A Few Possible Reasons Your Dishwasher Isn't Getting Your Dishes Clean
It's aggravating to open the dishwasher after the cycle completes and find food still stuck to your dishes. This is a common problem that has different causes, so you may need to call an appliance repair professional to figure out what's going on and fix the problem so you have clean dishes again. Here's a look at a few of the reasons your dishwasher isn't cleaning your dishes.
Problems With The Sprayer Arm
The sprayer arm pulls water out of the tub and mixes it with detergent to spray on your dishes. If something is wrong with the arm, your dishes won't get very clean. If the arm is cracked, the appliance repair professional needs to replace it so the arm will spin properly again. However, it's also possible that the arm is clogged with food bits or hard water scale.
In that case, repairs might be possible. You might be able to fix this problem yourself after you read the manual that came with your dishwasher. This requires removing the arm from the dishwasher and scrubbing it under running water to get rid of food and scale. Make sure the holes on top of the arm are clean and open before returning the arm to the dishwasher. If you don't feel comfortable taking the arm out, or if cleaning the arm doesn't help, then you'll probably need to call a repair service for help.
Problems With Water Filling
In order for the arm to spray your dishes, there has to be enough water in the tub. If a lack of water is the problem, a repair service may need to look at the dishwasher to determine what parts are defective. However, there is one thing you can do first, and that's to remove and clean the filter. If it's clogged up, it may be blocking water from cleaning the dishes. Pull the filter out and clean it under the sink after you check your manual for instructions on how to remove and clean the filter.
While parts can break due to age or bad parts, sometimes your dishwasher acts up because of the way you use it. For it to clean your dishes, there has to be enough water, the water has to be hot enough, you have to use the right detergent, and the sprayer has to be functioning. If you don't load the dishes properly so the spray cleans them, or if you don't adjust the settings on the dishwasher properly, your dishes won't get as clean. When the appliance repair service comes out to fix your dishwasher, ask for tips on how to get the best results from your washer, and you might be surprised at the difference it makes in how clean your dishes are. Something as simple as turning up the heat on your water heater could result in cleaner dishes.