I have a dishwasher, but when the dishes come out, they are still dirty. What can I do?

Question

I have a 2-3 yr old dishwasher and use tesco/finish tablets. Yet when the dishes come out, they are still dirty, and they have been cleaned but they now have a sandy green residue on them. It is new, and this wasn't on any of the plates before. What can it be/what can I do to stop this?

Answer 1

You can buy a dishwasher cleaner, just put it in when dishwasher is empty, put it on hottest wash. Also clean out the filter, and check the salt drawer.

Answer 2

Make sure your dishwasher filter is clean, and if your store has any type of product to clean the inside of the machine by running it through a cycle empty, try that. Otherwise, you may need to rinse the dishes a little better before loading them into the machine, or the residue could be caused by hard water, ie, too many minerals in your water supply. If you live in the US, this is a common problem and people often have water softeners. If you're in the UK, maybe ask at the store where you bought your dishwasher. Also try a rinse agent, here the common brand is Jet Dry, which will help the machine rinse any leftover residue off your dishes in the final rinse.

Good luck!

Answer 3

First clean it out, check the filters, check for food debris, check the water inlet. Once you've removed the bigger mineral and food residue particles clean the machine in this unusual but wonderful manner:

Turn on faucet so hot water is full strength ready for the dishwasher. Then run empty dishwasher 2 minutes. Open door and pour in a complete jar of Tang......yes, that orange drink. Close door and finish cycle. Machine interior is clean plus the citric acid helps with the mineral build up.

I wonder if those Tesco tablets are better for softer water locations. Sounds like yours is very hard water.

Answer 4

Buy a cleaner made for the dishwasher. Depending on how much you use it this should be done maybe 2 times a year. Follow the directions on the package. Use a rinse agent also at all times.Run water in the sink until it is very hot before you turn on your dishwasher to make sure it is useing only hot water. Check at the drain inside your dishwasher and make sure ther is nothing blocking it.

Answer 5

When i use to work in the pub trade we use to clean the glass and dish washer twice weekly with something called 'renovate' it was basically strong powered bleach, i would first dismantle everything that would come off it and leave to soak in renovate and very hot water for an hour or overnight where possible and once put back together i would put renovate in the bottom of the dish washer and a put on the clean cycle twice. i would not recommend tablets stick to the good old rinse aid dishwasher powder and salt. If your friendly with the local pub landlord/lady and ask if they could spare you a bit of their dishwasher cleaner you never know may give you some! good luck with the dishwasher!

Answer 6

i have the same problem. When i called out an engineer he told me to use dishwasher salt, powder, rinse aid, as this is better. And also to rinse the dishes before they go into the dwasher. (what is the point in this as this is why we buy a dishwasher). I also find that if i put the washer on a hotwash wit no dishes in this gets rid of the grim and also washe out filters. But appliances are no longer made like they were several years ago

Answer 7

Have you salt in it ? forget the 4 in 1 tablets they are not good for the dishwasher also check your rinse aid if you've run out that will affect the cleaning. Lastly buy a good dishwasher cleaner,not the ones from the supermarket, but get opal degrease from a domestic spares supplier and run it through empty. but do not put in in until the water is getting hot. It may then take a few washer's before the regeneration unit is working properly.

Answer 8

You need to clean the washers system out first. 1 cup of either white vinegar or any dishwasher cleaning product. (glisten is 1 that's available) Once you have done this and it may take a few trys, try washing a load. Always run your sink until its very hot water before you run the washer. Today's washers use less water and need to start with hot water. Use the heated wash or sani cycle and use normal or pot scrubbing cycles. They are longer but clean better. Lastly use Cascade powder only for your washer. I sell appliances and every manufacturer i sell from Asko to Whirlpool give a sample of Cascade with their washers. Also, use rinse-aid. To days washers are designed for it. Your washer should have a self cleaning filter unless it it a European design like Asko or Bosch. So you wont find a filter. If it is a cheaper model with no heated wash or center wash arm you should rinse your dishes first as this was a poor model choice. Good luck with your problem.

Answer 9

I did a web search for "dishwasher gritty residue" and most of the results blamed a lack of rinse additive. Some detergents claim to make the additive unnecessary, but in my experience you still need it.

Also, my brand-new dishwasher wouldn't get dishes clean on the normal cycle, but does much better using an extra-hot wash cycle.

Answer 10

Check the very back of the dishwasher the next time you get ready to do a load. Make sure that the hose connection is secure and in place. My dishwasher was doing the same thing, and then I realized that the hose attachment had slipped. I now have a plastic slip device that attaches to the top basket and keeps the hose in place.