How to fix a Dishwasher That Does Not Clean
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 24 ส.ค. 2024
- Dishwasher not cleaning well enough? Learn how to clean out the basin of a Kenmore Elite or Whirlpool or Kitchenaid dishwasher.
Tools Used:
T15 Torx (For opening the dishwasher): amzn.to/20hpGY7
Our favorite detergent: amzn.to/2ufnAwl
Recommended rise aid: amzn.to/2FnWA3l
This is a Kenmore Elite but it has the same insides as a recent model Whirlpool and Kitchenaid.
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Thank you so much for your expertise. I am a 70 y/o single lady in a small town where it is difficult to find someone to help me with my home projects. It is a wonderful service you offer. I DID IT ALL BY MYSELF! Thanks again!
How did you get the back piece off, it’s at 257-310 in the video
@@Rosegloweyes there are c-shaped metal brackets mounted to the walls of the dishwasher (one to that back wall, one to the roof) that hold the plastic piece on. You can use your fingers to pry the brackets open a bit, which will make it a little easier to pull them away from the wall/roof. Go easy so you don't break the old plastic, but you have to use enough force to overcome the metal clips.
Good on you, Rebecca Moore
Me too!!! Awesome teaching
I love you guys! I am a 77 year old woman...tired of repairmen telling me something is not worth fixing so I found your video and began. Got it all apart per your video, found broken glass, pieces of flat wear baskets, plastic, etc., cleaned it all up and found that the gasket for the centerpiece is split on one side so I’ll try to find one that will work to replace it. I cleaned the screen for the chopping blade which was pretty well covered with lint. That was time consuming. Tomorrow I’ll look at the centerpiece and see if it will come apart to get whatever it is from the backside of the screens out. Thanks for giving all of us the option of doing the work ourselves, avoiding replacement and repair costs. Pretty empowering. Tomorrow we’ll see if it works and I’m expecting it will! Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
the bottom of the cutlery basket is breaking down in little pieces in mine too, must have found 10 small pieces of it at least.
Read somewhere they sell replacement basket for around 50$ (highway robbery).
I watched this video and decided to tackle my 10 year old dishwasher. It had never been cleaned as shown in this video, and it was not longer washing properly. Often, I'd take clean dishes out of the dishwasher only to discover food particles on some, and a foggy/filmy appearance on glassware.
The video instructions were spot on! I actually had the screwdriver attachment for my multi-tipped screwdriver, so that was good. Everything came apart exactly as shown here, and everything went back together easily. Aside from my back hurting a little from having to lean over the door, it was relatively painless.
I was shocked at just how much debris had collected in the dishwasher. A chunk of broken glass. A few lemon seeds. What looked like part of a chicken bone. An olive pit. And, the area underneath the spinner arm was so full of soap residue that I had to make up a batch of cleaning solution to scrub it, even used a soft bristle brush to clean it while wearing rubber gloves. This part of the cleaning took as long as the disassembly and reassembly. I then ran the dishwasher with no dishes to rinse it out.
I just completed my first full-load cycle post-cleanup. Everything came out clean, shiny, and no fog! I'm back in business with super clean dishes. And here I thought it was time to buy a new one. I hope to get more useful years out of this one.
Oh, and I'm a 52 year old woman, and I did it by myself! Yay, for me ;)
LinYouToo Congratulations!
when you mention the clean solution what did you exactly use, a commercial one or a one home made?
wasn't rosie the riviter a woman?
rock on, my friend!
;-)
I loved reading your comment!! I felt like this was the comment I was going to write. I moved in 5 years ago and have never cleaned it either. Lord knows if the previous owner ever did. SOOO much soap scum!! I'm actually taking a break as the water is so dirty, I can't see what head i need to use for the screwdriver to get the last casing off. I can't even imagine what lies beneath. BTW, I'm 54 and am learning maintenance on a few things now. We're never too old to learn a new trick! Cross your fingers for me on the last half...😂😂
@@gypsygirl314 good luck!
I watched your video yesterday. Our family lives in Toronto. You just saved us at least $200 and the aggravation of waiting for a serviceman to show up. The top rack not getting wet was our issue. I ended up finding an olive pit, a plum pit, about 8 pieces of bone, a shrimp shell, a piece of plastic and a toothpick. Cleaning out the area you so eloquently and thoroughly presented in your video did the trick. Thanks a million. Or should I say 200 bucks!?!
So so helpful!!!! After I cleaned out the basin I was so inspired that I tackeled the rotating water vent at at the top of the dishwasher with a sharp kitchen knife,opening it to discovered the vent holes were clogged,wow! Then on to the the 4 red disk vent cylinders which I pryed open like a clam,just enough to hose out the gunk under the facet. My unit is now like a new one. All the contortionist movements were the hardest. make sure you have a lot of padding under your knees. I am a 73 year old female with a great sense of accomplishment. Thanks guys for your efforts in posting!!!!
Our dishwasher started making horrible noises while running the cycle. After searching for a fix, I found your video here. I have two different reviews for this video, my wife's and mine. For her, she hates you because she's not going to get that shiny new stainless steel dishwasher she had been eyeing. For me, you saved me from buying a new DW. Thanks for the great detailed video. After cleaning out the bottom it's working as good as new again.🤗
I returned to watch the video as a refresher, since the Kitchenaid was showing the same symptoms again! So after another 9 mths I found the following culprits : 1 Bread clip, 6 Lemon/Orange seeds, Random gunk and a hunk of clear plastic!!!
