Gah!!! What is going on with my dishwasher?

[newtonupontheheath]

So sick of re-washing dishes. I need help please...

Did a shop with ocado and got some "astonish" tablets. They started leaving grey/brown bits on all the glasses and plates.

I've always used finish previously (always on offer somewhere) plus lidl salt and rinse aid.

Have switched now to aldi (which best buy) tablets but the scummy-ness remains. I've taken all the removable bits out and washed them...

Please don't tell me it's on it's way out.....

Buy some finish dishwasher tablets.

Maybe your dishwasher needs a clean. You can buy cleaner stuff in the supermarkets next to the finish etc. You run it empty on a hot cycle with the cleaner stuff in. They recommend you do it monthly. Might help..

i get this sometimes and end up having to rewash stuff, especially glasses. When it happens I take the arms out of the machine and give them a good clean. There is usually sweet corn blocking the holes. I also remove all the layers of the filter and clean it. Then I run an empty cycle on max temperature with one of those bottles of dishwasher cleaner. Usually sorts it out. I'm too lazy to do it as a preventative measure, but tend to end up doing it every 3 months or so. Oh, and I always use the finish 5-in-1 tablets, but stock up when they are on offer.

Buy one of those dishwasher cleaner cartridges.

....and use finish!

it sounds like food particles, or possibly grease. Do you put fatty/greasy pans in? They should be wiped out with kitchen roll. Burnt-on roasting or grill pans can be done separately on an intensive wash as they will shed black particles which will accumulate in the machine. It is quicker to scour by hand.

how many filters did you take out and clean?

was there anything in the arms when you took them out?

You do, of course, keep the salt reservoir topped up?

Aldi tablets are a which best buy at about a tenth the price of finish.

Thanks everybody.

I bought some finish yesterday but the wash I put on over night hasn't fully dissolved the tablet...

pigletjohn I was pans by hand so it's only dishes from the oven, plates, glasses, cutlery. All have a bit of a rinse before they go in.

Rinse aid and salt are topped up.

There is one filter at the bottom that I can separate into 2 parts.

I've taken the spray arms off and, even though I have already cleaned them, I have them a good bang and a bit more food came out. Hoping that could be it; have just put it on with half a cup of vinegar (picked up from MSE boards as I haven't been able to get to the shops)

Hoping that'll do the trick.

"the wash I put on over night hasn't fully dissolved the tablet..."

That suggests either that it is not getting hot enough, or that the tablet did not release properly from its compartment.

• open the door mid-cycle to verify that it is getting very hot

• put the tablet in the cutlery rack where it will dissolve when (if) hot water reaches it.

You should be able to hear the the detergent door open with a click, on some machines that have a rotating programme knob, it will happen when you turn the knob by hand, otherwise you will have to wait while the programmer reaches that part of the cycle.

What make is it?

It's a Bosch one, its less than 2 years old.

It funny you say that about water temp- our water has been a bit dodgy of late, do you think this could be connected to a problem with the supply in general?

The tablet is released from the little holder in the door, but the red bit of the finish tablet was still there.

Opened it immediately as it finished this morning and there was lots of steam so seemed pretty hot!

Thank you for you help!

Bosch usually have a half-moon shape filter that you lift out and rinse under the tap. Under it may be a removable fine nylon gauze filter, mug-shaped. Check instrs.

Open it part-way through a wash, see that very hot water is squirting out and the arms are spinning (they will stop almost as soon as you open the door).

Thanks, I will.

Bosch has a 2 year warranty. Give them a ring and an engineer will come out free of charge!

You need to take the arms out and flush out with hot soapy water -where the water comes out. Also remove the cage in the drain give the same treatment. Then run a hot cycle with dishwasher cleaner. It's grease build up.

I had the problem with gritty stuff despite using Finish 5 in 1 tabs - turns out in hard water areas you also have to use salt and rinse aid. Mine gets through salt at an alarming rate - put in an entire 3kg bag over 2 days recently!! So my advice is to keep that topped up too

crazy .... Am off to find the paperwork

Will ring tomorrow if I'm still having problems

on Bosch, and many other, dishwashers, you can adjust the salt usage rate using the tiny blue plastic dial, top left hand corner inside the doorframe.

The instructions will describe how. My rule of thumb is that if any limescale film forms on the heater element, the water is not sufficiently softened.

3kg in two days is too much. Sounds like the cap is not tightly sealed or there is a fault. This full-size water softener does 550 gallons on 2.5 litres of salt. I have a similar one for the whole house.

that's interesting piglet - I didn't know that. Unfortunately I have not got instructuons for my dishwasher - its built in and was here when I moved. Any suggestions as to where my dial is?

what make and model?

the Bosch design, you have to kneel down to see the dial.

Oh am I happy this evening....

I have lovely shiney dishes at last!

I opened the door a couple of times through the cycle as pigletjohn suggested and the water is definitely getting hot (gave myself a bit if a facial )

I think it must have been the spray arm as banging it REALLY hard seems to have worked. Even though I thought it was clean the first time

I think the tablet wasn't dissolving as it gets spat onto a little shelf above the previously blocked spray arm so the water wasn't reaching it

I can stop panicking about washing things by hand now!