip 3 you will clean the top of the coarse filter and I highly suggest you take a look underneath it.
OH MY WORD!!!
I almost couldn’t believe how much crap was on the bottom of the dishwasher tub. And this stuff was caked on real good.
My guess is this crud is a mix of residue from our hard water and a result of using the new non-phosphate soap with the original soap that did contain phosphate. And the GE repairman (who replaced our lower spray arm for $100) confirmed that he’d seen this in other dishwashers not cleaning properly.
How do you clean off this buildup?
Mix up white vinegar and baking soda to make a paste. The consistency should be slightly thicker than pancake batter, but feel free to experiment. Spread this paste onto the buildup and let it sit for 15-20 minutes.
In a prior post I used this formula to clean soap scum off my shower doors.
You can use a plastic putty knife to scrape off the residue. Since our dishwasher has a stainless tub I actually used a regular putty knife and 00 grade (superfine) steel wool. Yes, this is aggressive but I was careful and only scrubbed the surface of the mucky residue that surely caused our dishwasher to not work properly.
This procedure with white vinegar and baking soda may need to be done a few times to properly clean the bottom of the dishwasher tub.
Tip 5: Toothbrushify Your Seals and Door
Only use your spouse’s toothbrush for this step if they really deserve it (but please don’t tell them I said this unless you absolutely have no other choice).
Admittedly we didn’t clean the seals on our dishwasher for a few years and it looked disgusting.
Use the toothbrush to scrub around all the rubber seals and the perimeter of where the door meets up with the dishwasher tub. Then grab a wet sponge to sop up the loosened muck.
You can do this same procedure for the sides of the dishwasher door and soap cup. The soap cup itself can accumulate excess soap residue. Make this sparkling clean with the sponge. You should do this extra step and call yourself anal-retentive at this point.
What’s Next
These five steps will make your dishwasher the Millenium Falcon of kitchen appliances.
Okay, maybe it won’t have the capacity to travel at the speed of light but you’ll certainly be pleased with the improvement in cleaning performance.
You might like these additional tips for the kitchen
How to Clean a Garbage Disposal: 4 Easy Tips
How to Clean a Greasy Kitchen Hood and Filter: Results in 10 Minutes of Less
If you’re doing a bathroom remodel and need help, join one of our online courses – they’ll make your bathroom renovation much easier!
Let me know if you have any questions and I’ll do my best to help.
Cheers,
Jeff
Great tips! We have had problems with our dishwasher’s cleaning ability. The tech who came out said we shouldn’t totally rinse our dishes when we put them in (which I am NOT guilty of!) and he recommended a rinse agent when our plastics had this gross film on them. I hate using unnecessary chemicals, but I do find that I have to use the rinse agent. I alternate it with white vinegar. I also use dishwasher magic every once in awhile. I absolutely need to check our spray arms like you suggested since we have hard water here too!
Thanks Kristen for mentioning Dishwasher Magic. We’ve used it a few times with good success.
For those of us with hard water the spray arms will always need to be checked (unfortunately). But I have been super pleased with the performance of our dishwasher since cleaning the inside and using the Finish tabs instead of Cascade gel.
Hopefully others have seen the same improvement š
Can i run my dishwasher to clean it out without the upper spray Arm?
Mine was recently broken off and we are waiting on the new one to be delivered.
You can also fill your soap cup with Iron out and turn it on to run through a full wash cycle. It will clean everything…racks and all.
Thanks Lynda. I’ve never heard of Iron Out. Where do you buy it?
Plumbing dept at Walmart, lowes, Home Depot…… Just about anywhere not. Best product to wash baseball pants too!
I wonder if Iron Out is the same type of thing as CLR…we use CLR monthly because of our hard water.
Hmm, not sure Michelle. Never used Iron Out.
You might want to give straight vinegar a shot if you use it CLR monthly, vinegar is less acidic.
CLR works great! We use it once a month as well, on a very hot wash, and it keeps the dishwasher sparkling clean!
i don’t recommend using iron out if you have breathing issues unless you are leaving the house til washer is done i have asthma and used it in my dishwasher . i made the mistake of starting and let it run when i went to laundry room to get more since i didn’t have enough of what was recommended to use . when i opened the door to add more i got a face full of steam and well was sent to er in respitory distress. it was recommended to use a citric acid to clean diswhaser next time.
This was an awesome article. Very helpful and loved the humor. Keep it up, I definitely look forward to reading more articles by you.
The repair guy told us not to use liquid dishwashing soap to use the plain powder and never to use the gel packs that they are ruining peoples dishwashers the pouch doesn’t dissolve away completely and are clogging up and gunking up peoples dishwashers. Don’t use too much soap we fill up the soap cup and only about 1/2 the 2nd cup is what they told us . I was buying a rinse agent but started just using vinegar instead. All this worked great until recently I suspect the dishwasher needs cleaned. And is on the list of to do’s today. Thanks
I agree with your repair guy Carla, we went to powder and have never looked back. Recently a family member used the liquid dishwasher detergent and we noticed immediately that the dishes didn’t get as clean.
We found out through trial and error that the cheap powder from the Dollar tree seems to work the best in our dishwasher. We tried all those pricey other things, but the powder is cheaper, lasts longer and works.. I will have to try the vinegar….
Thanks Kandi for your tip. Powder for me is way better than gel tabs. I think the vinegar will help if you have any kind of buildup.
How to clean a fiberglass shower?
Lois, I’ve used a mixture of white vinegar & baking soda. This worked well. Kaboom also does a great job. Finally, for long term maintenance I suggest Wet and Forget Shower since the surfactants in it help keep hard water, soap scum and other Nast stuff from sticking to any shower surface.
Just don’t use spray (aerosol) Kaboom. My install tech told me that over time it causes changes in the finish which can lead to cracks and chips.
Hi Jeff,
My appliance doctor attempted to fix my dishwasher and after several vi$it$ my dishwasher was still making noise and not working at its best. The doc mentioned a possible shard of glass or nut shell could be the problem but he had no fix. After he left I grabbed my shop dry/wet vac and went to work. I unplugged the dishwasher and disassembled the sprayers and etc. I vacuumed out the drain and sure enough a pistachio shell and a few other hard bits were in the vac basin. I use my shop vac as a tool for many of my fix it projects.
Patty Cake
Isn’t that so frustrating when the repair person doesn’t have a good solution. And I’m sure it wasn’t cheap!!!