Man I thought after the first cleaning we would take better care of what fell in etc, but I guess it's just going to keep occurring. Thanks again for a great instructional video!!!
Thank you! I spent about 3 hours on my dishwasher...thoroughly soaked, washed and scrubbed every single piece before reassembling it. We were already looking into purchasing a new dishwasher...you saved us $600!
Just followed the instructions for a 2nd time..... thank you! Couple of things we did this time. The top of the bottom filter screen comes off. You can give that baby a nice clean too. Another item... the stem post that hold the bottom filter in.. Don't push it in tight when putting back together. The bottom spray arm will spin clock wise down the centre post and will hold it in tight. If you push the stem post in tight you will ponder for unnecessary minutes. Yahoo.... let the Kenmore Elite work it's magic again. Two days of hand washing everything. I was waiting for my husband to do it... but then just did it myself. Team work. We can both tackle household projects successfully.
Thank you so much! We have a Kenmore Elite that is about 9 years old and were ready to buy a new dishwasher because it had stopped cleaning the dishes and was actually making them dirtier. Then I found your video, bought the T 15 tool at ACE hardware for a couple of bucks, followed the instructions on your super clear video and now our washer is as good as new! By the way, I found broken glass, 4 long olive sticks, a piece of paper can label, 6 beans and other accumulated trash blocking the flapper. Thank you again for saving me $1,000.00! Now my wife thinks I am a CHAMP! You are the greatest!
Third time in six years I have tuned in to this video to clean out the basin-and-beyond of my Kenmore. I am never disappointed to find what is down there causing grit to start sticking to things on the top rack - broken glass, sunflower seed shells, toothpicks, hair, paper labels. The filming, lighting, pacing, audio and level of detail are all excellent. Thank you for all the money we've saved by conducting this simple maintenance task ourselves.
These instructions and guidance were absolutely spot on for my Kenmore Elite. Took me about an hour to strip out the parts, clean them with a diluted CLR solution, and clean out the drain which was blocked with a bay leaf (among other unmentionables). My Shopvac definitely made short work of the bits that were hard to reach by hand. Thanks Handyguys! Keep up the great work.
For the past 6 months or more I've been having problems with dishes getting cleaned. My dishwasher is a Kenmore Elite and has the exact same inside as this. Took everything apart and after having this for at least 16 years, we found an unbelievable amount of debris and crap under the filter. When I popped off the grinder cover, I found that the grinder was actually broken and wasn't even turning. Will have to order a new one of those. The screen around it was completely clogged with seeds, paper and hair. Scraped all that off and put it back together and now it runs like it was brand new. Dishes come out perfectly clean. My guess is the metal screen being clogged prevented the water from being recirculated properly, resulting in low water pressure to all the blades. Thanks for the video!
Performed this on my Whirlpool dishwasher which wasn't cleaning well at all for about a month. Found a couple broken up plastic swivel sticks, some pieces of broken glass and what appeared to be chewed up labels from bottom of coffee mugs. Back to normal now. Saved me a couple hundred bucks at least, I'm sure. Thanks alot!!
Fantastic video, and much appreciated. Our top rack dishes were not getting cleaned, and by following this video, I believe I've cleared out the debris (toothpicks, corn kernels, glass shards, etc.) that was likely the culprit. A few comments:
- As Mike mentioned a few comments ago, my unit required a different size torx screwdriver to remove the chopper housing cover. Also, when returning the cover to its original position after the job, it looks like there is a notch on the right-hand side that should snap into a slot beside the black rubber flapper valve. Upon closer inspection, I concluded that it was not possible, so after positioning it as snugly as possible over the chopper and replacing the screw, I was satisfied that I had correctly reinstalled it.
- I found some debris inside the circular filter, but it was easy enough to pop off the screen and remove the debris
- Black rubber flapper valve was more difficult to replace than I imagined it would be. It took me several attempts of inserting before I was confident it was correctly in place (basically, once I could no longer pinch and lift it with my fingertips)
- I used a wet/dry vac to remove most of the debris, as it became tedious to get my fingers on every little piece of debris. Of course, I removed the black flapper valve first, to avoid sucking it up
- There are two grey flapper valves midway up the arm that extends from the bottom, along the back, and to the top of the unit. The upper valve in my unit is stuck in the open position, presumably because we've always positioned the top rack in the upper position, so the flap has always been pushed open. I noticed these valves were pictured in the video, but both appeared to be closed on your unit. I was able to disassemble the arm and locate the flapper valves, and it was clear that the rubber was worn to the point where it won't return to the closed position by itself. I believe this will prevent us from positioning the top rack in the lower position, but we are OK with that. I just wanted to point this out, in case anyone else has this issue.
Great job with the video!
11 years later, still useful. Gotta love TH-camrs!! I bought me current house in 2012 and have run my dishwasher 1-2x per day since then and never cleaned the internals. Did it today and wow, what a difference!
Thumbs up and MAJOR THANKS!!!
