The dishwasher does not wash dishes well

When your dishwasher no longer efficiently cleans dishes, it can be annoying and inconvenient. Particularly after a long day, nobody wants to unload a machine full of partially cleaned dishes and glasses. Although the purpose of a dishwasher is to save time and effort, when it malfunctions, it just becomes another chore.

Underperforming dishwashers can be caused by a number of factors. It could be the result of something basic, like how the dishes are loaded, or it could indicate a more serious problem with the machine itself. Finding the issue is the first step in getting your dishwasher operating at its best again.

This post will walk you through the most frequent causes of your dishwasher’s poor cleaning performance and offer workable fixes to assist in resolving the issue. You can make sure your dishes always come out spotless and restore your dishwasher’s efficiency by being aware of these problems.

The dishwasher does not wash dishes well: reasons

The human element and common malfunctions are the two main causes of the kitchen assistant’s subpar work. However, the dishwasher is not always able to report issues; that is, error codes might not show up on the device’s screens.

Kitchen utensils won’t be cleaned thoroughly by household appliances from renowned brands like Bosch, Siemens, Electrolux, and others because of the following issues:

  • care of the dishwasher does not meet the requirements of the manufacturer"s instructions;
  • users make mistakes while using the dishwasher;
  • detergents are not intended for dishwashers, or their dosage is not observed;
  • some part of the appliance does not work or works poorly, for example, the scale layer becomes too thick and does not allow the electric heater (hereinafter also referred to as the heating element) to heat the water to the desired temperature.

The heating element may overheat and eventually break down due to limescale buildup.

Operational errors

The most frequent error made by equipment owners is to run dishes and cutlery that have dried food residues through the dishwasher. Additionally, pre-soaking won’t help if the kitchen utensils have been unclean for a few days. Manufacturers advise against this in their manuals.

It won’t be feasible to entirely remove the dirt if the housewife doesn’t rinse the dishes of dried food and activate the soaking mode.

A common error made by housewives is selecting the incorrect dishwasher program. Attempting to wash extremely dirty dishes in standard or economy mode is one example. You should select programs for these utensils that include pre-soaking, maximum water temperature, long, intensive washing, and double rinsing. You can only obtain a satisfactory outcome in this situation.

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The built-in dishwasher’s control panel, which is situated at the end of the door, is where you choose the program.

It’s also not uncommon for kitchen utensils to overflow the baskets. Users are unaware that sprayers (henceforth also called sprinklers) will not be able to apply detergent and rinse aid to bowls, plates, spoons, and forks on their whole surface in this situation.

It is more difficult to wash utensils that are positioned adjacent to one another. Thus, when it comes to loading the dishwasher’s working bin with dishes, the instructions must be strictly followed. For liquid to freely fall onto and flow off of plates, bowls, and other utensils, spaces between them must exist.

The manufacturer’s recommended loading guidelines must be strictly followed when loading the dishwasher.

When inferior or inappropriate detergent is used to wash kitchen utensils, bad things happen. For instance, you cannot use household chemicals meant for hand washing in the dishwasher. Excessive foaming and machine failure are at risk from this. Simply put, a cheap detergent won’t clean the dishes. Rinse aid is no different—hazy streaks will still show up on glass glasses.

This is the result of taking too much detergent.

It is also unacceptable to overdose on products meant for the dishwasher because there could be unanticipated consequences (see photo). Inadequate maintenance of the dishwasher could be the cause if all operating errors are fixed or prohibited but the kitchen utensils are still not cleaned adequately.

Irregular care of household appliances

It is necessary to clean certain parts on time, like the drain filter element at the bottom of the working chamber and the inlet mesh filter in the inlet hose. It is advised by the manufacturers to clean the filters of any debris and oil following each work session. At the very least, give them a weekly cleaning. The dishes stay dirty because a clogged filter element cannot effectively clean the water for repeated washings.