Good for you to experiment a bit and clean out the dishwasher. I’m sure it’ll perform a lot better.
Gotta love the shop vac, it’s awesome.
Hi, one question about your dishwasher, does the smart dispense really work? It looks like a nice feature, but can it clean real dirty dishes. I’m gonna buy a dishwasher and i am interested in a ge with the smart dispense or a maytag dishwasher, what dishwasher do you think are the best? Thanks. Sorry for my english but i am from mexico, again thanks for your answer.
Hi Isaac, thanks for your questions.
The SmartDispense wasn’t that great with our dishwasher. But our GE works just fine. I can’t speak for Maytag since we’ve only owned a GE or Kenwore. Well, actually I think Kenmore is made by Maytag!!
I like our GE Cafe but look at the reviews. Whatever dishwasher you get make sure to stay away from the gel detergents. DON’T USE GEL!!! I’ll say it again. DON’T USE GEL.
We use the PowerBall powder tablets and they are awesome. And I’m not a spokesperson for them or anything like that.
Let me know which dishwasher you choose Isaac. It’s a nice perk for the kitchen for sure š
Hi, thank for your answer .
I think that the smart dispense are not so smart. Actually I have a frigidaire dishwasher and works great but has no quality material and I don’t think that it will last longer. I will use the powerball tablets, the gel detergents works good but leave stains behind and for this reason i don’t used it .The dishwasher that I chose is between a maytag or a ge- they look better and appear to last longer.
Sound like a plan Isaac. Hope your purchase lasts for years to come.
Great article. I am petrified to remove any pieces of my dishwasher and fear I wonāt be able to assemble it again (need a man!). Itās a Whirlpool, about 7 years old and I think itās reached its endā¦ My glasses taste like dish soap and they are irreparable. I cannot get the taste out of them no matter what I do. I am currently boiling them Hoping that will remove the dish soap LOL.. Iāve been using some dishwasher cleaner that you dump in there once a month or so and manually clean the inside based on whatās visible. Iām in mourning right now because Iām not prepared to pay for a new dishwasher & Definitely donāt want to go in there with tools on my own definitely donāt want to go in there with tools on my own. Remember the Poison song from the 80s, āYou donāt know what you got till itās goneā? Itās the truth! I am missing the days when my dishwasher was working properly!!!
Mimi! You donāt need a man for this!! You got this! Iām going to go do it right as soon as I finish my coffee!
Thank you so much. Most of mine were fully clogged. You just made this girl very happy.
Awesome Leah. Glad you were able to get your dishwasher clean š
Hi Jeff,
I have a dishwasher nearly identical to yours – it’s a GE pdwt380r10ss. How did you remove the bottom arm and filter assembly to get the filters out to clean them? Part of the arm assembly blocks me from just pulling the filter out to clean it on mine and I see no way to remove the parts to get at the filters. Would appreciate any tips!
Hey Ian, I just turned the lower sprayer arm counterclockwise while gently pulling up on it. It should lift off the assembly with no problem. But if you have any issues just let me know. Once you get to that point, you can turn the mount counterclockwise and access all the filter stuff!!
I have the exact same dishwasher. How did you clean out the top sprayer? I can see food stuck in there, but it doesn’t appear to be removable.
When you use your vinegar and baking soda, sprinkle the baking soda on the dirty areas (especially like lime buildup). Then using WARM/HOT white vinegar, heavily mist it or pour it over the baking soda. Be prepared — it will Fizz. But It appears to work harder (in my opinion). When hubby cleans out his coffee pot with the vinegar, I usually try to get double duty out of it. I put baking soda in the toilet, then add the hot vinegar. Shut the lid and come back in a few minutes. All you have to do is swish it gently.
We live in “lime” country (hard water). Not only does it leave white marks on appliances, it also lives rusty stuff as well (Iron). The Hot white vinegar and baking soda work wonders.
Fantastic tips Sandra. Thanks for sharing. I’m an advocate of trying vinegar and water for most everything. Then moving on to more serious solutions if need be.
Good job of pulling double duty with the coffee pot and toilet.
PS, can’t wait to try this on our dishwasher!
Let me know how it works out Sandra and if you have any questions along the way.
I can tell you that we continue to get compliments on how clean the inside of the dishwasher is!!!
Hi,
I want to replace the course filter on my GE PDW8200N20BB. I have the bottom sprayer arm and the filter already removed. I also have the upper water line disconnected and the fine filter out. My unit currently looks like the picture you have under Tip#4. Does the mat just lift out as it seems to be held in place by the rim of the item that’s pictured in the back of your Tip#4 above.
Craig, you’re right about the mat being held in place by the reservoir to the back of the dishwasher.
I unfortunately don’t know the exact way to remove the reservoir. You’ll have to take a look at your dishwasher’s instructions because I’d hate to give you bad information that would damage the mat.
Sorry I couldn’t be more helpful but I try to only give good info.
Let me know how it turns out, I’m curious to learn this myself š
I just yanked mine out! There appears to be two retaining clips that hold in the basket, however, mine were so full of dog hair and liquefied paper that they wouldn’t unlatch… I just wiggled until it came loose, removed the line that runs down the back of the dishwasher and pulled the metal screen off and then started exploring the reservoir down there. Apparently there is another piece which can become clogged with dog hair and kitchen grease, called the Impeller Assembly. I had been looking for this for awhile with no luck, mostly because the old-timers were calling it “the filter on the sump”– which, as you can imagine, is impossible to Google.
At any rate, a toothbrush, fingernails, minimal swearing, and a shop vac managed to clean out this last filter. You’ll know its clean when the “chopper blade” turns freely.
Minimal swearing, you’re kinder than me Melisa.
Haha.
Thanks for adding your setup and fix to the comments. That’s super important because I’m sure someone else has a similar issue and I know that we all learn from each other better than from books š
Keep the the good fight with your dishwasher
Please be careful when taking out putting back in filter. I just put mine back in and because it wasn’t quite sitting in ran my finger along it to push down. Sliced my finger on a shard of glass that was preventing it from seating. Needless to say this halted the rest of my cleaning for a while. It was invisible in the darkness of the interior.
Bought a brand new Kenmore from Sears. Hasn’t cleaned dishes good once. Called Sears and sent a tech. He said everything checks out. We had soap stains dripping down the sides. He thinks we just aren’t getting enough water, that’s what it sounds like. High efficient machine of course. What are our options? He ordered a new inlet valve, if that’s not it he said not much you can do. Should have kept our 17 year old model.