I have owned this exact machine for 10 years exactly this month. (Dec 2014) This dishwasher has been sub-par in washing for about 6 of those years. I was all set TODAY, to go buy a new one when my wife said..."Maybe it can just be cleaned out.".
Well, I go right to YT and find your video. I can't BELIEVE you had a vid on how to do this with my exact machine! I took it all apart and I pull gashed my finger. There was broken glass down in there. I couldn't see it cause of all the dirty water down in there. So, I got my shop vac out and vacuumed out a bunch of glass. Then, I was able to see the screw to remove the grinder housing. Took that off and a bunch more glass! Not to mention a small kids paint brush, some toy bits. Plastic pieces, and some rubber bits as well. No WONDER the thing hasn't worked right!
So, I put everything back together and the machine is running as we speak. It is SOOOO loud now because the thing is actually pumping water as it should!
I just can't thank you guys enough for this video. I appreciate you all for taking the time that it took do this video. I'm sure you've helped countless other people out with your videos and I thank you so much for them. May you guys be specially blessed this holiday season for how many people you have blessed. God bless you and thanks again!
my eleven year old son and I have just done this repair for the second time. This time it took us less than 1/2 an hour. You guys rock (and so does my son!) Thanks SOOOOOOO much.
This video is amazing, very well done! Thank you so much. We moved into our house and the Kenmore Elite dishwasher never worked properly. It took me about 45min to follow this video. I found glass, olive pits, broken plastic, nut shells and other gunk. The only thing that differed for me was that the top screws were T20's and the smaller one inside was a T15.
My wife and I were looking to buy a dishwasher to replace our Whirlpool washer, but after seeing this video I was able to clean ours until it worked like new! No need to replace it now!
Fantastic! I ordered a brand new dishwasher for $1100, yesterday. It was on back order for another 10 days. I didn't want to hand-wash dishes that long, so I decided to try your steps and voila!, perfectly clean dishes again! I am now going to cancel my new dishwasher. You guys just saved me the $1100 I was going to pay! Initially, I had the door open and pushed in the lever to trick the dishwasher into thinking the door was shut. That way, I was able to see how the bottom sprayers were barely shooting up the water and the upper sprayers weren't doing anything. After the fix, I tricked the door again so that I could watch the sprayers. I had to shut it immediately because the water was flying everywhere! Thank you so much!!!
Sabrina Stardevant Glad we were able to help!
That was smart of you to be able to use that trick (and hope you enjoyed spending all that money you saved ;)
I'm going to try this trick: put some cups, tupperware rightside up on top rack (maybe bottom too?) and see if they're getting filled w/water. If not, then I know what to do.
this was invaluable in helping me fix my dishwasher. While I was working on it my wife was shopping on line for a new dishwasher. I just saved $700
Not a handy-man, but summoned up the courage to clean out our 10-15 year old non-cleaning Kenmore dishwasher according to your video, all the way down to the rubber valve. Excellent result! I chuckled at your comment that I might find "some bits of food" etc. I came up with at least a quarter cup full of bone and food bits, 3 toothpicks and a ton of safety glass bits from a glass that exploded a while back. The only part that threw me was the need for a torx head screwdriver. Never heard of it. It turned out that I had one, but I needed to buy a 20 and a 10 for my model. Thank you for an excellent video.
Glad we could help!
Great video that I’ve used a few times. Many thanks to the Handyguys. :)
One extra note about the issue with energy efficiency on newer dishwashers causing less effective cleaning - an appliance repair person told me to do three things:
1. Always make sure hot water is reaching the kitchen before starting a clean cycle. My kitchen is furthest from the hot water heater, so it could fill and never get hot water if I didn’t run the sink first.
2. If you use detergent pods, throw it in the bottom of the washer, instead of using the soap dispenser.
3. Always use the pots and pans cycle.
Those solved my ongoing frustration with the new machine not cleaning as well as my old machine. The trade off is losing some of the energy efficiency.
We had trouble at first getting the screen nut to loosen. Pushing the arms counter clockwisemade and holding the nut still made it spun round and round without engaging the threads.We saw that the plastic thread wasn't moulded correctly and had a extra (very tiny) piece of material preventing the threads from meeting up. We snipped off the excess material and guided the threads,slightly pushing down with a knife tip so that the threads fed into each other and voila, the screen came off. Great video,guys. Now our dishwasher cleans great.
Listen to these guys!!! I wish I found them first. My top rack was not cleaning efficiently. I replaced the water intake after numerous videos had said it was the number one reason why it wasn’t cleaning.
These guys do an excellent job with easy-to-follow instructions. Just like this dishwasher, I located a couple pieces of broken glass which intermittently blocked the discharge. I then used a wet dishcloth to remove any small particles of food and other items. I put everything together and conducted a test run with the rinse cycle. Worked like a charm and became even quieter!! THANK YOU!!!
These guys are amazing. Have a Whirlpool GOLD Series WDT 720PADM0 dishwasher. I'm NOT a repair guy and my dishwasher is NOT as complicated as this one. No tools needed. But the video showed me it's pretty simple to fix this issue. On mine there is a very easy way to clean the filter/chopper, and I found a small piece of plastic messing up the whole thing. Plastic removed, filter cleaned and it's MUCH better than it ever was. Problem solved. Thanks Handyguys!
