November 15, 2024, 3:23 pm | Read time: 4 minutes
After the wash cycle, the dishes can normally be removed. However, it occasionally happens that food residue still sticks to the cutlery or plates. How can this be? The machine is in working order, the salt is topped up, and a suitable cleaning tablet has been used. myHOMEBOOK gives eight possible reasons for dirty dishes after a wash cycle.
A dishwasher is actually there to take work off our hands and make our lives easier. It is extremely annoying when it doesn’t do this. However, if we put the dishes away incorrectly, it can’t work properly. Even if the dishwasher actually works perfectly, the dishes come out dirty in the end. What to look out for when loading the machine.
Everyone has it at home This home remedy is a well-kept secret for removing stains
Household Dry dishes in the dishwasher faster with this trick
Widespread misconception! Why the washing machine’s quick wash program does not save money
8 reasons why dishes come out of the dishwasher dirty
1. Dishes are stacked too closely
A dishwasher cycle should ideally clean as many dirty dishes as possible. This is where the most common mistake happens, which has exactly the opposite effect: if you put too many dishes in the machine, the dishes are too close together. The water can then no longer reach all parts of the dishes, and the dishes, therefore, cannot be cleaned completely. Thus, the motto is: Have the courage to leave gaps!
2. Sorting dishes too meticulously
Even when filling the dishwasher, tidiness fanatics, in particular, cannot avoid sorting the dirty dishes. Small plates, large plates, and bowls are put away in groups, which also makes it easier to clear out the dishes after the wash cycle. Unfortunately, the tidy loading method has the same effect as a machine that is too full: The dishes line up so snugly that the water can’t get everywhere. It is better, for example, to alternate between shallow and deep plates.
3. Overly tall dishes
Don’t feel like washing the extra-large pizza plate by hand? It’s understandable, but it’s probably the only correct option. Because if you put dishes that are too tall in the machine, they can block the spray arms. Therefore, always check bulky dishes to see if they affect important functions – and if in doubt, use a sponge.
4. Incorrect orientation of dish openings
Whether bowls, pots, boxes, or glasses, their openings must always face downwards. This is the only way dirty dishes can be cleaned properly in the dishwasher. If they are upside down, the dirty rinsing water will also collect in the containers – this is annoying when clearing out and, above all, counterproductive.
5. Not loading based on the degree of soiling
Most people load as follows: Plates, large bowls, and pots to the bottom and small bowls, plates, and glasses to the top. However, this is only partially correct, as the degree of soiling should actually be taken into account when arranging the dishes. Heavily soiled dishes belong at the bottom, while lightly soiled dishes can be placed at the top. The reason is quite simple: the washing performance is better at the bottom, and the dishes are cleaned better.
6. Blocked detergent compartment
Once the dirty dishes are in the dishwasher, the compartment for the tabs should be checked again before pressing the button. Sometimes the flap does not latch properly or is blocked. If this happens, the detergent in the compartment may not be used, resulting in dirty plates and glasses.
7. Cutlery handles facing upwards
If you have a cutlery drawer in the dishwasher, you cannot make this mistake. However, it happens all the more frequently with those who have a cutlery basket in the machine. For the sake of convenience and hygiene, most people put their cutlery in the basket with the handle facing upwards. While you don’t get your fingers dirty this way, you increase the likelihood of the cutlery not getting clean. It is better to put the cutlery in the basket “upside down” so that the water gets to the really dirty areas.
8. Using dishwasher-unsafe dishes
Occasionally, plastic storage boxes are placed between the plates and bowls. Teat bottles and their individual parts are also very popular with young parents. However, plastic containers are often too light. They cannot withstand the high water pressure of the dishwasher and literally “fly” through the machine during the wash cycle. As a result, they do not get properly cleaned. In the worst-case scenario, they become wedged in the machine, and the normal cycle can no longer take place properly, and the rest of the dishes will not get cleaned either.