Sorry to hear about your Kenmore Kevin. I’ve had great experiences with Kenmore and am surprised your dishwasher has worked so lousy.
Have you used gel detergent in the past? If so, switch to powder tablets like Powerball. They work great.
Kevin, make sure you are not running your washing machine at the same time as your dishwasher. We have to be careful about that because it decreases the amount of water that enters the dishwasher.
Thanks Linda for adding this tip š
I tried using the powerball tablets, but they would not fit in my dispenser cups, so I had to whack them with something to break them up first. Could they be put directly into the dishwasher?
My Maytag dealer said to put one in an empty silverware basket…
Your new Kenmore from Sears is probably built by LG. We have one of their higher priced units that is three years old that hasn’t cleaned since we bought it, the armature for the top rack sliders is on its fifth replacement because it is such cheap material. Our local repairmen won’t work on LG products because they are so cheaply made. Sears is worthless for fixing it also.
I actually replaced the spinners for about $30 Jaylene. That along with using Powerball powder tabs has made a huge difference.
Loved the article. Here is my additional two cents. I have same dishwasher and I took the lower spray arm off, the white ring below it and removed the metal “grate” (that in the photo you have folded up a little) and looked at the sump and cover assembly (drain area). It was full of residue. I took it out and all apart and cleaned and put it all back together. Also the fine filter had really small stuff stuck inside it. A new one was installed (couldn’t clean it). I was also told to take all glasses that have a haze on it and use citric acid powdered cleaner. I also have hard water so I was told to use Lemi shine to help get the glasses cleaner and to run the hot water tap before using dishwasher (seems like waste of water to me). Haven’t tried it yet, wish me luck.
Awesome job Richard, let me know how it all works out for you because I think you’ll get good results. You may have to be patient. It took us about 10-15 dishwasher cycles before we started seeing the fruits of our labor.
Keep me posted š
Running the hot water in the sink first really does improve the performance of your dishwasher because you aren’t setting in food particles with cold water at the start if your wash cycle. I have the same qualm with wasting water, so what I do is load the dishwasher but wait to start it until after I’ve used hot water at the tap to wash the counters & stove top and rinse the sink.
running the hot water gets the initial water coming in to the dishwasher hotter, you’re pre-heating it!
Really good info here, including in the comments, thank you! Many decades ago, a dishwasher repairman told me to leave the grease/oil/butter on a dish once a week to give the built-up detergent residue something to work on. I never verified that, so I have no idea if it works, but I still do it.
I just read about running the kitchen faucet until it’s hot before turning on the dishwasher, otherwise the first cycle is mostly cold water. It makes sense to us, because our kitchen sink is the farthest distance from the water heater, which is down in the basement and the entire length of the house away. Just my .02.
We filled the rinse agent compartment with white vinegar, but we’re still getting a haze on glasses. We’ll switch to powder and see if that helps. It’s also probably cheaper.
I never thought of soaking the spray arms in vinegar. I soak the shower head in it and clean the coffee maker once a month with it, so I already know how well it works!
This whole process is now on the to-do list. Thanks, Jeff!
Glad to help Robynne. I think you’ll see a huge difference in your dishes being clean once you switch to powder. It’s so much better than the gel.
Be patient with the transition to powder but if you dishes don’t look better after a month or so it might be better to replace the spray arms. I was surprised that ours were only $30.
Let me know how it all works out.
use a package of tang juice crystals to clean your dishwasher…sprinkle in bottom of empty dishwasher and run a cycle…you will be amazed at how clean it comes…been doing this for years….and my dishwasher is 22 years old……imagine what tang does to your system if you drink it……
Thanks Marie for your Tang tip.
I remember Tang as a kid and it was acidic for sure. Yah, I wonder if any research has been done to see if Tang actually does a good job of cleaning our systems, lol.
So this explains why when I was two it ate all my teeth out! I wouldn’t drink milk so I drank Tang in my bottle. ha-ha!
Jeff,
Just had to say, “Thank You!” for the great tips & instructions on how to clean a dishwasher. I have very hard water & have not been able to use my dishwasher for months because the water would not drain. Well, today after reading this article, I decided to just go for it. What could I hurt, it was already not working! I took everything out of the bottom of the dishwasher that I could, found 3 VERY clogged filters! I’m shamed to say it but some of the white build-up was 1/2 to 3/4″ thick. The drains were completly clogged! After I took all the pieces of drain, washer arm, lower basket, etc out of dishwasher, I ran a rinse cycle, still wouldn’t drain. Got out the shop vac and sucked the standing water out of bottom, ran another rinse cycle, still standing water, sucked all the water & debris out of washer again, then I thought to check the drain hose on dishwasher. I unscrewed a clamp on drain hose where it was attached to sink drain, drainage was slow, so, lol, I put the shop vac hose on the end of dishwasher drain hose & sucked all water out of dishwasher again. I had big chunks of sediment, calcium/lime build up. I repeated the rinse cycle & when it was time for the cycle to drain the water out of washer, I sucked the water out of the drain hose with the shop vac. After doing this about 3 times, my dishwasher works perfectly now! I did add bleach to 1 rinse cycle, and vinegar to one rinse cycle. I am so proud of myself for fixing it myself! I couldn’t wait to say “Thanks”. Now I have to go put it all back together…..lol
Lisa, this is quite possible the best DIY effort I’ve read about!!!
TOTALLY AWESOME!!!!
Great job figuring things out as you go.
Did you finally get everything put back together?
You are missing the #1 problem and exacerbating it with the solution – I see you lifting the coarse filter by the edges to clean underneath it. That makes your problem worse. The plastic coarse filter warps over time with use and lifting. Foods gets into the spray mechanism by getting under the coarse filter. GE doesn’t even sell the plastic coarse filter anymore. It took me two years to figure it all out – but a 10 minute repair fixes the clogged spray arm problem. Step 1: Order the GE coarse filter from their website – it is now stainless, not plastic. Do all the disassembly you describe, but also remove the resevoir/sump that holds down the coarse filter. You remove the sump by squeezing the long edges and lifting (need to put some force into it) – it just pops out. Put in the new stainless coarse filter and re-assemble. No more food in spray arms! Lastly, use the detergent single use gel packs – not the liquid or powder. The gel packs are much more effective. Problem solved!!
Thanks Greg for your tips. If you saw the residue under the coarse filter you’d likely want to clean it, too. It was terrible. The grime was from switching from the detergents changing to phosphate-free.