Outstanding. A major retailr wanted to charge me $129 just tocomeout here and look at it. I fixed it in 15 minutes! thank you.
Watch this every time my dishwasher stops cleaning!! Best video. Has saved me having to buy a new washer. My partner will makes no effort to fix anything or assist in any way!! Many thanks!!
My wife and I just made the repair and it went very smoothly. Many thanks. One commnet though...I had to use 2 sizes of the Torques head screendrivers one size for the 4 screws in the lower spray arm assembly and a different one for the chopper assembly.
I have been looking everywhere on the web for information on how to clean our Kitchenaid dishwasher. Your video is exactly like our dishwasher. We had a huge calcium buildup that was making our dishes cloudy and covered with grains that looked like sand. We were under warrenty, a repair man fixed it once. Your video made it so I could do the clean myself. It took about two hours because under the screen there was a thick layer of calcium on all the parts. Thanks so much, Works like new again.
I want to say thank you so much for this!!! I've been frustrated with my dishwasher for over a year! I followed your easy guide, and my trap was FILLED with plastic fork pieces, food and broken glass! I would only caution viewers to be extreemly careful reaching in with your bare hands, the glass pieces were sharp and almost cut me!
This video is terrific! I followed all the directions, very easy. Just needed to track down the Torx head screwdriver, which took some time as I didn't know what it was. I used our shopvac to clean out the excess water and food particles, a recommendation I saw in another post here. Very helpful. I found about 4 toothpicks, a piece of glass, and an avocado stem among other random mystery food particles. I then put a bowl of vinegar, sitting it rightside up on the lower rack and ran the dishwasher for a quick wash, which was recommended in another post also. My dishwasher runs like new!!! I would never have felt brave enough to tackle this job without such a helpful video that explains every step from beginning to end. And I looked at several videos before embarking on this daunting task!
Thank you for the video. About every 2 years my dishwasher stops cleaning and we pay $100 for someone to repair it. This time I did it myself. I am not handy, but your video gave me the step by step that I really needed. Thank you! I put it back together and started the first cycle. I can hear that it is running right again.
So helpful! I've followed this video twice to clean my dishwasher; it's perfect. Two small suggestions: 1) For safety, turn the circuit breaker for the dishwasher off before you start the repair; 2) An old toothbrush is a great tool for cleaning around the chopper.
Thanks for showing me what Kenmore and their user manual would not. I've had countless plumbers tell me there's nothing wrong with my dishwasher, and blame it on hardwater. I described what I thought was happening, and now you've proved I'm not crazy, it's just the dirty Water escape is probably clogged. Exactly as I tried to tell them. Dishes should not be dirtier than they went in!
Great video! Followed your instructions and eleven year old Kenmore dishwasher is now working. Saved a service call and/or new dishwasher. You can clean the screen filter under the spray arm. Plastic back comes up. Mine was full of crud & pulverized paper.
Yes, definitely a great video. My dishwasher looked nothing like the video when I opened it up, filled with crud and green slime. I ran a rinse cycle with the housing off to make sure it cleaned itself up, and it's working like a charm. Thanks!
Heard these ominous words from my wife today, "The diswasher's making weird noises and the dishes aren't clean!" This video saved the day! There wasn't too much debris in there, but the screen behind the chopper blade was all gunked up and the rubber flapper valve was dirty. Scrubbed the screen with a toothbrush and rinsed it off really well and cleaned the flapper. Reassembled, and it's now working great again!
The instructions were an exact match for my 12 year old Kitchenaid Dishwasher. After all the cleaning, the water still would not drain, so I had to pull the dishwasher out to access the drain pump. The drain pump is a separate pump from the main washer pump. The drain pump is easily removed without tools simply by rotating, and it can be bench tested my jumping it with 120 volts. In my case, the drain pump worked fine, but the impeller was locked by a piece of a broken drinking glass that somehow had found its way into the drain pump impeller housing. I utilized a wet vac to suck out all the debris in the pump housing and line, reassembled it, and voila, the dishes are now sparkling clean!
Amazingly simple instructions, thanks a million!
I found around 8 olive pits, several kernels of corn, a small piece of broken ceramic(?), a piece of grape stem/vine, and a disgusting handful of what could be chicken fat stuck in several places amongst the assembly!
Doing a rinse load now, but we are already convinced it will be working 10x better!
THESE instructions are damn good. You can complete the job trusting these instructions.
I'm glad the designers of these machines made it so simple to clean a filter!
Our Kenmore needed this done, nothing in the top rack was getting clean. Thanks for the video! Took about 30 minutes this morning.
Just wanted to thank you for this video! Our dishwasher working so much better after going through all the steps, thank you! saved me over 300 dollars
You totally just fixed my dishwasher. It's been 'broken' for months. So glad I picked this video. Thank you for not wasting my time.
My top rack was not getting clean in my Kitchenaid Dishwasher. The upper arm was not rotating. I marked it and noticed that it was in the same position each time the cycle ended. My upper dishes and glasses had all sorts of stuff on it. I found this video, followed the direction with lots of doubt and to my sheer amazement, this fix solved my dishwashers problem. I just finished the first load of dishes and the upper arm was in a different position from when it started. I now know that it was spinning. The glasses are sparkling clean and i cant thank you enough for this. A-MAZE-ING!! Thank you, thank you, thank you.
