Here’s How to Fix 5 Common Dishwasher Problems

A dishwasher breakdown can leave you facing mountains of gross, dirty dishes that have to be washed by hand. But not all dishwasher problems require professional assistance to resolve. Many dishwasher breakdowns are easy enough to repair yourself, with little to no skill.

Before you call a repairman, it’s worth trying to troubleshoot your dishwasher problems yourself. You may not always be able to fix the problem, but if you can, you could save yourself a lot of money, not to mention the time that you’d otherwise spend waiting for a service professional to have time to show up and fix the problem. And that could mean a lot less time dealing with those dirty dishes the old-fashioned way. Here are five common dishwasher issues that most homeowners can fix themselves, with a minimum of skill and a little moxie.

1. The Dishwasher Stinks

Bad smells coming from your dishwasher can usually be eliminated with a good cleaning. Take the screen and filter out of the bottom of the dishwasher and clean them thoroughly to remove any old food that may be stuck down there. Remove the sprayer arms and use an unbent paper clip or wire hanger to remove any food debris from the holes in the arm. To clean the inside of the machine, sprinkle a cup of baking soda in the bottom and place a cup of white vinegar in the top rack. Run the machine through a hot-water cycle with nothing else in it. Do this once a month to maintain a clean machine.

2. The Dishwasher Won’t Drain

Most dishwashers drain directly into the garbage disposal, so if yours isn’t draining all the way, turn on the garbage disposal and see what happens. Chances are something’s stuck in the disposal system and it’s clogging up the dishwasher. If running the disposal fixes the problem, give it (the disposal) a good cleaning and keep it clean to prevent draining issues with your dishwasher. If you just put in a new garbage disposal, make sure to pull out its drain plug so the dishwasher can drain properly.

If you don’t have a garbage disposal or running it doesn’t fix the problem, clean the screen and filter in the bottom of the dishwasher, or try running the dishwasher again. If it’s stopped in the middle of the cycle, standing water may not drain completely from the bottom.

3. Dishes Come Out Still Dirty

Dishwashers are supposed to clean your dishes, so why are yours coming out of the wash cycle still covered in residue, or, most likely, covered in some completely different residue?

This could be the result of a number of problems, such as:

• You’re not scraping the dishes enough before putting them in the dishwasher.
• You’re overloading the dishwasher.
• Something is restricting the movement of the sprayer arms.
• The screen or drain at the bottom needs cleaned, or the sprayer arms, or both.
• Your water isn’t hot enough.
• You need a better detergent.
• Your dishwasher has a faulty inlet valve.
• Your water is hard.

You might have to do a little detective work to solve this one, but the problem is most often user error, so start there. Make sure to scrape, rather than rinse, your dishes so the dishwashing detergent can fully do its work. While you can perform all of these fixes yourself, including replacing a bad inlet valve, you might find it easier to book a dishwasher repair professional if you can’t figure out the problem, or you don’t feel like tinkering around with your dishwasher’s guts.

4. The Dishwasher Leaks onto the Floor

Leakiness is usually an issue with the door gasket. Clean the gasket with a disinfectant, checking it for any signs of damage as you go. If it’s damaged, replace it to fix the leaking issue. Often, just cleaning chunks of food debris off the gasket can resolve this problem.

5. The Dishwasher Won’t Start

If your dishwasher won’t start at all, first check the fuse box to make sure you haven’t tripped a breaker. Then check to make sure the dishwasher is plugged in, if it’s not hardwired to your home electrical system. Try unplugging it and plugging it back in.

The problem could also be the door latch — your dishwasher won’t start until it knows the door is latched. Check for problems with the door latch and replace it if necessary. If it sounds like it’s trying to start but can’t quite get there, the fan motor may be stuck. Shut off power to the machine, open it up, and spin the fan motor by hand to unstick it. Check for debris that could be stuck in the fan motor.

Dishwasher problems can be a real pain, especially when you’ve got a load of dirty dishes to wash and a family to think about. Before you pay for a dishwasher repair, try fixing the problem yourself. You might be pleasantly surprised at what you can accomplish.

Photo by Curtis Adams from Pexels