Is your dishwasher not cleaning or drying properly? Causes and solutions

What you can check yourself first (Free & Quick) 🛠️

Before you conclude that your machine is broken, you can check these three common (and easily solvable) causes:

1. Blocked or clogged spray arms

The spray arms (the rotating propellers at the top and bottom of the machine) spray water forcefully onto your dishes.

• The test: Give both spray arms a flick with your hand. Do they hit something (like a tall chopping board or a protruding ladle)? If so, they cannot rotate during washing.

• The solution: Detach the spray arms (usually a simple click or twist system) and check the small spray holes. Are there lemon seeds or hard bits of dirt stuck in them? Carefully poke them open with a toothpick and rinse them under the tap.

1. Clogged filters at the bottom

Your dishwasher uses the same water multiple times during a wash cycle. The water is continuously pumped through the bottom filter, cleaned, and sprayed back up through the spray arms. If your filter is clogged with a thick layer of grease or food residues, the machine literally sprays dirty water over your 'clean' plates. Clean the filter weekly!

3. Lack of rinse aid or salt (White residue and wet dishes)

• Sopping wet dishes? Rinse aid breaks the surface tension of the water, allowing droplets to slide off your glasses and plates. Is the compartment empty? Then everything stays sopping wet.

• White, dull residue? This is often limescale. The salt container (the screw cap at the bottom of the machine) must be filled with special dishwasher salt to soften the hard tap water; otherwise, the limescale will settle on your glasses.

When do you need a We.repair technician? 🔧

Are the spray arms clean, do they rotate freely, and are all liquids topped up, but the dishes remain dirty and sopping wet? Then there is likely a technical defect.

• Faulty heating element (Heat pump): This is the number one cause of dirty and wet dishes. Grease does not dissolve in cold water. Moreover, a dishwasher uses heat to dry the dishes (the water evaporates from the hot plates). If the water does not get warm, both the washing and drying processes fail.You will need a technician for this.

• Broken circulation pump: This pump builds up pressure to push the water through the spray arms. If it is defective or worn out, the water will only 'dribble' out instead of forcefully spraying the plates clean.

• Faulty detergent dispenser: Sometimes the spring or the flap of the soap dispenser is broken. The block then does not fall (or falls too late) into the machine, which means you are actually only washing with hot water.

• Broken temperature sensor (NTC): The machine 'thinks' that the water is already hot, and incorrectly switches off the heating.

Does your dishwasher feel ice cold at the end of the programme? Washing with cold water is pointless. Our We.repair experts will measure the heating circuit and expertly replace the defective heat pump at your home. Schedule a repair with We.repair now

Behind the scenes: Why does plastic dry so poorly? 💡

Do you ever wonder why your ceramic plates and glasses come out perfectly dry from the machine, but your Tupperware containers and plastic cups always remain soaking wet?

This has everything to do with heat capacity. A dishwasher dries by rinsing the dishes with scalding hot water at the end of the programme. Ceramic, glass, and metal retain that heat for a long time. Once the water is on those hot materials, it evaporates rapidly and condenses on the cooler stainless steel walls of the machine (condensation drying).

However, plastic is a terrible heat conductor. It cools down immediately. Because the plastic is cold, the water droplet cannot evaporate and just stays there. So it is absolutely not your dishwasher's fault, but simply the laws of physics!

What does the error code on your display mean? (By brand) ⚠️

If your dishwasher does not heat the water, it often (but not always!) displays an error code at the end of the programme:

• Bosch & Siemens: E09 (Heating element/Heat pump defective) or E08 (Insufficient water in the tub to heat).

• AEG, Electrolux & Zanussi: i60 or 6 flashes. This directly indicates a problem with heating the water.

• Miele: F24. The relay of the heating element is defective (heating error).

• Whirlpool & Bauknecht: F3 or 3 flashes. Heating error or defective thermostat.

Prevention is better than cure: 3 tips for sparkling dishes 🛡️

1. Scrape plates, do not rinse! You don't need to rinse your plates under the tap (the enzymes in the detergent actually need some dirt to work), but always scrape hard residues like bones, corn kernels, and toothpicks into the bin.

2. Clean the filter weekly Make it a habit to rinse the filter at the bottom every week. This prevents food residues from rotting and blocking the drain.

3. Use a machine cleaner monthly Grease is the silent killer of the drain hose. Run a hot programme (70°C) once a week and run an empty machine with a special dishwasher cleaner once a month (read the instructions). This dissolves the grease layer in the hoses before it becomes a hard lump.

Repair or replace? (Honest advice) 💰

Is the problem with a cold dishwasher? Then often the heat pump (heating pump) has burned out. This is a common repair, especially with brands like Bosch and Siemens.

Is it worth it? Absolutely. A new heat pump including installation by a We.repair technician is significantly cheaper than purchasing and installing a completely new (built-in) dishwasher. If your appliance is less than 10 years old and the racks are still in good condition (no heavy rust), we almost always recommend having it repaired. You directly extend its lifespan by several years.