Sweet Home Alabama Posted June 21, 2018 Share Posted June 21, 2018 My dh installed this machine about 4 years ago. It is a Maytag, and up until now, it has been a great dishwasher. Most recently, however, a finished load has residue baked onto the dishes. Mugs have noticable grit inside them. Silverware too. Glass glasses are a pain- it seems they have always come out this way even when all the other dishes may come out clean. Plates and bowls seem to come out the cleanest execpt when we've had chili with cheese. That meal truly has sticking power. So, usually food is mostly washed off of the plates before they go in. The machine is loaded properly. Sometimes it is a very full load, but that does not seem to be a factor; small loads come out dirty too. We use Cascade liquid soap. We usually use the Normal cycle, but have tried the Powerwash. There is no difference in the results. I have cleaned the bottom of the machine to remove food particles from the small holes in the thing in the bottom- the drain cover??? We have a surplus of Cascade liquid, but the only thing I can think of to try is a change in soap.... Do the tablets do a better job? Please give me suggestions to try. ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cjzimmer1 Posted June 21, 2018 Share Posted June 21, 2018 Before changing soap, I would take out the sprayer arms and open them up and clean them out. I've had similar cleaning results when they get food in them. There is never enough to cause a full clog of the spraying but enough to diminish the cleaning action since the water can't get out at full force for cleaning or rinsing. 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterPan Posted June 21, 2018 Share Posted June 21, 2018 10 minutes ago, Sweet Home Alabama said: I have cleaned the bottom of the machine to remove food particles from the small holes in the thing in the bottom- the drain cover??? Did you actually take it apart all the way to the food disposal/grinder? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pippen Posted June 21, 2018 Share Posted June 21, 2018 You might try a product called Dishwasher Magic to give your dishwasher a thorough cleaning. I've had a lot of dishwasher woes through the years and when my new dishwasher wasn't cleaning well and the warranty guys couldn't fix it, I called on my older trusty repairman and he said when soap is a problem his customers were having the best results with Finish Powerball. I've been using it--the Finish Quantum Ultimate Clean and Shine--and it does the job really well. I'd give it a try, however, soap problems usually build up gradually. If yours went through a sudden change and that doesn't fix it, I'd call a repair person. When mine was acting like what you're describing it was usually a water flow problem--valve, water pump, etc. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Selkie Posted June 21, 2018 Share Posted June 21, 2018 Is your water hard? Our dishwasher starts leaving baked-on crud whenever our water softener is out of salt. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fairfarmhand Posted June 21, 2018 Share Posted June 21, 2018 Have you added rinse agent to the dispenser (Jet Dry)? Dishwashers are horrible. Mine is temperamental and only a ltittle better than hand washing. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soror Posted June 21, 2018 Share Posted June 21, 2018 Ours does that too last time dh tore it all the way down and we removed and soaked everything in vinegar and scrubbed it- HUGE difference. In between I sporadically throw lots of vinegar in there and sometimes a bit of Dawn (to cut grease)- it works wonders. Our water is hard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carol in Cal. Posted June 21, 2018 Share Posted June 21, 2018 We have hard water and every once in a while we pour a cup or two of white vinegar into the water at the bottom of an empty dishwasher during the wash cycle and just let it run--that cleans out the hard water deposits pretty well. For food build up, assuming that you have already checked and cleaned the filter, cleaning the little holes in the sprayer arms is usually the next big thing to try. Jet dry is crucial. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kitten18 Posted June 21, 2018 Share Posted June 21, 2018 I would buy a small box of Finish Powerball Tabs and see if they work any better 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tap Posted June 21, 2018 Share Posted June 21, 2018 Do you run your garbage disposal before washing dishes? If not, try that to make sure you aren't getting any blockage that would keep the rinse water from draining. Do you run the water in the sink to get it hot before starting a load. Starting with hot water definitely makes a difference. Buy a dishwasher cleaner. Do Not buy the Cascade one, it is scented (who wants their dishwasher to smell?) I buy either the Lemonshine, Finish or Glisten Dishwasher Magic. If we get gritty glasses, this is the cure for us. We have hard water and need to clean the machine periodically to get the minerals out. Take apart the pieces that can be cleaned and clean them. Check your manual (look online if you tossed the paper one) to see if there are any suggestions for what parts need to be removed and drains to look for. Check the water supply to make sure it isn't turned down. