Hey David, when I open my dishwasher it stinks!
Hey David, there is foam and water exploding out of my dishwasher!
Help! Help! Help!
I try to prevent these calls by educating my clients ahead of time but sometimes they forget.
The common cause is simple.
Your dishwasher is not draining correctly.
Either,
#A There is too much food debris (especially non-dissolving items like bones, fat, seeds) that can’t get through the drain.
Or, you have foam in the drain line caused by:
#B Regular "sink detergent" is designed to foam up nicely. If you "rinse" your dishes in the sink with regular sink detergent before putting them in the dishwasher you may have enough sink detergent in the dishwasher to really have a foaming mess inside. (If someone put sink detergent in your dishwasher instead of dishwashing detergent on purpose, you will really have a foam explosion)
#C The appliance guru’s on my team tell me that "gel" dishwashing detergents don’t always dissolve as well as a name brand powder. If you prefer "gel" dishwashing detergent, use a name brand and don’t use too much. Dishwashers seem to tolerate too much powder better than they do too much gel.
Foam, from any cause, keeps your drain line from working properly so stuff will either stay in the bottom of your dishwasher or will come blasting out the door seals.
If your dishwasher has foam or water coming out the door seals then turn it off immediately (use the switch on the wall if possible).
Once things have calmed down (the water and dishes may be hot), take all the dishes out.
Remove as much foam as possible.
Look for any obvious debris in the bottom (and stuck in the spray arms) and remove it.
Pour one cup of vinegar in the bottom.
Run your dishwasher with the vinegar but no dishes for a full cycle.
Now put the dishes back in and use the least amount of detergent you need.
Other dishwashing tips:
There seems to be an insecurity about a dishwasher in a new house that causes people to use more detergent than they did at the apartment or old house. If anything, use a bit less.
I don’t like to run the dishwasher when you aren’t at home or while you sleep. Dishwashers have no "smarts" so if things start going wrong or if a water connection breaks the havoc will just keep going.
Gels may contain chlorine bleach which can damage rubber seals
Gels may clog the detergent dispenser, causing it to release late or not at all.
Almost everyone uses too much dishwashing detergent. It will etch your dishes and leave them looking cloudy.
Again, gels seem to cloud glassware worse than powder.
Hard or soft water can make a difference in how effective a particular detergent is. Feel free to ask your new neighbors what they use (it is a very non-threatening get acquainted question) or a good local appliance person.
Surprise, gels don't seem to work as well in hard water, leaving spots.
Last but not least. In the pre-energy saving days, some dishwasher models would heat the water. Not anymore. If you just start your dishwasher you will be pumping a lot of cold water in the dishwasher.
Instead, once you are ready to start your dishwasher, run the hot water at the sink until it is hot. Turn it off at the sink and start the dishwasher. Now your dishwasher will have hot water.
PS: I don’t mind "off the wall" calls. They can be fun, especially when you have a quick easy fix for people. Got an "off the wall question" about some aspect of buying a house? Call me at 281-704-0641 or email me at dg93@sbcglobal.net
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