# Dishwasher not cleaning dishes **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 3, 2007, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dishwasher-not-cleaning-dishes/398551 "2007-04-03T13:53:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Don\_t\_Call\_Me\_Shirley](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Don\_t\_Call\_Me\_Shirley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_t_Call_Me_Shirley)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2007, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dishwasher-not-cleaning-dishes/398551/1 "2007-04-03T13:53:40Z")
My dishwasher recently started leaving the dishes with lots of spots and baked-on crud. The Jet-Dry tank is full and this doesn’t help at all. I think I may need to clean out a trap or filter or something. Any suggestions? ---
**Author:** ![Uncommon\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Uncommon\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uncommon_Sense)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2007, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dishwasher-not-cleaning-dishes/398551/2 "2007-04-03T14:00:19Z")
[QUOTE=Don’t Call Me Shirley] My dishwasher recently started leaving the dishes with lots of spots and baked-on crud. The Jet-Dry tank is full and this doesn’t help at all. I think I may need to clean out a trap or filter or something. Any suggestions? [/QUOTE] Sure, you’ll be able to find (maybe) a filter type trap where the waste pump is located. You’ll probably have to remove the bottom spinner/washer mechanism to get to it. At least that’s how mine works. The grinder is supposed to mash up any particulates and make em small enough to get through the strainer. It is also possible that your grinder stopped working. What make and model do you have? ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2007, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dishwasher-not-cleaning-dishes/398551/3 "2007-04-03T14:05:46Z")
If it really is baked-on crud that’s being left on the dishes, it’s probably not an issue with the filter–the issue is that the washer isn’t getting the food off the dishes in the first place. If you can remove the spinning thing from the bottom of the washer, take it out and see if the holes are being plugged up by unidentifiable things. use a small, thin thing to poke them back inside and then rinse out with water. ---
**Author:** ![bouv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2007, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dishwasher-not-cleaning-dishes/398551/4 "2007-04-03T14:06:27Z")
Well, you’re not loading the dishwasher like my roommate, are you? She puts large bowls, pots, pans, and glasses on the bottom shelf a lot of the time, which means the water jets can never get to the _top_ shelf, so after she runs it, everything there has crud all over it. I have told her several times that you can’t put things like that on the bottom rack, yet she continues to do so. ---
**Author:** ![MLS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/919ad9/32.png) [@MLS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MLS)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2007, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dishwasher-not-cleaning-dishes/398551/5 "2007-04-03T17:31:56Z")
I’ve had this problem with my dishwashers. The main cause has been crud stuck in a filter or in the spinners. Inspect every part you can get at where water goes. Somewhere in there is a blockage or a clot o’ stuff that is getting redeposited. As a last resort, see if you can find the manual for the machine. It may suggest a remedy.