Depending on the cycle and settings of your dishwasher, doing your dishes can take anywhere from 1.5 hours to 4 hours, and use 3-10+ gallons of water per load. If you’ve experienced the luxury of doing your dishes this way–by not doing your dishes–you may feel a little silly returning back to handwashing your dishes, especially when you are experiencing dishwasher problems.

Don’t fret. Dishwasher problems are common yet easy to fix. Here are five of the most common dishwasher issues you may experience with your handy kitchen appliance, and how to fix them.

1. Improper Water Drainage

When you pull out the bottom rack of your dishwasher after a completed cycle, is there water at the bottom of the dishwasher? This is also known as standing water.

Now, there are many reasons why you may find standing water in dishwasher. Two of the main culprits for this are a blockage in your garbage disposal or a dirty filter and trap that needs cleaning.

Repairing a dishwasher for proper water drainage may be as simple as clearing the filter or clearing the drains.

2. Dirty Dishes

If your dishwasher does not do its job of removing any remaining food and crumbs from your dishes, it’s not a broken dishwasher. It just needs maintenance. In particular, the filter needs cleaning.

A simple fix for a dishwasher producing half-cleaned dishes is to clean and unclog collected food and debris from the dishwasher filter.

3. Wet Dishes

Most dishwashers have a drying function in addition to cleaning and sanitizing. Is your dishwasher leaving you with dishes that are still wet?

The quick fix is to add a little bit of rinse aid with your dishwasher detergent. Rinse aid helps to reduce water spots and leave your dishes dryer and streak-free.

You can DIY your rinse aid by combining citric acid, vinegar, and rubbing alcohol. This is a safer alternative to your store-bought rinse aids.

4. Stuck Racks

Your dishwashing racks should roll in and out with ease. If you have a hard time pulling your racks out, switch out the rack wheels. This fix is as easy as unclasping the wheels, removing them, and replacing them with new wheels.

You can usually find rack wheels on Amazon. Alternatively, contact your dishwasher brand for replacement wheels.

5. Foul Smells

If your dishwasher starts to smell bad, check the bottom of the dishwasher for any leftover food that the filter hasn’t caught. Clear the bottom of the dishwasher and then, clean the filter! That’s where trapped food may live.

Avoid These Common Dishwasher Problems 

Having a dishwasher makes life a lot more efficient but, like everything else in life, it requires maintenance. This helps extend the life of your kitchen appliance to keep it working well. However, life happens and you have to roll with the punches.

If you’re experiencing any of these dishwasher problems at home and you can’t seem to fix it, consider hiring dishwasher services. A simple call and maintenance repair could get your life back on track in no time.

If home improvement tickles your fancy, do check out more from our blog.