The short answer
Gritty dishes usually mean a blocked filter or spray arm; filmed dishes usually mean insufficient rinse aid, hard water or cool incoming water. Both are owner-fixable, and loading is the third cause and the one people discount.
What comes out of the machine
- Grit or food particles redeposited on dishes — Filter blocked, so the machine recirculates debris.
- A white film on glasses that does not wash off — Hard water and insufficient rinse aid.
- One area of the load dirty every time — Loading, or a spray arm that cannot turn.
- Dishes clean but still wet — Rinse aid and heat, not cleaning.
- Detergent left undissolved in the dispenser — The dispenser did not open, or the water was too cool.
- Not this fault: dirty water left in the bottom — That belongs on the drainage page.
Ranked for this class of machine
- Filter clogged — First on any dishwasher, and it is designed to be removed and rinsed.
- Spray arm jets blocked, or the arm fouled by tall items — Second, and both are visible in a minute.
- Incoming water too cool — Third: the machine can only heat so much, so a long cold run to the kitchen hurts.
- Rinse aid empty or set too low — Fourth, and the cause of most filming and wet dishes.
- Detergent old, damp or the wrong type — Fifth, and it matters more than people think.
- Wash pump weak or the heater failed — Last, and it needs a technician.
The order that fixes most cases
- Remove and rinse the filter — It is the leading cause and it needs no tools.
- Spin both spray arms by hand and check the jets — A blocked jet leaves a clean stripe and a dirty one.
- Run the kitchen tap hot before starting the machine — It removes the cool-water variable.
- Top up rinse aid and reload with space between items — The two cheapest improvements available.
Owner checks
- Take out the filter assembly, rinse it and refit it correctly — Do this regularly, not only when there is a complaint.
Tools: brushAbout 15 min
- Spin each spray arm and clear the jets with a cocktail stick — Blocked jets are common in hard-water areas.
Tools: cocktail stickAbout 15 min
- Run the hot tap at the sink until it runs hot, then start the cycle — The machine starts with hot water instead of a pipe full of cold.
About 5 min
- Fill the rinse aid reservoir and raise its setting a step — It addresses filming and wet dishes at once.
Tools: rinse aidAbout 10 min
- Reload with space between items and nothing blocking the arms — Then run the same load again as a test.
About 20 min
- Stop before removing the pump or the heater — Those sit under the tub among mains connections.
Before reaching inside
Safety
Unplug the appliance or switch off its breaker before removing any panel. A capacitor can hold a charge after the power is off. Sharp items sit point-up in cutlery baskets, so unload those first, and let the machine cool before reaching into the tub after a hot cycle. Keep detergent away from children; dishwasher chemistry is caustic.
When to call
Call when the filter and arms are clean, the water is hot, rinse aid is present and results are still poor, because the remaining causes are the wash pump and the heater. Call sooner if the machine is noticeably quieter than it used to be during the wash, which suggests the pump is not developing pressure. On an inexpensive machine, ask what the repair costs before authorising it.
Other faults on this machine
Scope of this page
Written for the dishwasher class under this badge and generalized across families; where a family-specific or model-specific page exists it is the narrower answer. Not here: spray arm and pump part numbers, detergent brand recommendations, water hardness settings and program tables.
Lead Appliance Repair Technician · 12 years experience
Experienced technician with 12 years specializing in washing machine and dryer repairs across all major brands.