I told my husband we needed to have someone look at the dishwasher, because the top level wasn't cleaning. I went online to see if anyone had posted anything. I found your video and cleaned the basin, just like you showed. I found crud and bones and old popcorn kernels. Guess I better do a better job of rinsing the dishes. Thanks!!!
Thanks,this is a BIG help. Couple of ideas from a domestically challenged old man.
After the torx head bit AND the appropriate allen wrench fall down under the cover, you will find that a 3mm flathead screwdriver (2.5mm for the smaller bolt) will do. Also for a Kenmore, after shaking the hell out of that upper spray assembly, you may find there is a tork screw on the back wall AND the top holding it in.
Also, I thought about just reaching in to see if I could find some broken glass down there, but in a moment of accidental lucidity, I decided to walk all the way to the garage and get the shop vac to suck all the popcorn kernels, hard pasta and broken glass out.
Thanks again... now I gotta see what's NEXT on her list!
Bamaboompa accidental lucidity....I needed that laugh, thank you :) and btw, there's no way that was hard pasta after sitting in that water for a while, just sayin...;/
I wish I had a Shop Vac. That is a great idea :)
I also found two screws holding in the upper spray assembly (the assembly in the video has two empty holes where I found the screws). After an epic struggle to extract them with the torx, I discovered these were Phillips head screws.
Bamaboompa lol mine just stopped spinning, and I gotta keep the wife happy. :)
Excellent directions. I was able to clean out the dishwasher basin with no issues. There was so much debris as well as food scrap (10 years accumulation!!).Thank you so very much! I feel empowered. Btw, I have never worked on ANY appliance before this. Appreciate your video very much. Thanks
This fix is for 2013 dishwasher and is valuable big time TY!.... more recent machines are different. Video was very hard to find .... can you bump it? Only problem is sticking naked finger down into cranny by drain flap... yes I found glass there just like you... ouch. If you push the "Cancel" button near Start button the machine will do a short drain cycle and most of that nasty water will go ....
I have watched this video and used it 2 times over the years and want to thank you for one of the most easy to follow instructions. I am handy but also a 70 year old person. I found all sorts of linty gunk stuck inside where food is chopped up. Don't know how there was thread around the spring. In any case, thank you. I do recommend a few extra tools
a turkey baster to remove any water, a brush used to clean straws and a tooth brush with stiff bristles
Glad it helped!
I have a Kenmore Elite, very much like this video. I followed along step by step and I found everything you predicted, a small piece of glass and a toothpick. Along with much more gunk than your video shows! You do a very good job showing every step and also show putting everything back together. Thank you. The only thing I did differently is, because we have hard water, I soaked all the parts in vinegar and brushed them with a toothbrush. It's like having a brand new dishwasher! Thank you, thank you for saving me hundreds of dollars.
punruh05 Glad it worked out.
Thank you so much. I am a 50 year old librarian who just fixed her dishwasher. So cool to have these kinds of resources.
Water wasn't draining properly and the machine had never been cleaned- I followed the video and voila- the machine drains properly again!! Thank you!!!!!
My wife could hear the slightest rattle while the dishes were on. (I couldn't). So after a period of nagging I gave in and tried to go from memory from when the repairman was last here to take care of a similar problem. Strike one. So I went to TH-cam and found a lame video of someone trying to do the same thing (I wish people would leave out the cute kids -- I'm not in the mood! They got the arm off but couldn't figure out the rest and gave up! Strike 2. Found this guy on TH-cam. Home run!!! Looked just like my dishwasher. Simple explanations. No STUPID background music. No STUPID cute crap! Thanks! You saved me at least $100 this afternoon. When the dryer element goes I'll check this guy first!
glad it helped!
I'm soooo glad I came across this video. I actually already ordered a new dishwasher because dishes got worse and worse in the last year. However, it was backordered and didn't get delivered in time, so I thought I'd try to see if I can fix it to tie us over. Your instructions were fantastic, especially since my dishwasher happens to be pretty much exactly the same (Whirlpool)! (and it's now 2021!) After borrowing Torx screws from a neighbour (thank goodness), I opened the filter and saw that there was a huge pool of dirty water, I knew I was on the right track. I dug out multiple pieces of broken glass, a few pits, etc. Then I got to the chopper cover, and it was a smaller Torx screw, which I did not have. I had to McGyver something (a smaller hex key + a tiny screwdriver to fit it in), opened it up, and dug out more crud. I ran it, and the dishes were the cleanest I've seen in years! I actually went and cancelled the new dishwasher! Thanks for saving me > $1000! (Also, I actually had a repair guy come a year ago, and they just told me to get a new one. Waste of a $100 there. Wish I found this video then!)
My one question is: How often do we need to do this?
This is the best video on home appliance repair I've ever seen. This is the sort of thing that should come with every appliance maintenance manual.
If you have some flexible tubing or a bit of old hose you can siphon out most of the water. Mine was so clogged that it wouldn't drain well at all. Use a siphon, it will easily drain the whole thing.
