A filter assembly and a soft brush resting on a folded towel beside an open dishwasher.

Keeping it out of trouble

Maintenance and prevention
guides.

The few routine jobs that head off most of the calls we get, and how often each one is really needed.

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Mon–Sat, 8am–8pm

Three guides
Read before you book
Says where to stop

Book a visit

Three short steps, about a minute.

or call (844) 430-4286

Maintenance and prevention,
guide by guide.

The jobs in this section take minutes, need no tools beyond a brush and a toothpick, and account for more of the calls we could have avoided than anything else. A filter emptied on schedule, clean spray arm nozzles, rinse aid set for the local water and a hot first fill keep most dishwashers washing well for years.

All 18 guides

The lower rack of a stainless built-in dishwasher pulled out, with the cylindrical filter and the lower spray arm lying on a folded towel on the open door, in a US home kitchen.

5-minute read

Filter and spray arm cleaning, step by step

A ten-minute routine that keeps wash water clean and every nozzle spraying, with honest intervals for different households.

A row of drinking glasses on the upper rack of an open stainless dishwasher, some clear and some with a faint white film, in a US home kitchen.

5-minute read

Hard water and rinse aid: ending spots and cloudy glasses

Grains per gallon, the rinse aid dial, the hardness setting and a vinegar test that tells mineral film from permanent etching.

A kitchen faucet running over a sink beside a closed stainless built-in dishwasher, a little steam rising from the stream, in a US home kitchen.

5-minute read

Why you should run the hot water before starting a cycle

The first fill comes from whatever is sitting in the pipe, and a cold start makes the machine wash worse and run longer.

Keeping it out of trouble.

Each guide says how often a task is really needed, rather than repeating the most cautious figure from a manual. The right interval depends on how full the machine runs, how hard the water is and how much food goes in with the plates.

Read them when you first move into a home with an unfamiliar dishwasher, when results start to slip, or before booking a visit for cloudy glasses or a slow cycle.

Not sure where to start?

The short answerFilter and spray arm cleaning, step by step

Routine dishwasher filter and spray arm cleaning takes about ten minutes.

The short answerHard water and rinse aid: ending spots and cloudy glasses

Using rinse aid for hard water keeps calcium and magnesium from drying as spots and film.

The short answerWhy you should run the hot water before starting a cycle

Run hot water before starting the dishwasher so the first fill comes in hot, not cold from the pipe.

When reading
is not enough.

If the checks in these guides did not settle it, the visit picks up from there, stop by stop.

What repairs cost

01Find the cause
02Price it first
03The part
04Fix and run a cycle

The problems
these answer.

Each has a page of its own, with the causes in the order worth checking.

All 17 problems

A close view of a lower dishwasher rack holding dinner plates with dried food still stuck to them after a cycle, water droplets on the rims.

Problem

Dishwasher Not Cleaning Dishes

5 causes, cheapest first

A hand in a rubber glove wiping the lower door gasket of an open dishwasher with a cloth, a bowl of vinegar solution on the counter beside it.

Problem

Dishwasher Smells Bad

5 causes, cheapest first

An open dishwasher with the lower rack pulled out and cloudy gray water standing across the bottom of the stainless tub around the filter.

Problem

Dishwasher Not Draining

6 causes, cheapest first

Several drinking glasses on a kitchen counter next to an open dishwasher, their surfaces cloudy with a white haze held up against window light.

Problem

Cloudy Glasses and White Residue

6 causes, cheapest first

A family unloading clean plates from an open dishwasher together in a bright contemporary kitchen, a child handing a plate to a parent — For the heart of your home.

Questions about
maintenance and prevention.

Is regular maintenance really enough to prevent breakdowns?

It will not stop parts from wearing out, but it prevents the clogs, scale and odors behind a large share of service calls, and it takes strain off the pump and heater.

Do I need special cleaning products?

Mostly not. Warm soapy water handles the filter and arms. A citric-acid dishwasher cleaner helps in hard-water areas, and rinse aid is worth keeping filled on almost every modern machine.

How do I set a reminder I will actually follow?

Tie the filter check to something monthly you already do, such as paying a utility bill, and do the spray arms every third time.

The other
sections.

Split by what you are trying to find out rather than by which part of the appliance it concerns.

All guides

A dishwasher door open on a kitchen floor with the lower rack pulled out and a cloudy puddle in the tub.

What it is trying to tell you

Back to your everyday

Let’s get your dishwasher working again.

Three short steps online, or one call. Tell us what you are seeing and pick a window that works.

Schedule a repair Call (844) 430-4286

Maintenance and prevention
guides.

Maintenance and prevention,
guide by guide.

Filter and spray arm cleaning, step by step

Hard water and rinse aid: ending spots and cloudy glasses

Why you should run the hot water before starting a cycle

Keeping it out of trouble.

The short answerFilter and spray arm cleaning, step by step

The short answerHard water and rinse aid: ending spots and cloudy glasses

The short answerWhy you should run the hot water before starting a cycle

When reading
is not enough.