Great job describing how to remove the sump, I’m sure others were trying to figure out how to do that š
Do you not like the powder detergent for a reason?
I have the SAME dishwasher, and every one of the SAME problems. I really appreciate your posting these tips…..I think it is a service to mankind…
LOL, thanks Robert. I try to keep mankind in mind when doing the tutorials.
Isn’t it a shame that these dishwashers are new and still have all sorts of problems. Goes to show that engineering isn’t a perfect endeavor. But that’s okay, we can fix this stuff, right!!!
I just want to thank you for posting all of this info. All 3 of our spray arms stopped spinning and unfortunately I called the repair man (outside of warranty) and was about to have him replace all of the spray arms for me but he did say I needed to do a thorough cleaning of the dishwasher first and that is when I came across your site. I did order new spray arm parts as well as a fine mesh filter but after finding your site and doing some serious cleaning with vinegar soaks and wire “flossing” of all of the arms, everything is working and looking like new again in there. I still have $100 worth of parts shipping my way that I am not sure I need now but at least I didn’t pay another $150 to have him install them. I could not believe how easy it was to remove the spray arms myself after seeing your videos. I had all kinds of hard water crud in there and your tips worked wonders. White vinegar is a godsend and I also used some steel wool to get the really nasty crud off the bottom of the dishwasher. It did scratch the stainless steel interior just a little but I don’t care because the dishwasher still looks sooo much better than it did and, most importantly it works again! You saved me either $150 in labor or possibly $800 in a new dishwasher. Thank you so much!
Sweeeet!!!
That is awesome Mike. Great job doing it yourself and saving a ton of money. Isn’t it crazy how much appliance fixes can be. I understand it’s a hard job but if you can fix something yourself and learn how the appliance works that’s even better.
Keep me posted on whether you need the new parts š
I recently read an article about removing OLD acrillic paint from the floor. It was left on purpose and when she came back 2 weeks later, it came up really easy. She used rubbing alcohol. She left a puddle of the alcohol on the paint for a short while, and came back with a paper towel and wiped it up. This may work on your hard. accumulated crud at the bottom of the dishwasher. I haven’t tried this method, but it makes since to me. Good luck.
Thanks Lisa. I never thought of using rubbing alcohol. I’ll have to do some research to see if it’s safe and won’t harm the stainless steel.
But this is another option. Thanks so much š
i was told a very long time ago to use TANG. i do and have not had anyproblems. but i bet the vinegar works. vinegar works on everything.
I’ve read that too, and if it works I say go for it. The acidity of Tang is what does the trick. I do like the vinegar š
I have tried everything you said here, plus replacing the universal dishwasher connector hose – nothing is working. There is water at the bottom of the dishwasher, but the dishes and the sides are dry, so the water is not getting up into the dishwasher spray arms. Help!
Hmmm, I know this sounds nutty Anne but did you try calling your Dishwasher’s manufacturer for some feedback.
I’ve always had great luck calling the technical service line and asking them questions.
Where do you put the vinegar . And does the vinegar have to be hot
Hi there. Our fine filter has small particles in it that are light brown and we can’t figure out how to get them out – any ideas? I heard dishwasher magic might help? We also can’t figure out what they are.
Try Dishwasher Magic Adrienne. That was part of my initial cleaning process and it did a great job. Then I switched from gel detergent to Powerball powder tablets. And that also has eliminated a lot guck buildup.
You could try soaking the fine filter in water and see if that helps remove the particles. I couldn’t get all of the particles from our filter either but the dishwasher works great after the cleaning.
you should see our dishwasher it is the exact same one you have and the bottom is white because of the caked on residue. I am doing your paste right now but how did you get the filter off to lift up that screen I can’t figure that one out. I will send you before and after if we can get it sparkly. thanks, Arianne
I didn’t take off the fine filter Arianne, rather I lifted it at the edges and cleaned underneath. But it worked out pretty good.
Please send me the pics, I love seeing before and afters š
I removed the arms of my dishwasher (exactly the one you have here). It seems like some middle steps are missing in the video. On the bottom of the dishwasher, once the arm is removed,how did you remove the pieces underneath that?
Thanks for all your help! This info is wonderful.
Glad to help any time Danielle.
After removing the bottom arm you’ll be left with the mount. It can be removed by turning it counterclockwise, about 1/4 of a turn. It should then lift up and out.
Please let me know if you have trouble with this part. If so, I’ll make a separate video for you š
My dishwasher is 25 years old and it works okay, but not perfectly. When I first moved into this house, the glasses were very cloudy. The home warranty repair guy said there was nothing wrong with it. I’ve since been running it on an extra hot with sani-rinse cycle and that has helped, but nothing inside it is stainless steel or metal. It all appears plastic. Do you think I can still use these tips?
Hi Ellin, you could try using one of the store bought dishwasher cleaners the using powder detergents versus gel.
That would be a good place to start š
I use White King water softener, just a tbls or so in every load i wash, ( besides the dishwasher detergent) and after five years my dishwasher still looks and performs as good as when it was brand new!
Great suggestion Patty. Can you buy the water softener in pretty much any store?
After completion of the wash, water droplet remain on spray arm and chest, Despite that I open the dishwashers early.
What is the problem?
My husband is a computer genius but houshold things is not his strongest feature. My dishwosher was cleaning so poorly that I have complained every day. My husband’s solution was to buy a new one. I saw your tutorial and decided to try it out. I was able to remove all the aggitators and found junk at the spot where water actuallycomes out. It was almost completely clogged. I took an opportunity to clean the entire dishwasher and was hirrified by what I found. Tx for your tips, now my dishwasher cleans like new again.
That’s fantastic Joanna. Great job on your part to clean it out. It’s amazing to see what is laying down in the dishwasher reservoir.
Keep up the great work and share your sage advice with friends š
Great article. I have a GE dishwasher almost identical to the one in your article. It is 5 years old and has had all kinds of different detergents run through it but mostly Finish Gel. Over the past year it started to fail to drain all the water out. I finally pulled the dishwasher out and completely disassembled it. It was really bad and way worse than yours was. I removed about 3 cups white and blue goop and have a picture of it if youāre interested. The entire water path was plugged up. I even had to open the water pump to clean the one way valve. I spent 6 hours on it but at least I didnāt have to buy a new dishwasher. Iām going to switch to Cascade powder and start running the vinegar through it once in a while.
