How To Fix A Dishwasher Leaving Food Particles On Dishes

My older dishwasher leaves all kinds of bits of food, grit, film, and residue on my plates, dishes, and cups. I have run the dishwasher empty with a simple cleaner and this did nothing. It sounds rough when running a wash cycle. What could be wrong? Sometimes it is also combined with a white residue. I’ve cleaned the filter by hand. Can you give me some DIY tips and tricks to make this problem get resolved?

Dishwasher Leaving Food Particles On Dishes

Reason why your dishwasher is leaving food particles and residue on dishes:
1. Clogged drain hose.
2. Clogged drain pump.
3. Bent drain hose.
4. Water not hot.
5. Not enough water.
6. Dishes loaded unevenly.
7. Wrong type of detergent/rinse aid.

Your drain hose may be clogged therefore causing the food particles to NOT get drained out. The drain hose is under the sink. Open the cabinet next to the dishwasher and you will see a drain hose coming from the dishwasher. Many times it goes to the garbage disposer. Detach the hose with a bowl or bucket under it as water may spill out. Clean out the drain hose to be sure water flows freely through it. You may find small objects blocking it such as popcorn kernels, beans, pieces of glass, paper, and other items.

dishwasher drain hose

If the dishwasher drain hose is not plugged up, then clean the dishwasher. Start by removing the racks. Take off the spray arms and be sure they are not plugged up. At the bottom of the dishwasher, remove the drain cover, You can then scoop out the gunk by hand or use a shop vac and suck out any gunk that may be at the bottom. Reassemble the dishwasher and run the washer on its longest cycle, completely empty, and on a HOT water setting. When the dishwasher is about 50% into the wash cycle, pour in a cup of bleach. Instead of using bleach you can use vinegar and baking soda which is more natural and non toxic. After adding a cleaning agent, shut the door and let the dishwasher finish its cycle. If your dishwasher is older, you may have to do this a few times with the vacuum hose in the drain sump.

dishwasher filter

Another method is to completely disassemble the bottom portion of the dishwasher and clean everything by hand in a sink full of hot soapy water. There is usually a pump filter at the bottom of the dishwasher. This catches all the gunk that is too big to go through the pump to be pumped out. Clean this out and if you suspect the problem is still going to occur, then remove the bottom parts of the dishwasher. Here is a way to take apart the bottom of a dishwasher to clean it out to be like new again.


How to clean a dishwasher naturally

If you know of any other reasons that would cause food particles to be left on dishes and plates in a dishwasher, please leave a comment below.

6 thoughts on “How To Fix A Dishwasher Leaving Food Particles On Dishes”

  1. Similar to cleaning out the upper and lower wash arms of clogs is checking that the plastic bearings they ride on are not worn out or distorted. If they are worn out or distorted these arms may not spin leading to poor circulation of water during the cycles and so particles don’t get rinsed off.

    These are cheap parts you can buy online if you know your dishwasher model or serial number and install yourself with just your hands or maybe a screwdriver or nut driver depending on your model.

  2. Oh and the vinegar gets poured over the dishes in bottom rack right before I close the door – that way it can start to react with the baking soda before the water dilutes it. ( I use 1/2 cup Baking soda and 1 cup Vinegar.

  3. When my free-standing dishwasher began leaving a residue on dishes, we eventually discovered that it had moved slightly and was no longer absolutely level. Adjusting the position so it was level solved the problem.

  4. DIY Project Help Tips

    Amagga,
    This issue can happen when you use the tablets and the water is NOT HOT ENOUGH. Check the water temp going into the dishwasher. 120F is ideal. Also try switching to Cascade liquid gel. No chance of white chunks on everything.
    -RR

  5. I have tried all of the solutions listed on this site. By testing my dishwasher, I took out the bottom rack, washed all the glasses by hand, then put them in the dishwasher top rack. started a normal cycle with heat. And the glasses came out with white particles all over them. Could it be the dish tabs I’m using? I did find that most of the clogged items were dish tabs that were wedged everywhere inside the parts and around the tub. I’m using cascade platinum. Never had this issue until i started using the costco bulk sizes. I’ve had this machine for 5 years, bought new and always used Finish Platinum power ball and always had perfect dishes on my Whirlpool Quiet.

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