Exactly my issue on my Kenmore Elite 6651311 - only mine was even worse! Thanks for the perfect video. I actually needed a #20 Torx for the first four screws and the #15 for the last one to access the grinder area. I found pieces of glass, chips of porcelain, baby carrots, black beans, plastic fork tines and an entire plastic knife down there! Cleaned all of it out and it's working like new!!!
OMG. My ten year old dishwasher was starting to redeposit food particles on the dishes so instead of calling for repair I decided to follow this video to see if it needed cleaning. I found screws, bolts, a magnet, bits of sea shells, and an ear bud cushion in the trap by the drain. I don't even want to mention all of the soap scum. Thank you for the great video.
Great resource. My DW had lemon seeds, apple stems, a toothpick and a shard of glass in there. cleaned it up, and it's back to normal! thanks.
Thank you SO MUCH for this. We discovered broken glass conspiring with dishwasher soap to make sedimentary rock underneath the screen. We had to chip some of the "rock" out with a screwdriver and used CLR to loosen buildup around the chopper cover so we could get it off.
We had previously paid $100 to a Kitchenaid Authorized repair person who did NOTHING and said to run some cleaning tablets through it. Obviously, it didn't help. Thanks for saving us money on bringing out a different repair person.
You guys are the best. I just watched this video and serviced my dishwasher in 30 minutes. After 6 years of use I got 4 peices of broken wine glass including a stem. a rack clip, toothpick and a paper napkin. Saved me from a $150 service call.
P.S. To clear the flashing Clean light after servicing hit; High-Temp, Energry Save, High-Temp, Energry Save, Cancel
Omg - this works forMaytag too! I’d been grousing about my glasses all cloudy and pots and pans not getting clean so I did some research, found your video and cleaned my dishwasher! It was kinda disgusting- it can’t hurt anything to have done so, and I’m running a short cycle with nothing in it to kind of rinse it all out. Thank you thank you THANK YOU for doing this! Kinda proud of myself for doing this after watching your very well done video! Kudos guys - keep ‘Em coming!
These instructions worked like a charm! We knew there was a way to clean out the bottom basin, but after attempting to do so on our own, it seemed to be a bit more complicated than we thought it would be....so we looked for some help on the Internet. We hit the jackpot with this video! This guy makes it so simple! It took us about half an hour from start to finish. We found a handful of popcorn kernels blocking the filter(!)... but after removing them, now my dishwasher works great again!
What a time to be alive. My husband said we need a new dishwasher. Our dishes were coming out dirtier than when we put them in. I said, lets try youtube first. Sure enough I found this. There was so much crap at the bottom I was horrified. There was a large piece of plastic cheese stick wrapper resting right against where the rubber thingy is. I blame the darn toddlers. Thanks so much for doing this.
Same as everyone below, great instructions. Have been struggling with this for months, all sorts of dishwasher cleaners and different detergents. Glad I youtubed after got frustrated trying to remove bottom sprayer, I would never have thought to open up the grinder box since I didn't know it was there. Have not run machine again yet, but after the bizarre collection of stuff removed, feel confident will be good as new ... even popped off the mesh filter and gave it a good clean while I was in there. THANK YOU!!
Thank you for this video. I have an 8 year old house that I bought a few months back, and it has a Whirlpool Gold dishwasher with a very similar setup (main difference is that there are a couple of Phillips screws that hold the spray arms in place). I was looking for a video describing where the filter is located, and I came across this tutorial. Was able to take my dishwasher apart almost exactly as you show here, clean out the debris, and run a cleaning cycle. Thanks!
Thank you so much for this video. My hubby and I just bought a house with a Kenmore Elite that stunk like death. Thanks to your easy instructions and video we were able to take it apart and remove the nasty debris never cleaned by the previous owner. Hopefully we will only have to repeat every couple years. Thanks!!!
My dishwasher is IDENTICAL to the one in the video AND everything you said and did was 100% clear and on the money. I found 14 pieces of plastic, each 1/2 of the backing for a patch I have to wear, in the opening in the front face of the "pit" where all the water drains. This is an unbelievable amount of this stuff. I have no rational explanation for how it got in there over only a 2 year period! There was also a bottle cap and cotton swab and food stuff. I wish I had recorded the entire episode. Every time I'd remove a piece, I'd reach back in to confirm clear, only to find another piece, which I'd remove and feel for more. Oh, yes--more. It was like Kleenex: pull out one, up pops another.
ANYWAY...
The dishes in the top rack HAVE NEVER BEEN CLEANER!!! THANK YOU FOR THIS VIDEO.
One small complaint, because you made it look so danged easy:
HOW IN THE H**L DO I GET THE UPPER TRAY PLASTIC STOPS (that keep the rack from coming out) BACK INTO PLACE WITHOUT THEM FALLING OUT (or breaking them or bending the track or maiming my fingers ,,,)!?!?!?!
What a stupid design.
The slider track end looks like a "C" from the front, the plastic stoppers have a similar "C" shape. Its only a matter of reverse-lining them up.They should fit in good 85%, then use the little handle in front to get them past 85% so they lock all the way in. Otherwise, have a peek in someone else's dishwasher (or go to an appliance store).
