Dishwasher not cleaning dishes

Check loading, spray-arm clearance, filter, detergent, and cycle selection.

Stop immediately for smoke, burning odor, sparking, gas odor, a melted plug, or water near electrical parts.

Before you begin

Choose the exact appliance model

Select a verified model when available. If yours is not listed, you can use general checks, but model-specific teardown instructions stay locked.

Brand and appliance familyModel

After the guided checks

Repair, claim warranty, or replace?

This transparent heuristic starts only after safe checks and a real repair estimate. It never identifies a failed part.

Dishwasher age (years)Written repair estimate ($)Comparable replacement, delivered ($)Warranty covers this failure?Same failure happened before?

Published rule: warranty coverage wins first. Otherwise the tool compares repair cost with delivered replacement cost, then uses age and repeat failure only as tie-breakers. It does not include energy savings, financing, sentimental value, or local disposal incentives.

Parts note

No internal part is recommended from a symptom alone. Confirm the full model and a real component diagnosis before ordering.

Future affiliate links will be labeled and will not change diagnostic results.

Primary sources

Check the evidence

5 Reasons Why Your Dishwasher Is Not Cleaning
Maytag · accessed 2026-09-16
Maytag identifies improper loading, blocked spray arms, filter condition, detergent use, and water temperature as user-level cleaning checks.
Recalls & Product Safety Warnings
U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission · accessed 2026-09-16
Recall remedies and stop-use instructions override general troubleshooting.
CPSC Issues Winter Safety Warning
U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission · accessed 2026-09-16
CPSC advises people who smell gas to leave the area immediately and obtain assistance.
Clothes Dryer Fires in Residential Buildings
U.S. Fire Administration · accessed 2026-09-16
USFA identifies failure to clean as a leading factor in residential clothes-dryer fires and lint as a leading material first ignited.