Dishwasher Not Cleaning Your Dishes Effectively? What You Can Do

If your dishwasher is not cleaning your dishes, it may not be that your dishwasher is not a good dishwasher, it may have an issue with hard water and it is not able to clean your dishes as it once did. Hard water buildup can occur if you have a lot of calcium buildup in your water and it can be detrimental to your plumbing fixtures and water-using appliances around your entire home. If you have this issue, you need to grab a handful of tools and get to work. Read on for some helpful information to get your dishwasher working as it should again.

Remove The Sprayer Arms

Remove the sprayer arms inside the base of the dishwasher. You may have other sprayer arms at the top or in the middle as well. Remove all of the sprayer arms that are inside the machine, then inspect them. They may be clogged with hard water and the water is only barely coming out to spray your dishes clean. Soak these sprayer arms in your sink or in a tub of water mixed with baking soda and vinegar. After a good soak, use a toothpick to pick out the hard water. 

Remove The Filter

Below the sprayer arms in the base of the dishwasher is a filter. This filter can accumulate food particles and clog your dishwasher. it can leave dirty water inside the dishwasher and leave a foul odor in the dishwasher, not to mention this dirty water is just being splashed onto your dishes that are supposed to be getting clean. Remove this filter and remove any food particles, stickers from your dishes, or other particles that may be stuck to the bottom of this filter and are blocking the water.

Remove Clogs

The filter could have been clogged, but so can the drain below. If the drain below is also clogged, it can cause a problem for your dishwasher and not be able to work properly. Remove clogs inside the dishwasher by sprinkling some baking soda into the drain and following it up with some vinegar. Place a washcloth over the opening and allow it to work to remove clogs and odors from your dishwasher. Pour hot water down the dishwasher drain to ensure the water drains properly. Then replace the filter and the sprayer arms.

If your dishwasher is not cleaning your dishes effectively, it doesn't mean you need a new dishwasher, it may just need some repair work. Hire a professional in appliance repair to help you with these and other repair tasks to get your dishwasher working properly.