I am a novice handy woman. My dishwasher was just not cleaning so I watched this video and couldn't believe how simple it really was to fix it (altho totally gross). I just watched each step, whipped over to the dishwasher and did as instructed. It was easy and my dishes are once again very clean. I have to say that going into the guts of your dishwasher is not for the squeamish or faint of heart :)
I have used this video twice. Very useful, because my dishwasher is exactly the same on the inside. The only thing that he missed, is that when you unscrew those 4 screws and pop that screen mechanism off; if you flip that piece over, you can pop the nylon screen out. That screen gets packed with fine food particles (muck....yuch !!!). Pop that screen off and clean it good. That sprayer thingy that screws back on clockwise, there is a notch on it, that has to match up before it screws on (take a close look at it, or you will be spinning it on, and wondering why it doesn't tighten). Overall, a very good video, I keep this on my youtube library for reference.
You guys rock. But I'm pretty disappointed anybody (Kitchenaid, in my case) can make a dishwasher that requires this kind of service every year!
I have the Kenmore version, and I'm pretty sure I won't be going with this brand when we build our new house. I don't know how companies get away with foisting this crap on people. Simply cleaning the dishwasher so that it does its job shouldn't be so complicated, and even more it shouldn't be so hard to find videos like this or even a user's manual that shows how to do this. We have the manual but there's no mention of a filter or how to clean it out. Apparently Sears and other companies don't even acknowledge this as an issue.
I agree! My Maytag manual gave no information whatsoever on how to disassemble the machine for cleaning without breaking the plastic parts. If it needs to be cleaned, why wouldn't they helpfully tell you how to do it? Thank God for TH-cam and helpful folks like
The Handyguys :)
Tval,, And Lucky Smith,,Because they want you to call them to spend a bunch on money to fix it, or for you to buy a new one. some of the replacement parts are cheap a** plastic!! it's all about the almighty dollar!!
Thanks gents this is an excellent video and got my Kenmore back up and running! A ton of junk in the strainer / chopper area from the previous owner had almost totally choked off flow to the top rack. Cleaned it out and away we go! 😊
Thank you so much for this. I have an 8 year old Whirlpool Gold and it took an hour, including all of the cleaning of gunk. Two things were different for me. First, 2 screws hold the spray arms in place, no clips. Second, I needed 3 tools: a Phillps head screw driver, a hex head ratchet, and an Allen wrench (the final screw over the chopper assembly is smaller and needed a different size wrench). Otherwise, it was wonderful! Thank you so much, you saved me a repair call.
This worked like a charm. I found soooo much gunk, nuts, toothpicks etc. Cleaned it all out and it runs like new! You guys rock!
I had cleaned out my Sears Elite dishwasher because it started to leak. My husband disassembled it and I cleaned out the bottom. I got chicken bones, popcorn kernels, a rectangular bread bag seal, and lots of yuck. I didn't know I could clean out around the chopper assembly. I am sure there is more yuck in there. Thank you handyguys. My dishwasher is about 10 years old but still looks inside exactly like mine. Now to get to work.
THank you, thank you, thank you. Looked at probably 20 videos. THis is the best. I have Whirlpool quiet partner IV. Very close match. In a little over an hour did everything in this video. Found loads of gunk. Only thing is that, replacing the thumbscrew center axle. Seat it lightly, don't press down. This locks down the 'screw' and won't spin or thread into spinner. Dishwasher works again, and I saved at LEAST $150 in trip charge no less labor and/or parts (unnecessaryily). Thx again.
Excellent instructions. I followed it exactly and it worked. I would add that at the very end when you are cleaning out the well, use a shop vac with a narrow head to suck out the remaining debris. This was easier than picking out the pieces by hand.
Awesome, fixed it in 20 minutes. I will add that having compressed air helps get the smallest pieces in the bottom. CLOSE YOUR EYES!!!! Before you hit the trigger, all kinds of little things blew out, wiped the inside of the washer down after that to get all those small chards of glass and junk and wahlahh! A brand new machine, thanks guys!!!
I love tutorials like this. They empower people. And they can save a lot of money. I have one recommendation to add: If you have a wet vac, use it to clean out the all the water and junk. If no vac, you can sop it up with paper or cloth towels. This allows you to clearly see if anything is still stuck in there. Yes, I have found pieces of glass in my dishwasher so you'd want to be careful about digging around with your fingers.
Thanks for the vid - saved me another $70 plumber call. Second time in 8 years the recycle pump screen has jammed with debris. My collection included several chopstick sections, a plastic spoon handle, an olive pit or two, and half a dozen chicken bone fragments. Took me 45 min because I cleaned out a bunch of spooge. After cleaning I ran a vinegar rinse.
Very helpful, There are other steps where I found the most build up. The top spinner (small white plastic spinner) can be easily disassembled as well as the double jets on the back of the dishwasher that have the height adjustment outlets .(The double rubber blockers can we heated and moulded back so they close this way you can use both the lower and higher setting for the top rack) The most dirt and soap build up was under the main part at the bottom (after you remove the 4 screws) the fine mesh cover actually is easy to disassemble and of course the crap in the area that holds the chopping blade had numerous pieces including plastic wrapping that is used in some of the soaps that are liquid or solid. Those type of soap are a bad idea as the blade does not seem to chop the plastic to pass them through to the sewer.
