Dishwasher not cleaning properly

[TheMinage]

DH has taken the dishwasher apart and can not find a reason as to why it is not cleaning our dishes properly. We've given it a good clean, used rinse aid/dishwasher salt but after a few washes, it goes back to not cleaning properly and our dishes come out cleaner but still dirty.

Any ideas what the issue could be, and if it would be costly to sort out? Also eho to contact to come out and look at it? Are there dishwasher repair men around?

You're using a proper cleaner and running it through the hottest cycle?

Using the the hottest cycle when washing?

I know you say you're using salt but are you filling it up with loads of it? You have to use practically the whole bag?

We had a similar problem a couple of years ago. It was due to debris stuck in the drainage pipe from the dishwasher and not due to the dishwasher itself. We cleared the pipe by forcing a drain cleaner through it (powder then fluid) and it's been fine ever since.

Oh and have you cleaned the filter?

Run it empty with a proper cleaner in it. Finish do a nice one. Use the hottest setting. If I use a proper cleaner then the dishwasher cleans better for longer than if I dont do it or I'm feeling cheap and use vinegar. It leaves some things a bit gritty when it needs cleaning.

Look at Laura De Barra's Instagram. She's a DIY queen and has tutorials on everything including dishwasher troubleshooting. She's amazing.

is it getting fully hot?

if you open the door mid cycle, are the arms spinning round, does steam billow out?

Is it an Electrolux? There’s no saving it if it is. Ours was rubbish.

Yes, dishwasher repairers do exist! Ask on your local facebook page or community forum.

We have someone booked to come on Monday. Ours isn't getting hot (it's gradually dawned on us) we did all the cleaning and unclogging that you describe.

Whenever my dishes are not properly clean, it's usually because something was stopping the spray arms from turning. Sometimes the holes in the arms get blocked too (usually with sweetcorn).

Mine does this now and again and it’s because the spinner arms are blocked. It’s a horrible fiddly job to clear them because you can’t take them apart so you have to try and pop the the bits out with a toothpick or by filling with water and getting them to float out of the filler. Cauliflower is a big culprit here.

Is it getting hot? Are the dishes trying or still wet when you open it? It's quite common for the heating element to go.

In no particular order:

Pull it out and check the outlet pipe is clear.
Check that the outlet pipe is not kinked or bent or at the wrong height (manual will tell you how high and which position it should be in), there is a reason for this, ie: it needs to be able to drain properly.
Poke a cocktail stick into the holes in the spray arms to check for random bits of crap.
Check you are not using the really cheap and crappy tablets, some types just do not do the job. Try a different type before you pay someone to come and look. If you use Finish take a look on their website at all the different ones, some of them really do not work.
Feel the door when it is running to check it is hot.
Assume the filter has been removed and given a good scrub.
Also assume you don't load the machine with all the bits of food still on the plates.
If you put things in that had mashed potato on it doesn't wash off well and can leave a mess on the newly washed stuff.
Check you are using rinse aid.
Once you have done all the above, run it on the hottest and longest programme with a cleaner.

Are you sure its the dishwasher and not the way the plates are stacked? It seems an obvious question but after weeks of our dishes not being cleaned when coming out the dishwasher, I realised that they were being stacked so the dirty side wasn't in range of the spray. Yes it was stupid but we'd never had a dishwasher before and I left it to my DH too often to load it and switch it on .