Dishwasher - Water Too Hot or Too Cold

Not Cleaning

Cleaning issues may be experienced as white film, residue, or spots or actual food remaining on the dishes at the end of the cycle. This is commonly the result of too low or too high water temperature, improper use of detergent and additives, cycle selection, or lack of maintenance.

To identify the root cause, it is necessary to identify the type of cleaning issue that is experienced:

• White Film/Residue

• Remaining Food Soils

White Film Residue

To determine the cause, try to clean the glass with white distilled vinegar. Just wet a cloth or paper towel with the vinegar and wipe the glass inside and out.

• Yes: This is a condition caused by HARD WATER.

  Minerals, such as calcium and magnesium, in the water may leave a residue on the dishes. This film or residue may be on the dishes AND the inside walls and components of the dishwasher.

  To prevent this from happening, try the following:

  • Use a wash booster such as Lemi Shine®, Glisten, or Finish Glass Magic.

  • Add an Extra Rinse, which will reduce hard water film in many households. This depends on the hardness of the water.

  • Perform Tub Clean Cycle to remove hard water mineral deposits from inside the machine. This can be done with a dishwasher cleaner, vinegar, or a citric acid powder. Do not add detergent to tub cleaning maintenance cycles.

• No: This is the result of ETCHING.

  • Etching is caused by too much detergent and too high water temperature. This can be made worse in soft water or softened hard water.

  • Etching cannot be reversed, but it can be prevented or slowed down by lowering the water supply temperature and reducing the amount of detergent.

  • The recommended water supply temperature is 120°F. Do not exceed 140°F.

  • The amount of detergent used varies by cycle and soil level. Most cycles only require the dispenser to be filled half way for every day loads. It may be possible to reduce even this amount in soft water, or to use a soft water detergent.

Remaining Food Soils

This can be aused by low water temperature. Run the faucet at the kitchen sink until the water is hot prior to starting the dishwasher, this will ensure that the water getting into the dishwasher is hot.

NOTE: Recommended water temp for dishwashers is 120° F.

For more information about how to get rid of remaining food soil, visit our Not Cleaning - Dishwasher article.