Whew boy, that sounds like quite the job Bob. I’d love to see the pictures.
Those gel detergents are so bad. And the dishwasher is nice, right?
Glad to hear you didn’t have to buy a new one. Great job cleaning it out.
This was great to read with wonderful advice and tips. How much vinegar should be used to run a load? In a container on bottom rack or dumped in the bottom? Should we sprinkle baking soda on bottom also?
This is more a preventive comment than a fix-it. My Whirlpool dishwasher wasn’t cleaning well, leaving lots of soapy residue on the glasses. I called Whirlpool and tech support said to run hot water to the kitchen sink until it was as hot as it will get from the hot water heater. Then start the dishwasher. That way it starts with really hot water. Many dishwashers are supposed to boost the water temp if needed, but it may not always work.
Thanks Linda for your hot tip, literally š
My wife and I do the same thing and it does help. Switching to powder detergent does wonders, too.
my dishwasher bellisimo is not taking Rinse aid and even not using hot water.
result dirty utensils.
please help how to fix it, so it start boiling warm water and use rinse aid
Hey Vicky, does you dishwasher not heat up at all? Is so, that might be a heating element or control panel issue.
Oh my word, this totally changed my dishwasher!!! You are our hero. My husband was impressed that I fixed it myself, and we were both ecstatic to not have to make that repairman call, or worse, to replace the machine!
Great job Sharon, you get all the credit for the elbow grease and courage to tackle a thankless job. Although it sounds like your husband was very appreciative.
Repairmen and women are very nice, but OH MY WORD are they expensive.
Try some POWER SPRAY, it works miracles, also try OXI-Clean. Two miracle workers.
Hi there,
Your video was very helpful!!
Just wanted to add something…instead of using the wire (which didn’t work very well for me) I used a WATER PIK with vinegar…worked like a charm blowing out all the gunk from the little holes…then, I did it again with hot water to flush it thoroughly.
Thank you!!
Thank you for this! We have a new very low end dishwasher (because we are renters and that’s what people always put it) that had stopped cleaning well. I was very discouraged because it had worked really well even though it was a base model. I asked the plumber who installed it exactly how to clean it and he only said to clean the filters. After about 3 months the diswasher pretty much stopped working. Thank you for these steps. They saved us from calling a plumber ($$) to clean out the drain under the sink (what the installer recommended if it wasn’t working properly).
Hi Jeff, I can’t get the mesh filter off of my GE dishwasher. It looks exactly like yours.
Which filter is it Debbie?
Oh my gosh thank you so much!! I happened to stumble upon this and it saved my life! The arms were barely even spraying I have never been more grossed out in my life! Never knew that they came off!
Great tips! definitely a cheaper, more time-saving effort than calling a repairman!! And people out there beware of shady repairmen!! I have a brand new build with a brand new appliance, and repair guy pulled out 2 small rusty screws and said he found them in my dishwasher. Odd, pretty sure our brand new house wasn’t put together with old screws!! None of the screws matched to anything any of my crew were working on or with!! I recommend ALWAYS taking a minute to troubleshoot yourself. Save the repairman for BIG fixes.
Thanks Cheryl.
I agree with the DIY approach then calling the repair person if you’re stumped.
And it’s best to do appliance repair during the week. That way, if you can’t figure it out you can call a repair person and they’ll come out on a week day (which means it’s cheaper than a weekend day).
Yah, that rusty screw story is shady. I hate to say the person was doing anything wrong but you’re right to inspect the appliance before making a call š
My GE with automatic liquid soap dispenser has stopped dispensing. I believe that the soap gelled in the reservoir. I have tried flushing with hot water and filling it with vinegar but no joy. Any tips on what dissolves goo of this type? I have read other sites where they suggest replacing the reservoir but at over $140 for the part, I am not jumping to do that.
For a qick cleansing and freshening empty a package of unsweetened koolaid lemonade in the soap dispenser and cycle thru hot water wash
We just dismanted our GE Profile dishwasher and found lines clogged with hardened Cascade gel. Coat hanger wire and toothpicks and elbow grease. Reassembled and running vinegar cycle. We ran store bought dishwasher cleaner bitters and didn’t help. Switching to Consumer Reports Finish packs
Is it washing noticeably better now?
Hi Jeff, new subscriber here. Thanks for your tutorials ! Your sense of humor is great, that along with your home repair expertise reminds me of the great Food Network chef Alton Brown. Both of you adroitly combine expertise and humor in your tutorials, enhancing what could be a dry (or in the case of the dishwasher,wet) subject.
Speaking of dishwashers, I bought a large canister of powdered citric acid from a middle eastern grocery store here in Houston. Like you in Pittsburg, we have hard water in Houston. I fill the dispenser with citric acid (looks like kosher salt), then just run the empty dishwasher monthly. The stainless tub and nylon racks, etc, look brand new to this day. You could also just set a bowl of white vinegar on the bottom rack if some of your rack tines fold down for larger items. This would also help prevent scale and lime buildup in the water pump/impeller assembly, impossible to clean otherwise !
I will follow your instructions on the spray arms and filters, those were good tips, Jeff.
Thanks again,
Brooks Davis
I have used the product Zep, Professional Strength. Used it in my shower doors, and my dishwasher.
Magic:)
After it’s clean, use nothing but Finish Quantum pods!! It may take a few washes..but it will make your glasses look like new! I promise! I had cloudy glasses and switched to Finish Quantum and they sparkle now! And the inside of my dishwasher looks new!
My life was incomplete until I found lemishine! Ive recommended it over and over to friends. I’ll be cleaning my dishwasher tomorrow! Thanks!
Looking for an answer as to why the powder detergent just cakes up inside the dispenser? When the load is done, there is about three fourths of detergent left.
š I’m having the same problem and my dishes are not being cleaned at all. Dishwasher is just wasting detergeant, electricity and money. I’m going to try cleaning out the dishwasher like the article recommends to see if that works. My thinking is if the water is not getting to the dispenser because the spray arms are clogged then that would explain the build up in the dispenser.
Mine has done that.When I paid close attention I realized that I had blocked the spray from reaching the dispenser with some badly placed saucers.