Food scraps and dirt clogging dishwasher filters

Grease from the tiny mesh cells is removed by washing coarse and fine filters in warm water with dishwashing detergent. Though not as frequently, the input filter must also be periodically inspected. If the water supply becomes obstructed by rust and metal shavings, liquid will flow into the dishwasher more slowly. A powerful stream of water should be used to wash the inlet filter mesh.

Rust and dirt-filled inlet filter from the water supply

Limescale, which accumulates in the dishwasher’s internal components, merits its own discussion. It may land in the sprayer nozzles and on the walls of the work area. Regretfully, the regenerating salt in the dishwasher is unable to fully soften the liquid due to the excessively salted water in our water pipes.

Limescale obstructs the sprayers’ holes, which prevents water from distributing evenly throughout the chamber. The dishware is immediately not as well-washed at the same time. Thus, the conclusion is that the nozzles need to be routinely inspected, cleaned, and free of dirt and plaque using a toothpick.

Removing food residue, scale, and dirt from the spray holes

The dishwasher must be thoroughly cleaned on a regular basis—at least once a month—using cleaning solutions made specifically to remove scale and grease from dishwashers. By doing this, plaque is kept from forming on the walls of the dishwasher’s working chamber as well as on parts and assemblies.

One of the well-liked products for cleaning dishwasher scale and grease is Finish Calgonit.

If your dishwasher isn’t cleaning dishes well, it’s probably because of common problems like hard water buildup, clogged spray arms, or improper loading. Your dishwasher’s efficiency can be restored by being aware of these possible issues and knowing how to fix them, guaranteeing that your dishes are always spotless.

Malfunctions that affect the quality of dishwashing

Kitchen utensils might not be thoroughly cleaned by the machine if one of its components is broken. The following malfunctions may be the reason behind this:

  1. The electric heater has burned out or the integrity of its circuit is damaged. The dishes will not wash with cold water. Usually in these cases the dishwasher stops working and shows an error code on the display (for example, E01 for Bosch).
  2. Failure of the temperature sensor can also cause problems with heating the water.
  3. A malfunction of the circulation pump leads to the fact that the liquid is not supplied to the sprayers and does not wash the dishware.
  4. If the impeller of the sprayer is broken, then the water cannot be distributed throughout the chamber, and accordingly, the quality of washing is reduced.
  5. If there is a failure in the specified program of the dishwasher, the consequences can be different, for example, refusal to heat the water or insufficient rinsing (instead of two cycles – one).

Dishwasher’s electric flow-through heater

Any of the aforementioned malfunctions can be promptly resolved by a service center specialist. However, the likelihood of these issues is significantly lower than that of user error when using the dishwasher. If you carefully follow the directions and use only dishwasher-safe detergents, the machine will keep washing dishes flawlessly.

Possible Cause What to Do
Clogged spray arms Clean the spray arms to remove blockages
Low water temperature Ensure the water temperature is at least 120°F (49°C)
Overloading the dishwasher Avoid overloading to allow proper water flow
Wrong detergent type Use a detergent specifically designed for dishwashers
Improper loading Arrange dishes so that all surfaces are exposed to water

There are several common reasons why your dishwasher might not be cleaning dishes as well as it should. Its performance can be enhanced with routine maintenance, such as cleaning the spray arms and filters. In order to prevent blockages and guarantee that water reaches every dish, make sure you’re also using the appropriate detergent and loading the machine appropriately.

A significant impact on the cleaning performance of your dishwasher can also be achieved by verifying that the water is hot enough. If you’ve followed these instructions and the issue persists, you should think about getting a professional help or replacing your appliance.

You may maintain your dishwasher’s optimal performance and spotless dishes for many years to come by keeping up with routine maintenance and using it carefully.

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Alexey Volkov

Specialist in service and repair of washing machines. My work has taught me to understand all the intricacies of the device of this equipment. On this site I share my knowledge about how to properly care for a washing machine to extend its service life, and what to do if problems arise. My goal is to help you avoid common mistakes and save money on repairs.

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