01/30/2016
I have recently heard a similar complaint about dishwashers not cleaning well.
A few pointers that I give all my customers:
1. Many people do not properly rinse dishes prior to putting them in the dishwasher. Unfortunately, you must remove all food particles from dishes or they will not get clean.
2. Most dishwashers have a HIGH TEMP WASH setting on them that doesn't come on automatically when you select your wash cycle. You must turn on HIGH TEMP WASH each time you turn on your dishwasher for it to heat the water while washing. Otherwise, you are trying to wash your dishes in lukewarm water. As the hot water runs over cold dishes it cools the water if the unit is not reheating the water as it washes...resulting in poor cleansing of the dishes.
3. Always be sure to run hot water to your sink prior to running your dishwasher. Many houses have water heaters that are a good distance from the kitchen sink. This means you have to run the hot water at the sink for a while before the water actually comes out hot. If you don't run the water to the sink prior to running the dishwasher, you are filling your dishwasher with cold water...therefore, not getting the dishes clean. The HIGH TEMP WASH setting is designed to heat the water about 45° more than it comes into the dishwasher. If the water is coming in at 120° to 140° as most hot water heaters are set, then the HIGH TEMP WASH setting will heat the water to 165° to 185° which should be able to clean your dishes properly.
4. If you have been noticing a milky looking film developing on your clear dishes, there is a cure. Several years ago, the EPA got involved with all the soap manufacturers and made them stop putting phosphates in the dish soap. That means that the soap is not coming off the dishes like it used to and hard water stains are allowed to build up on your dishes. There is a product called LEMISHINE BOOSTER that will solve this problem. Adding about 1 teaspoon of the LEMISHINE to the main wash compartment of your dishwasher along with a good POWDERED SOAP, will make all the difference in how clean your dishes come out.
In my experience, gel soaps do not work as well as the powder soaps. I use the GREAT VALUE powder packets from Walmart with the LEMISHINE in a very cheap, contractor grade dishwasher and it works great.
I also recommend using a rinse aid such as JET DRY. The hard water that we have in east Mississippi needs to be softened to rinse off thoroughly. That is the function of the rinse aid, it works as a water softener.
5. If you have a dishwasher with a stainless steel tub, as a monthly maintenance, place a small glass bowl turned upright in the top rack of your dishwasher and fill it with white vinegar. Then, run your dishwasher empty, except for the bowl of vinegar, on the longest, hottest setting you have on your dishwasher, i.e. POT SCRUBBER, SANITIZE, or HEAVY DUTY. This will clean all the stains from inside your dishwasher and help disolve any soap/detergent left in the tub.
6. Most dishwashers have the soap dispenser on the left side of the door as you are looking inside the dishwasher. Try to always put plates in the front left corner of the lower rack of your dishwasher so that the water spraying up from the lower spray arm can spray between the plates and hit the dispenser to get the soap out. If you put bowls or pots in the front left corner of the lower rack, the water is deflected from hitting the dispenser and may result in not getting the soap out of the dispenser.
Hopefully, this will help many of you to get cleaner dishes and better performance from your dishwasher. Please let me know if you need further assistance.