If your dishwasher has a vent for the steam to escape, don’t forget to clean that as well. We had problems a few years back with our dishwasher leaving a white film on the dishes, as well as water leaking from the door. After cleaning the inside of the dishwasher multiple times to no avail, I noticed the steam vent on the door. I popped it off from the interior side of the door and the inside was full of calcium/lime residue. I scraped the stuff out and cleaned the vent with white vinegar and that took care of the problems. The vent was so full of stuff that the steam couldn’t escape and it created so much pressure inside the dishwasher that it was forcing water out around the door. I now check the vent every few months to keep it clean.
Great tip Bill, thanks for adding it to the discussion. We had a similar problem but it turned out to be a faulty part that GE replaced š
Thanks for the good write up. Couple of tips to pass along: 1) watch out for the blades on the bottom of the lower arm and for broken glass. I managed to slice my thumb as I wasn’t expecting the metal to be that sharp. 2) compressed air worked good to clear the arms of stubborn plastic garbage.
Thanks so much. Definitely going to try this. One problem I’ve had in the past is the soap cup not opening during cycle. I read somewhere this is caused by clogged holes in the arms (we have very hard water) I started putting a splash of white vinegar in the bottom of my dishwasher with every load and wa-la…no more problems. I tried the gel packs once and didn’t like them. Have used powered ever since.
Order Bubble Bandit dishwasher soap online, great product and doesn’t build up gunk in your washer.
Great Advise!! For cleaning the spinning jet bars that come off, we used a sandwich baggie filled with baking soda and a small hole clipped off one of the bottom corners to pipe into the small jet holes. Next we used a very tall cup from convenience store, like 52 oz., with hot vinegar in it to soak the jet bars in. This method worked very well and used little vinegar that way. Additionally, we had some rubbery putty type substance, I assume is soap build-up. I used some wire and with needle nose pliers added a small hook tot he end to help grab onto this stuff. Then the pliers again to finish pulling this stringy stuff out. A Shop vac on water vac mode was used to help extract the stuff inside. High pressure hose nozzle to blast out more of the stringy putty outside and a quick blast of air from the compressor. Hope this help inspire other sot DIY. There is no better way to learn and be self sufficient. Just remember to share your new knowledge with others. Happy DIYing and great board here.
6) Or maybe this should be 0, since it should be the first thing to do.
Be sure to run the disposall BEFORE you run the dishwasher. Most dishwashers drain into the garbage disposer via the pump which pumps the water uphill into the disposer. If the disposer contains food scraps, the water won’t drain from but will flow back into the dishwasher as soon as the pump stops. The wash water flows back in, then insufficient rinse water enters because the water level is already part full, so the dishes are rinsed in dirty water.
LemiShine is the best invention since sliced bread. Works wonders here in Florida with such hard water. Completely free of lime deposits!!!!!!!
Hi Jeff, our dishwasher was not cleaning well, so I took off the spray arms and actually opened them physically up instead of just using a wire to unclog them. There was so much gunk inside the arms that I doubt that if I had just unclogged the holes it would have done any good. I snapped them back together, but was greatly disappointed when putting them back on. I expected to have really clean dishes, but they did not snap back together as well as I had thought, and are now not holding water pressure, and therefore not getting the dishes clean. ahhh! Is there a way to fix these or do I need to purchase new ones?
So, we just moved into a house. The dishwasher, I think, makes dishes dirtier than when they went in. I cannot for thr life of me figure out how to get the arm on the bottom off and clean that bigger filter . Any ideas??
Hi so i advise if your a chick who is trying this dont just “lift” the bottom strainer thing cause it will bend and ruin your dishwasher. Thanks for the tip bud. Wrecked my dishwasher. Maybe instead of diy’ing like a girl you should get a real job. Hmm maybe being a dishwasher repair man would be a good fit for you. Again thanks. I expect a discount when i call you for my dishwasher repair…….
He did say gently as well as turning and lifting at the same time. Makes me laugh when somebody blames another for their mistake. I think its called deflecting. Sorry it bent but could be a few other causes to.
I always rinse my dishes before putting them in the dishwasher. Then I add a large splash of white vinegar with every load. Have never had a problem with any build-up gook. Everything comes out beautiful, glasses sparkling clean.
Thanks Bess for the great tip, I’d love to use that on the Podcast!!! Would you have any objection?
Thank you for this! I would never had had the nerve to try cleaning my own dishwasher without this tutorial. And I actually did it! Who knew how much gunk collects at the bottom … ewwwuuu.
If i just put Vinegar in the bottom and in the detergent holder will it clean it?
I have got my dishwasher for a year and is washing pretty well so far. Nevertheless, we never know what time will give up or stop cleaning the way it does. Thanks for sharing your experience and way to maintain it:)
My problem is the sprayer arm on a GE machine will not spin. I’ve taken everything apart and cleaned, but still no luck. Any advice? Please?
We wipe off the plates and silverware before putting them in the dishwasher. Its for dishes ,not getting rid of food. We have never had any problems and our dishwasher is 12 years old and never been fixed.
Ditto here Charles, and spacing of the plates or bowls is critical as well. Otherwise the dishwashwer can’t do its job.
Good article except, please correct your instructions by removing your suggestion of using steel wool on a stainless steel tub. Unless you want your readers to have their stainless steel tub to start rusting, NEVER use steel wool on stainless steel. Use something synthetic (plastic) like a scotch bright.
i add a tsp. of TSPā¦.it is the phosphate that they took out of cleaning products for the dishwasherā¦..clean glasses ever since!
Hmmm, good solution Michelle
Hi Jeff – I don’t understand what you mean by threading the wired through the arm openings… like shoelaces and shoe eyelets? Or do you just stick the wire in each one and scrape out the goop in turn?
Thanks,
Al
LG SUCKS
I have purchased an LG dishwasher and after 5months of owning it, it broke down. DIshes coming out dirty, irritating noises and draining issues. I called LG and had a tech come out whose visit didn’t last 30mins as he just watched the unit run without pulling it out or replacing a part. Ofcourse the issue didn’t want to show itself off when the tech was there. Crap its a nightmare would never suggest anyone TO buy LG.!
Just wanted to say my dishwasher isn’t working like it did. First thing I did was clean arms and then ran vinegar through it. Let me say that the vinegar cleaned the inside and made it look brand new. Unfortunately it didn’t fix the problem. I am going to take the water inlet valve apart and check it first. Thanx to all for the advice so far and will let you know how it goes from here.
Thank you so much!!! You saved me a fortune and I so deeply appreciate it!!
PS It was the vinegar/baking soda advice that saved the day (and my night)! I live on the east coast of CT and have very hard water.