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardenmom5 Posted June 21, 2018 Share Posted June 21, 2018 is there any junk inside the arms? does the filter need to be cleaned? both things that would impede water flow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin M Posted June 21, 2018 Share Posted June 21, 2018 We noticed our dishes were no longer getting as clean as they should be when manufacturers decreased the amount of TSPP (Trisodium phospate) in the dishwashing soap. It was banned in several states including ours. We bought a gallon from Soapgoods.com. We add it to the cascade in each load and now our dishes are coming out clean without soap residue or spots. We add TSPP to everything - 409, floor cleaner, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sweet Home Alabama Posted June 21, 2018 Author Share Posted June 21, 2018 Awesome, ladies! Thank you for the feedback. I have not disassembled anything: the sprayer arms or anything else. Dh will tackle that this weekend. We do not have a disposal. I'll look up Dishwasher Magic and Finish Powerball. Our water is on the soft side. We use Jet Dry probably 50% of the time. We're bad about refilling the reservoir. Soror, where do you put the vinegar and the Dawn??? Carol, I think you answered that question. ? We probably run hot water first only 10% of the time. It's not something any of us think about. That would be a good thing to start doing, obviously. I'll look up Lemonshine, Finish or Glisten Dishwasher Magic I'll check on the TSPP. I responded to most of the suggestions. Based on the responses, please let me know if you have further suggestions. Thanks again!!! Oh, ETA... I would still like to know if dishwasher liquid soap is just as good as tablets.Several of you mentioned tablets, but I'm not completely sure which is generally better. Thoughts??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pawz4me Posted June 21, 2018 Share Posted June 21, 2018 I've had consistently better cleaning results with tablets or gel pacs. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fairfarmhand Posted June 21, 2018 Share Posted June 21, 2018 48 minutes ago, Pawz4me said: I've had consistently better cleaning results with tablets or gel pacs. Me too. I only ever buy cascade gel pacs, but then again my dishwasher is still temperamental, if I buy anything else though it’s much worse. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soror Posted June 21, 2018 Share Posted June 21, 2018 We switched to gel packs too, I'm cheap but they work better. We just use the Aldi's brand. I just pour the vinegar in the machine base and the Dawn in the door. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angie in VA Posted June 21, 2018 Share Posted June 21, 2018 A Slob Comes Clean's (aka Dana White) won some contest and toured Maytag (I think it was) and learned a lot about DWers and detergents. It was a few years ago but she said that all the research was going into the tablets and making them more effective. I read about Cascade Compete here (Katy, I think, posted about it) and I use that or Finish w/ that red ball. No issues here. Good to know about that product mentioned to clean the DW. I hope you get your problem fixed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katy Posted June 21, 2018 Share Posted June 21, 2018 7 minutes ago, Angie in VA said: A Slob Comes Clean's (aka Dana White) won some contest and toured Maytag (I think it was) and learned a lot about DWers and detergents. It was a few years ago but she said that all the research was going into the tablets and making them more effective. I read about Cascade Compete here (Katy, I think, posted about it) and I use that or Finish w/ that red ball. No issues here. Good to know about that product mentioned to clean the DW. I hope you get your problem fixed. Yeah, I was just going to chime in about Cascade Complete - I think it's the Platinum version. DH has figured out the sales cycle at Sam's Club & he buys 3 giant packs at a time so I no longer have to think about it. About the time we run out it goes on sale again. I bet the sprayers or filter are clogged with food though. That's usually the problem in mine. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annie Elle Posted June 21, 2018 Share Posted June 21, 2018 When our dishwasher does this, it usually means the filter needs to be cleaned out. Or the dishwasher isn’t draining well and there is a clog somewhere. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sweet Home Alabama Posted June 21, 2018 Author Share Posted June 21, 2018 That's great, ladies! Thank you again! Hopefully we'll get the problem resolved over the weekend. ? ETA: Soror, one more question. How much Dawn do you use when you add just a bit? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soror Posted June 21, 2018 Share Posted June 21, 2018 18 minutes ago, Sweet Home Alabama said: That's great, ladies! Thank you again! Hopefully we'll get the problem resolved over the weekend. ? ETA: Soror, one more question. How much Dawn do you use when you add just a bit? LOL, as if I measured..... start with a small squirt. I was afraid I'd overflow with bubbles so I started small but realized I can put a whole ton in there with no ill effects. BUT I have hard water, you have soft, just try a drop. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SamanthaCarter Posted June 22, 2018 Share Posted June 22, 2018 I’ve had the same happen before where nothing worked, cleaning it, different soap, tspp, etc. It turned out to be the drain hose had come unlooped. Check the drain hose and make sure it makes a full loop around itself so that the drain does not backwash into the dishwasher. Last time I discovered this, I zip-tied it in place. It’s under the kitchen sink so it gets bumped with cleaning bottles, boxes of trash bags, etc. My dishes have been fine and I was afraid I’d have to get a new dishwasher. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bambam Posted June 22, 2018 Share Posted June 22, 2018 Yeah, check the drainage and the filter over the discharge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TechWife Posted June 22, 2018 Share Posted June 22, 2018 The water pump may be starting to give out. If it is, it isn’t pumping enough water into the dishwasher and changing detergent won’t do a thing. How does it sound when you turn it on and it starts filling? Is it louder than usual? Can you hear water flowing into the dishwasher? Does it sound like it usually does? The only way I know to describe the sound was it made a grinding noise and the water flow was reduced. One day the grinding noise was louder than usual and no water flowed, that’s when I called the repairman. It wasn’t an expensive fix if I recall correctly, maybe in the $50 range. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.