VERY HELPFUL! probably would have broken the hub had i not watched this (doing the pliers thing). cleaned out lots of debris-used a shop-vac with mini attachments to get EVERYTHING. disassembled & cleaned all the components. had a lot of build-up - a combination of gel detergent and calcium that i picked, scraped, & scrubbed with vinegar. would recommend to anyone doing this to separate the filter/screen from the accumulator and clean inside there as well. unit cleans much better now. thanks
I followed everything you did to the tee and boy what a mess under there it was gross I never knew how to do this and now I do because of your help thankyou so very much you have made my day everything went smoothly.god bless we need more sites like this you also saved me money.evryone do everything step by step youll see.THANKYOU!!!!!!
Want to add my appreciations to the list - you guys are the best! As a mid-life overeducated mom, I don't have time to do much handy stuff, but your instructions were spot on.
However, I had to laugh at the different between the dishwasher pictures and our 6 y/o Elite - ours had gunk and scale everywhere! Behind the spray arm, all around each little fixture, the screens, just massive amounts... I ended up saving the accumulated debris: wine glass shards, plastic label fragments, fruit pits, toothpicks, gravel (!), mystery muck, etc...over a half-cup's worth. When my kids get home, there will be a Show & Tell, entitled, "Thou Shalt Not Just Chuck The Dishes Into The Dishwasher Without Scraping Them First".
I found a few additional tools to be super helpful. A bright task light (I used a small desk lamp with a flexible neck) to really see down into that sump. A bulb baster, a.k.a., turkey baster, to suction up the water there and flush out some of the debris, making it easier to remove. A toothbrush, to scrub the small parts clean & to snag stuff out.
We have very hard water locally and must routinely use citric acid products like Lemi Shine (housewarming gift to anybody new to the neighborhood). But even with the Lemi Shine, our glasses were hazy and we frequently had to rewash dishes. Don't think that will be a problem now!
ScenicPath Thanks for the info!
Excellent instructions. That machine's innards were virtually identical to our older Kenmore which had quit cleaning well. I found a couple of pieces of glass, 2 bread ties, and years of unmentionable gunk. It's not a job for the squeamish. I also used a Wet Vac and it was helpful getting some hard to reach crud. I'm confident that the dishwasher is going to clean more efficiently now. Thank you for the great video.
Just watched the video and followed the directions. Took it apart, cleaned it, put it back together, and am now running a test load. More crap than I'd imagined. Fingers crossed! Great video! Calm, relaxed and casual. Felt as tho you were in my kitchen guiding me. Thank you!! I'll let you know what happens.
From handy-woman to these wonderful handy-men: Thank you! I was able to fix our dishwasher thanks to your tutorial. My knees hurt (the door is an obstacle!) but mission accomplished! And as you mentioned, pieces of broken glas and else there. My next dishwasher has to be less "energy efficient" and bit more powerful. Thanks again!!
Energy efficient appliances aren't, because they are made to last 5 years instead of 15! It's an illusion.
Thanks, I have a similar model. You helped me fix lack of pressure to the top two arms. That area you talked about was clogged, *and* the chopper assembly came apart. I was able to rebuild it and now it works fine.
Thank you so much. This fixed my dishwasher issue. It is now working like it is supposed to. This dishwasher is 10 years old and is working like a champ. Thank you again for the help.
I’ve done exactly this maintenance before, and need to do it again. Your explanations are right on! This is a terrific instructional video - one of the best I’ve seen.
My hubby did this today to our 12 year old Kenmore that wasn't cleaning the top rack well. We found a toothpick, two large pistachio shell halves, piece of glass, food gunk, and shredded paper that probably came off jar labels (never again will I put a jar with a label in the dishwasher!) Ran the cycle and the all the dishes were beautifully clean.
Im a homeowner and single this video saved me like 400$ i was almost ready to go buy a new one ty
SHUT UP! I was just about to buy a new unit and tried this first, Im a girl and did it myself start to finish in 4o minutes, I Am SoSoSo happy! Thanks guys!
Exactly what I needed and dishwasher is running so much better! I got stuck on removing the chopper cover, but after loosening it with a putty knife, it came right off. Thank you!
This video just saved me about $600. My wife had her head set on a new dishwasher. She wanted to go look this weekend. I came across this video, and said, what the heck. I followed the instructions, and low and behold, it works again! Better than it has in years. I found a lollipop wrapper and stick clogging up mine. Who knows how that got in there? I have kids, so no telling. Anyway, just wanted to say "Thanks!".
THANK YOU! I totally fixed my dishwasher. It’s a older Kenmore but this still walked me through all the steps to take it apart and clean it out. Broken glass - check, toothpicks - check, plus bonus about 10 olive pits!!
Great video! The dishwasher in our rental house was so clogged with food grease, I had to use vise grips to get the circular drain ring off -- what I found under there was DISGUSTING. Thanks for posting this.
I have a Kenmore dishwasher that is about 11 years old, but aside from a few small differences like the screws in the washer arm that others had mentioned this video was spot on. Mine was also much dirtier than the one in the video. Thanks for the info. I hope this will fix my problem.