I still can’t believe the difference, it feels like a bit of a miracle. I thought I would have to replace a 4 year old appliance!
Your dish washer should not have any of these conditions and it cleans on its own or it’s a cheap outsource. I have a Miel running for ten years and it’s sparkling from the inside. My glasses and dishes spark beautifully. I moved to new place, bought a new Frigidair dish washer, the dishes and glasses look muddy. Yeah, it’s from the same town water source.
Our Sears DW worked fine for 5 years. Then it no longer drained. Repairman came, cleaned filters and “blew out hose”. $150 later it did work just fine. I checked he filters regularly. About 10 months later it stopped draining again. Again the repairman came and “blew out” the hose. And it worked for a few months then stopped draining again. I have not used it since and see no point in paying another repIr bill.
NO food at all goes in the DW. I clean dishes before I put them in. No food, no grease, no jar labels, nothing. The filters have had just a small discoloration/coating. I can’t imagine what could be clogging the hose. We live in the country and have well water.
Any suggestions? I really don’t want to take the whole thing apart for fear I won’t be able to get it back together properly.
Duck tape? Nope. Duct tape will work, though.
Good catch Francis š
I stopped reading after the second attempt at being a comedian.
My dishwasher cleans ok, but my dishes are not always dry at the end of the cycle. I use the rinsing agent recommended for the machine, but I still have to dry many if my dishes. Any ideas?
Great information Jeff, It’s very helpful. I was looking for trouble shooting for my GE Quiet power 3 dishwasher. Somehow, it’s not cleaning the dishes. Last weekend, I pour down bucket of hot water in machine and it seems to work up unitl Rinse cycle. But then I should have added another bucket during rinse cycle, but forget that. I think some sensor may be blown, can you think of something else? Please suggest, Appreciate your help in advance.
I have a brand new dishwasher and the dishes are coming out more dirty than when they went in. Hard water stains and soap residue. It is less than 3 months old so I don’t think that clogged washer arms are the problem. Any suggestions on what to use would be awesome.
I do use vinegar at the beginning of each wash cycle because the water is so hard, and a drying agent as well.
Can you come over? OR BECOME ME NEW BEST FRIEND? Lol
Lots of good ideas! One easy tip I picked up from living in Southern California – we just about have granite pouring out of our faucets, and I saw a lady doing this at a laundromat. She added a small amount of hard water softener to her loads of laundry. We tried that (I have a front-loading washing machine so I add about a tablespoon to the wash with excellent results), so we tried it in the dishwasher. I also found that cheap dishwashing powder works best, plus about 1-2 teaspoons of water softener, and sometimes vinegar just dumped in at the start of the wash is a cheap, effective combination.
Can I ask what is that thing on the inside top? is that for drying? is that something I need to remove clean?
That’s a another spray arm Diane, it can also be cleaned.
I have a LGa dishwasher and the filter is alwys, filthy greasy. I clean it every time I use the dishwasher, rinse my dishes and it still gets nasty every time. Any ideas on how to to fix this?
I have white hard matter on my heating element. We used a powder soap a few time and I think that’s it. Is there a water to clean the element? It seems rather fragile. I was thinking of trying the vinegar-baking soda mixture on it. Any recommendations would be helpful. Thanks, Greg.
Is there a way. …..not “water”. Oops
Citric acid works well for cleaning. I buy it in powder form. Actually recommended by GE: http://products.geappliances.com/appliance/gea-support-search-content?contentId=16899
OMG! My dishwasher hasn’t cleaned the dishes for months. I found your article and decided to try doing it myself. I am nearly 71 years old so nothing bothers me too much. Been there done it. Well my dishwasher looks and works better than ever. Dishes are spotless. I am so happy. Just saved myself the price of a new dishwasher. Nearly used hubby’s toothbrush but thought better of it! Ha Ha. Thank you so much.
OMG, I looked at your video and started pulling our dishwasher apart and was amazed how nasty and clogged it was! Thank you so much for posting this ‘how to’ guide. We have hard water and my shower doors and everything in the house is always showing the effects of it. We couldn’t believe how disgusting our dishwasher was. We are running it now and it actually sounds much better!
Oh crap. I showed this to my wife. Guess what I get to do this weekend.
Thanks for the confidence to take my dishwasher apart to clean the insides. Someone had put a jar with a label through it (it might have been me), and it hadn’t cleaned the top rack well since. I successfully put it back together and we will see how it does now!
Thank you Jeff,
Your steps of help were amazing. At 75 and keep going on learning. I had no troubles with the process.
This Maytag in my home is 5 years old and doing the crud transfer.
I removed the armed by your advise and found only two plugged holes need to be cleaned. The rest with the wire revealed nothing.
I was surprised to find my crud in the shaft that holds the arms. The screws removed and a mirror showed that was clogged hit junk.
I live in AL. we don’t have lime deposits build up here like it was in Missouri were I use to live.
All cleaned out back together ad doing a clean run.
Thank You!
How does gunk get in the spraying arms? They were full of brown gunk. I thought just clean water went thru the arms. It doesn’t make sense that there would be gobs of gunk in the arms. How does it get in there? I will go back to the Powerballs that I used before I started having white residue on the plates. The dw hadn’t been cleaned for 12 years
First time to your site and I read most of the posts, but nothing answer my question.
I have a GE Cafe dish washer (CDW9380N20SS) and the Smart Dispenser soap is coming out like slime. Is there a way to FLUSH out the dispenser? I want to clean it out and start stop using gel and try the powder you suggested. Thank you, Sam
Wow. Just when you think you know every thing. The dishwasher is the next baby you never wanted. Let me get to cleaning. That things ten years old. Wish me luck!
Have you thought about cleaning the jet holes and channels with compressed air? This will make a fountain of dirt, so do it outdoors an stay away from the path of the particles.
Do not use aluminum sheet foil to soak the spray arms. Vinegar attacks and corrodes metals. Use plastic bags instead. Or a deep glass or plastic container.
Mixing vinegar with baking soda defeats both vinegar and baking soda. They react and form sodium acetate. Nothing special. However, baking soda combined with dishwasher liquid (Dawn) is an excellent combination. Mild abrasive and degreasing action. Use vinegar alone at the end, after removing baking soda, if you want.
On mine I actually had a piece of plastic stuck in the spray arm, I didn’t notice this the first time but on subsequent check I found it and got it out, it works like new now. worth checking really well as it hard to inspect the arm through the small little holes.
