Dishwasher Not Cleaning Like It Used To? 6 Simple Maintenance Tasks That Bring It Back
If your dishwasher has gone from sparkling results to cloudy glasses and gritty plates, don't rush to replace it. In most Canadian homes, a "failing" dishwasher is really just a neglected one. The good news: about 30 minutes of simple maintenance a month keeps it cleaning like new, running quietly, and using less hydro and water. Here are the six tasks that matter most.
1. Clean the Filter (the #1 Fix Most People Skip)
Almost every dishwasher built in the last 15 years has a manual filter in the floor of the tub — and if you've never cleaned it, that's almost certainly why dishes are coming out dirty. Twist out the cylindrical filter, remove the flat screen beneath it, and rinse both under hot water. Use an old toothbrush and a drop of dish soap for greasy buildup. Do this once a month (every two weeks if you don't pre-scrape plates). A clogged filter recirculates dirty water over your "clean" dishes and makes the machine work harder than it should.
2. Unclog the Spray Arms
Hard water — common across much of Ontario — leaves mineral deposits that block the tiny holes in the spray arms. Pop the lower arm off (most simply twist or lift out), hold it up to the light, and clear any blocked holes with a toothpick. Rinse and reinstall. Blocked spray arms are the classic cause of that one rack that never seems to get clean.
3. Run a Monthly Cleaning Cycle
Once a month, run the empty machine on its hottest cycle with a bowl of white vinegar upright on the top rack, or a dishwasher cleaner tablet. This dissolves grease film and limescale in the parts you can't reach — the sump, hoses, and heating element. Limescale on the heating element is a silent energy thief: it forces longer, hotter cycles and shows up on your hydro bill.
4. Wipe the Door Seal and Detergent Door
Food residue and mould collect in the rubber gasket around the door — the source of most dishwasher odours. Wipe the seal, the bottom edge of the door, and the detergent dispenser with a damp cloth and mild soap every couple of weeks. A clean seal also seals better, preventing the slow leaks that ruin kitchen floors.
5. Use Rinse Aid (Especially with Hard Water)
If glasses come out spotted or the load is still wet when you open the door, top up the rinse aid. It breaks water's surface tension so droplets sheet off instead of drying into mineral spots. In hard-water areas it's not optional — it's the difference between cloudy and crystal-clear glassware, and it lets you skip the energy-hungry heated-dry setting.
6. Check the Drain Area and Air Gap
Every few months, pull the bottom rack and check the drain area for stray items — fruit stickers, glass shards, olive pits, and plastic lids are the usual suspects. If your sink has an air gap (the little chrome cylinder beside the faucet), pop the cap and clear any debris. A partially blocked drain leaves a pool of dirty water in the tub and strains the drain pump — one of the pricier parts to replace.
Bonus: Load It the Way It Was Designed
Face the dirtiest surfaces toward the centre, don't nest bowls, and keep tall items from blocking the spray arms or the detergent door. Overloading is the fastest way to make a perfectly good dishwasher look broken.
When It Really Is Time for a New One
If you've done all of the above and you're still fighting poor cleaning, loud grinding, or leaks, the machine may genuinely be at the end of its road — most dishwashers last 9–12 years. When that day comes, you don't have to pay big-box prices. At Oxbury Appliances, our open-box, scratch-and-dent, and factory-refurbished dishwashers from brands like Bosch, Samsung, LG, and Frigidaire deliver the same cleaning power for hundreds less than buying new at a big-box store — often 20–35% off, in CAD, with the cosmetic "flaws" hidden under your counter anyway.
Ready for quieter, cleaner dishes? Browse our 24-inch built-in dishwashers and see how much you can save today.