Dishwasher Leaves Stuff on the Dishes

I have hard water. I rinse my dishes clean before loading the dishwasher, so I know it's the hard water. So now I run a small bowl full of vinegar through a cycle once a month. I use target brand detergent in the open compartment (only about a tablespoon) and then Lemon Shine in the detergent compartment. My dishes look so much better!

Funny you ask...the diswasher guy just came out yesterday to help with this issue (which makes me bonkers!). He came out a few years ago as well. Here are the tips:

1) Our issue a few years ago was that the drain hose was not high up enough. So it would leave the diswasher, but then gravity would cause it to flow back in for the rinse cycle. Lovely. He propped it up higher and it helped.
2) Yesterday's issue was that the motor is weak. It's 7 years old, so just an age factor.
3) Check the holes on the spinning arm. Clean with a paper clip if needed.
4) He recommended the Finish cleaner (rectangular bottle, blue).
5) Powder detergent and rinse-aid.

That's my $65 service fee giving you free advice! :)

Yes, I too had the same issue. I purchased one of the dishwasher cleaners and presto good as new. I have done this twice so far when I see the grit on the dishes and so far it has worked perfectly! Definitely worth a try!

Make sure the bottom of the dishwasher is draining correctly and it is not clogged with gunk.

Take out the bottom basket of the dish washer.

Unscrew the center of the water blade on the bottom, take out the strainer if there is one down there.. again make sure that is all cleaned out.

Clear out any gunk collected down in there. You may see a tube poking up.. That is what the water squirts out of, make sure there is no debris stuck in it and that the tube is cleaned out. .

Put it all back together.

Either purchase dishwasher cleaner and use it in an empty machine on the highest heat cycle or use vinegar..

This should clean it out..

Make sure you are really rinsing off your dishes prior to placing them in the machine.. unless you have one with a disposal.

And if you have hard water in your area.. yes, it can leave spots on dishes and glasses. Look into purchasing rinse products for dishwashers.

There are two kinds of dishwashers - those with a grinder in the drain (louder but washes better) and those with filters (energy efficient and quieter). The grit issue isn't generally fixed with vinegar or a cleaner.

If you have a grinder drain, it is possible that there is something that is blocking the drain a little. A bit of plastic wrapper or a toothpick, for example, that got in there accidentally. You'll need to clear it out.

If you have filters, you must pull them out and clean them on a vary regular basis.

In both cases, also check to make sure the holes in the arms are not blocked.

Hi C.,

I'm a little late answering, but had to post! I have had issues with dishwashers for ever, we are in Colo and have hard water also. I have tried the vinegar and the CLR, both helped a little, but not much. I found this stuff called Lemme Shine, it's with the dish stuff at the store (Kroger stores anyway). There is a powder and a liquid, I've only tried the powder, but I LOVE it. Just sprinkle a bunch in your empty dishwasher and run it empty. I also sprinkle some in with the detergent from time to time. Much better now. Good luck!

I have problems with this every once in a while, and in the past, I've used Cascade Complete to do a good job of dissolving the food particles. You also might want to see if there is a filter you can clean, or if the recirculator is being blocked.... (I don't know what to call it, and it is different on different machines, but my dishwasher has a recirculating vent that some water goes through. If that is blocked by large dishes, sometimes more food particles get left on dishes.)

I don't use Cascade complete all the time, just once in a while if I start seeing more food residue on the glasses.

We just went through this. I was thinking we were going to have to replace the machine and it's only 6 years old! But I did a little research and people were recommending taking apart the machine to look at hoses and connections -- but I wanted to try something simpler first and some recommended Dishwasher Magic (you get it in the grocery store near the detergents). I was skeptical, but I have to say, the machine is working like new. I'm glad I didn't take apart the machine first! It would probably work just as well with vinegar, and I do use vinegar for a lot of my cleaning, so I probably will try that for maintenance, but everything is coming out sparkling now.

Eta: the grit was absolutely the problem and totally fixed with cleaner. I have a grinder drain. You have nothing to lose if it doesn't work, but if you take it apart unnecessarily, it could be a big headache.

thanks for posting, and that's pp for the free advice.

I'm still struggling with people who rinse their dishes off before putting them in the dish washer, that to me is like washing them twice, why have a dish washer if you are already running the water???? just take a minute to squirt some dawn on and then you are done.

A repairman once told me that Cascade is the worse thing you can use in a dishwasher. It leaves a film and over time leaves miniscule "scratches" or etchings on glasses. That is why over time, glasses can look cloudy after awhile. And it clogs the system etc.

So he recommended 'Finish" instead of Cascade.
But then again, some people say Finish is awful.
Who knows.

Run a cycle with vinegar! Works like a charm.