My dishwasher isn't cleaning dishes properly—what should I do?
A dishwasher is a wonderful kitchen assistant, saving you hours of labor at the sink and delighting you with sparkling dishes. Some dishwashers operate flawlessly for years without causing any problems, while others, after a while, begin to complain that their dishwasher's cleaning performance has deteriorated. What's going on with the appliance, why is the cleaning performance declining, and how can you fix the problem if it occurs? Let's explore these issues.
Reasons for poor dishwashing
The quality of dishwashing depends on many factors, which some of us simply ignore, claiming that the dishwasher cleans everything well. Initially, the machine will indeed produce excellent results. But gradually, over time, you'll notice food residue, streaks, or a white film on your dishes. This may be due to the following reasons:
- user errors when operating the machine;
- untimely cleaning of the dishwasher and its parts;
- refusal to use special detergents or their incorrect dosage.
Let's take a closer look at these reasons and figure out what to do to make your car wash better.
The dishwasher wasn't cleaned on time.
A dishwasher, like any other kitchen appliance, requires constant maintenance. If it's not maintained, it will simply stop working. The following parts of your dishwasher need to be cleaned regularly:
- filter for food debris;
- coarse filling filter;
- rocker arms (water sprinklers) for blockages
- heating element against scale;
- tank from plaque.
The filter located at the bottom of the dishwasher is a fine mesh, 
It needs to be washed at least once a week. It's very easy to do, the main thing is to remember. The flow-through filter, coarse cleaning, located at the entrance to the dishwasher, to which the inlet hose is screwed, also needs to be cleaned, although not as often. Large particles of impurities may be present in the water, especially after cleaning the pipes in the house. If water passes through the filter mesh, the particles will eventually clog it, reducing the water flow into the machine. This will result in poor dishwashing performance.
Not only the filter, but also the nozzles (holes) in the wash arms can become clogged with food debris. If the machine isn't thoroughly cleaned in a timely manner, limescale can build up inside the holes. This will reduce the water pressure, and dishes may not be washed properly. To clean the wash arms, run the machine empty (without dishes) with a special detergentThis type of cleaning will also remove scale from the heating element and remove deposits, grease, and other contaminants from the machine's tank.
Please note: You should clean your dishwasher with detergent at least once every six months, regardless of how often you use it.
After each wash, you need to check whether the machine's tank is dirty and whether there are any food residues under the door; this happens in some Bosch dishwasher models. And be sure to wipe everything with a dry cloth.
Operating errors
If your dishwasher isn't cleaning properly, it could be due to common user errors, including:
- incorrect placement of dishes in baskets;
- too many dishes loaded;
- Incorrect mode selected.
Organizing dirty dishes into baskets is one of the instructions. Manufacturers like Bosch, Siemens, and Electrolux pay special attention to this issue. Therefore, before you stack your dishes, you should at least read the instructions on how to do it.
The most important rule is to place the dishes so that the water flows down and does not remain in the dishes themselves; there should be a gap between the items to ensure access of water.
Make sure that items in the lower rack don't block the water flow to items in the upper rack. Also, don't let dishes obstruct the free rotation of the spray arms or detergent drawers. If the tablet drawer doesn't open during washing, the detergent won't reach the water, and the dishes will remain dirty. Loading capacity is directly related to the amount of dishes in the dishwasher. The more dishes there are, the more densely they are arranged, the more difficult it is for water to get into hard-to-reach areas of plates, cups and other items. So don't be surprised if you have to wash the dishes again.
Another common user mistake is mismatching the selected wash cycle with the degree of soiling of the dishes. Many people use the quick wash cycle to save time. However, with this cycle, the water temperature typically doesn't exceed 45-50°C.0C. If you wash plates with dried food, pots, and other items on this setting, they will likely not come out. The instructions also provide very good instructions on which dishes to wash and on what setting.
Important! Don't forget to remove any food residue from your dishes; this will improve cleaning results and reduce clogging of the filter.
Not using dishwasher detergents
The next group of reasons why a Bosch, Hansa or any other dishwasher has become worse at cleaning dishes is related to detergents. The most common phenomenon is the change of dishwashing detergent, for example, powder or tablets, as well as their counterfeiting. But this problem is easily solved if you wash your dishes again with the product you used before, or change it to another option until you find something acceptable and effective.
But if you haven't changed your detergent, and your dishes are cleaning worse, the problem could be due to incorrect dosing. Here are some possible issues:
- If streaks appear on the dishes, it is most likely that there is not enough rinse aid, which in this case
What should I do? It's necessary to adjust the detergent delivery settings, or rather increase them, but not too much, as too much detergent will leave dishes too shiny and will not rinse well. - The reason for the appearance of white streaks on dishes may be salt that got into the dishwasher tank when pouring it, or perhaps the lid of the salt compartment is not closed properly;
- If there are stains from tea, coffee or lipstick on your cups, it may be because your detergent does not contain bleach;
- plastic dishes may not wash well due to the low content of a special substance in the detergent;
- Poor cleaning results may be caused by using detergents that are not intended for dishwashers. These products may seem effective at first, but over time they clog the holes in the spray arm, which means the cleaning quality is reduced.
If you stop using special salt, you may also notice that your dishwasher's cleaning performance has deteriorated over time. Salt is necessary to restore the ion exchanger's ability to soften hard water. If the machine is used for a long time without salt, and the water in your area is hard, the ion exchanger becomes clogged and may even fail. Therefore, don't neglect this remedy.
Important! If your water is very hard, 3-in-1 tablets won't replace salt; you'll still need to add it to the machine.
So, if your dishwasher (Bosch, Electrolux, Candy, or any other brand) is having trouble cleaning dishes, first and foremost, pay attention to the operating conditions and the instructions. After all, instructions are usually written to be followed. We hope our article has helped you figure out what to do about this problem.
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Dishwasher
The first time I washed my dishes, there was a white coating on them, and rust appeared on my forks and spoons.
I added salt, detergent and rinse aid.
Dishwasher Teka.
I have the same problem.
You need to wash dishes by hand without any special products, except maybe with baking soda sometimes.
Yes, and also wash with clean water from springs and wash clothes in lye.
And then there's cooking over the fire! And harnessing the horses in the mornings...
Walk barefoot and live in a cave.
It doesn't clean the inside of my pan. It's total crap!