My dishwasher still leaves dirty dishes and glasses. It is only a couple of years old and not much used in the past. What to do?
Start with cleaning the spinners and checking all the holes in the arms. That’s the typically a culprit. Then use something like Powerball tabs instead of the liquid cleaners.
You can purchase powdered dishwasher detergent with phosphates in it from restaurant supply stores. Phosphates were only removed from consumer dishwashing powder, not commercial. Also, you can but a small box of trisodium phosphate at Home Depot/Lowes and add it to your current phosphate-free powder.
Thanks Michelle for the great tips. It took us awhile to flush the dishwasher’s system but now it works great. We still use the Powerball tabs and they clean very well.
Great informative article. Thanks! I did the vinegar wash and scrubbing of the Dishwasher but Recently I see foam at the bottom of the dishwasher on the mesh area at the bottom. Could there be a drainage problem here again the dishes are not clean and there is a lot of residue on the dishes.
Good question Rohene. Did you recently switch dishwasher detergent?
Thanks for the tips! However……I reached into the water reservoir and my finger was stabbed by something extremely sharp. Now it won’t stop bleeding and I still need to finish cleaning all the parts that are soaking in vinegarš£ So DIYers beware.
I didn’t know about the filter ON THE DOOR of my Whirlpool until it was caked with crud from years of collecting dirt. I washed it using strong cleaner and qtips.
It was finally clean and I checked it regularly for build-up.
I failed to check and it had crud from somewhere. I rinse my dishes so this was a mystery. Remember, when this crud gets trapped (which is why the filter on the door is there, (to trap crap from getting to your dishes),this is dried each time your dishwasher cleans a cycle.
So, I removed the trap, cleaned the inside of the door filter using stove cleaner, put the clean vented cover on and will check each cleaning so that doesn’t happen again.
My Dishwasher still works well, but Bottom Spray Arm does not rotate, while the top two spray arms do turn and spray. I have cleaned the lower arm and it will turn easily by hand, but during washer operation it does not move (and I assume it does not spray). I’m guessing that this is a problem with the Diverter/Stepper Motor. Furthermore, I have received No Error Codes.
Great information here. My dishwasher has a different problem — my garbage disposal somehow backed up coffee grounds into the rinse water and then the heated dry baked it on. It is CRAZY how many specs of coffee can work their way into every possible surface and still also end up on dishes a week later. I have no idea how to get it off entirely other than hand scrubbing plus cleaning the arms as you described. FUN! Not. [At least it isn’t mold spores!]
this site was very helpful. we will be trying these tips on our dishwasher.. thank you
We’ve had GE come to check our dishwasher twice. This last visit the tech determined that the hose that connects to the water source has two twists in it and therefore the proper amount of water is not getting to the machine. Have you ever heard of this and is there a hose that you might recommend? The hose that came with the dishwasher is shiny silver. I don’t know what the hose is made of but it doesn’t seem to be rubber. Thanks for any help that you might provide to us.
Great advice, thank you. We have an ASKO XXL D5894 dishwasher which washes the bottom rack great but the top rack not so good. We changed the āwater dividerā part that connects to the top propeller and it washes better but not great š the glasses remain greasy with even finger prints still on them… yuck!!! Everything else seems to work fine.
Would you have any suggestions?
Thank you
Isabel
Dishwasher problem, but a different one. Our dishwasher runs and cleans fine, but the bubbles don’t drain good at all, and we usually have to run a 2nd rinse cycle. The detergent is the same as we have always used, but now this.
Ideas?
Thanks Dave
Same as Dave Felder – different problem. My soap dispenser isn’t opening, Am having to remember to open it after the wash cycle begins., Use “finish” and pods don’t seem to be as big as others. Otherwise works fine.
I tried reading through the comments to see if one addressed my problem. I have a Kenmore from probably 2004. When you open the door all the way, the very bottom of the door that is now pointed to the back wall of the dishwasher has vents or something in it. You can’t see in there, but if I run a knife in there I pull out GUNK!!! I have no idea how it gets in there or how to actually clean it. From what I can see it has to be against the floor of the dishwasher when the door is closed.
Jeff, I noticed on your GE dishwasher video that the white clip that holds the water pipe to the main inlet is busted, as is ours. Did you do anything to secure it back in place or is it fine just pushed in?
Jeff,
I have a BOSCH dishwasher. We recently had to replace our kitchen faucet and I picked out a different brand than what we had. Now, after doing so, our dishwasher won’t properly wash our dishes. The dish tabs won’t dissolve entirely, the dishes still have dirt on them, I have ran cleaner, taken the baskets out and cleaned all the spray arms, cleaned the filter that is in the bottom, increase water pressure from the knobs under the sink, run hot water before every cycle, etc. Nothing will work. What can be wrong?
I want to add I use the same detergent brand that the manufacturer suggests (had samples of it as tabs when first purchased), I clean it monthly, clean my disposal monthly, clean the filter almost weekly, almost always pre-rinse dishes, etc. Nothing and I mean nothing works. The only thing we have not done is take the inlet valve out and replace it.
Apparently you are not understanding. Brand new dishwasher – no standing water- last rise cycle RINSES WITH DIRTY WATER Do YOU UNDERSTAND ONLY USED TWICE ALL NEW EVERYTHING. AFTER 2 WASHeSHES. NO BUILD UP / EVERYTHING NEW
I have this EXACT same GE Cafe dishwasher in my kitchen, and I have noted a slow degradation in cleaning performance.
Iām adding this tune-up procedure to my weekend honey-do list!
Anyone have any tips? I have a GE Cafe dishwasher, about 6 yrs old. Just started not cleaning dishes properly, I have already removed the pump to check for debris but nothing in the pump, issue is it does spray water out of the jets as soon as you push cycle start button but after the initial spray no more water is sprayed out of the jets to continue the cycle and dishes dont get cleaned. Like I said I have already removed the pump to check that, jets dont seem to be clogged since the work atleast once and start, no big particles in either filter.. not sure what’s next.
I have a new GE stainless steel dishwasher. I seem to be cleaning our a slimy fat like sludge often out of the filter. What could be the problem?
Probably hard water problem. Seem my post below.
I do all these procedures on a regular basis. Last night when I did this there was a greasy residue in the sump that was hard to scrub away. I ordered a new impeller, but then decided to check my water softener. Sure enough, there was a salt bridge and my water has turned hard. Broke the salt bridge and regenerated the softner. Problem solved.