Have you ever opened your dishwasher, only to find a stack of dirty dishes? Dishwashers are designed to make our lives easier, but when they stop working correctly they can leave us with our hands full!
More households than ever before rely on a dishwasher to clean their dishes, with dishwashers found in as much as 46% households. It’s far from uncommon for your dishwasher to fail to clean dishes properly. Below, we’ve listed four common reasons for your dishwasher to fail to fully clean its contents, from blockages and valve damage to issues with your water temperature or pre-washing process.
Failing water inlet valve
Dishwashers have an inlet valve that controls the flow of water into the dishwasher. Over time, this valve can become worn out and less durable than normal. After a lot of wear, it’s possible that the valve can fail, preventing water from flowing into the dishwasher effectively.
Most of time, a failing water inlet valve will start to become noisy, creating a tapping sound that you should be able to notice while your dishwasher is operating. The solution: for this problem, you’ll need to call in the experts to have the valve replaced and the dishwasher repaired.
Inadequate water flow
Even if your dishwasher’s water inlet valve is working properly, it’s possible that too little water is flowing into the machine from your home’s water supply.
If you have low water pressure at home, this could affect your dishwasher. It’s also possible that the pipe supplying water to the dishwasher could be blocked, reducing the pressure and holding back water that should be flowing in.
In either case, you can check this problem by opening your dishwasher door during the washing cycle, just after it’s finished filling with water. If the water line isn’t above the heating coil, there’s simply not enough water inside for the dishwasher to function correctly.
Overly low water temperature
Your dishwasher needs hot water to be able to soften food waste and other debris that’s stuck on your dishes. Even with the right amount of water and detergent, a lack of heat can make it impossible for even the most powerful dishwasher to get rid of stubborn food scraps.
Just like inadequate water flow, this usually isn’t a problem with your water heater. Instead, it’s usually caused by setting the water temperature on your boiler too low. To check, use a thermometer to check the temperature of your hot water as it comes out of the tap. If it’s not between 50°C and 65°C, it’s probably not hot enough to soften any leftover food scraps on your dishes.
Not enough pre-washing
While your dishwasher should be more than powerful enough to clean away most food waste, it isn’t a piece of magic technology. If you put plates with lots of firm food waste stuck to to them in your dishwasher, there’s a good chance it won’t be strong enough to completely wash it away.
To get the best results from your dishwasher, try pre-washing your dishes before you put them inside. This is particularly important for dishes covered in food waste that can harden, such as rice, porridge and other starches, as well as some sauces. It also helps to use the right type of detergent. If you still see food waste on your dishes after pre-washing, consider trying a more powerful detergent that’s better suited to loosening food waste.