What this usually is
On a Criterion dishwasher the difference between gritty and cloudy matters. Grit is debris returning to the dishes, which is a filter problem; cloudiness is water chemistry, which is salt, rinse aid and dose. The ranking is the part worth reading twice.
What you are seeing and hearing
- Grit or particles redeposited on clean items — A blocked filter is sending debris back into the wash rather than trapping it.
- Cloudy glassware — Water chemistry rather than cleaning: hard water scale or too much detergent, depending on the feel of the film. Do this before the check below it, because the answer changes what that one means.
- Cups and bowls full of dirty water — Loading: items facing the wrong way collect water rather than draining it. Mention it when you book a visit; it changes which parts a technician brings.
- NEAR MISS: everything is clean but still wet — That is a drying rather than a cleaning problem, and rinse aid is usually the answer. Repeat it once if the answer is ambiguous rather than moving on with a maybe.
Causes, ranked for this appliance
- Blocked spray-arm jets — Second because scale and debris close the jets gradually, and coverage falls off long before anybody notices a pattern. A cause in this position is worth eliminating before you spend anything.
- No salt or no rinse aid in a hard-water area — Without softening, scale forms on the dishes, the jets and the element, which degrades everything at once. Write it down before anybody comes out; a described symptom is worth more than a remembered one.
- Detergent dose or type wrong for the water — Too little leaves soil, too much leaves film, and tablets that do not dissolve in a short programme leave both. Confirming it costs less than assuming it, which is why it is worth the few minutes.
- A heater that is no longer heating — Last, because a machine washing cold cleans badly without announcing it, and it is the one cause here that needs a technician. If this is what you have, you are on the right page; if not, follow the near-miss line.
The order that saves time
- Spin each spray arm by hand — It should turn freely and completely. Anything that stops it stops the wash reaching whatever is above it. It takes less time than reading about it.
- Check the salt and rinse-aid indicators — Both are on the panel of most machines and both are easy to overlook for months. It sits above the more dramatic explanations because it is the one you are statistically likelier to have.
- Feel the door for warmth during the main wash — A door that stays cold on a hot programme suggests the machine is washing cool, which cleans poorly. It takes less time than reading about it.
Owner-side procedure
- Clear the spray-arm jets — Unclip each arm if it comes off, rinse it through, and clear blocked jets with a cocktail stick. Leave the machine a few minutes afterwards before you decide it has not helped.
Tools: cocktail stickAbout 20 min
- Refill the salt and the rinse aid — Use dishwasher salt rather than any other kind, and set the rinse-aid dose to match your water. Give it a moment rather than glancing; the thing you are looking for is not always obvious.
Tools: dishwasher salt, rinse aidAbout 15 min
- Reload with space between items and nothing shadowing — Face bowls and cups downwards, keep large items to the sides, and check the arms turn after loading. Keep the parts you remove in the order you removed them.
About 15 min
- The last owner step is the one above this line — What is left is diagnosis rather than inspection, and diagnosis needs instruments.
What to turn off before you start
Safety
Cut the supply at the breaker, then check that the machine is genuinely dead before reaching in. A capacitor can hold a charge after the power is off, so the wait matters as much as the switch. Heating elements stay hot long after a cycle ends, so give the tub time before your hand goes near the bottom of it. Do not alter anything that stops the machine running with a door open.
When to call a technician
One rule decides it: the filter, the arms, the salt, the rinse aid and the loading are yours; the heater, the wash pump and the diverter are not. A technician draws the same line, for the same reasons. Call the same day if the breaker trips, the machine is wet inside its door panel, or you can smell hot plastic.
Nearby pages
What is deliberately not here
Read this as the general answer for a Criterion dishwasher, generalized across families on purpose.
Lead Appliance Repair Technician · 12 years experience
Experienced technician with 12 years specializing in washing machine and dryer repairs across all major brands.
