Thanks, PP!

Two cups of vinegar in the bottom of the empty dishwasher -- no detergent -- and the longest, hottest cycle cleaned the dishwasher. The same treatment worked for glasses, but of course you start with freshly-washed ones.

I understand that you have to be careful to leave out anything made of metal or trimmed with metal.

Anonymous wrote:Phosphates cause dead zones. A little cloudiness in your dishes is better than having a Chesapeake Bay that is devoid of life-- and that's not hyperbole. These problems are real, folks.

Yes, but the tiny amount that is in your dishwashing liquid (manufacturers had already greatly reduced the amount in the product), particularly after it comes out of the water treatment plant, is literally a drop in the ocean compared to the huge amounts of fertilizer and chicken manure running off of the farms and lawns on the eastern shore. Breaking our dishwashers won't come close to solving the problem. As long as farmers and home owners are literally pouring phosphates on their yards by the pound, this is meaningless. In fact, banning phosphates in detergents has done nothing to solve the problem in the specific watershed in Washington that started all of this.

Anonymous wrote:Damn obama, on to of all the other things he messed up I never thought he would screw up my dishwasher

Ever since Obama came into office, my house has been a complete mess. Damn you Obama, for screwing up my life.

Its the dishwasher. Kitchen Aid for dishwashers is crap. We put one in in 2005 when we redid our kitchen. After 5 service calls in 4 years, we bought a Kenmore tha works like a champ. We had the same issue.

Phosphates cause dead zones. A little cloudiness in your dishes is better than having a Chesapeake Bay that is devoid of life-- and that's not hyperbole. These problems are real, folks.

Anonymous wrote:Chill the f out, it's not Obama. The phosphate issue has been brewing for years.

Op, I had the same problems, looked all over the dishwasher an it is the detergent. I was using Costco's Kirkland whiCh is apparently phosphate free. I switched to Cascade and problem solved! Now I need to figure out what to do with the 3 years supply of the Kirkland stuff I have!

Agree 100% Are people actually complaining that the government is trying to make sure our groundwater isn't so contaminated?

I don't love the new, less powerful detergent either, but I just throw a little white vinegar in with each load (works like a charm) and suck it up so that one day, my DD's kids (and their kids) can have less polluted water.

I have a kitchenaid and I don't have that problem. I recommend a monthly vinegar cycle to clean out all the crud in the dishwasher.

Chill the f out, it's not Obama. The phosphate issue has been brewing for years.

Op, I had the same problems, looked all over the dishwasher an it is the detergent. I was using Costco's Kirkland whiCh is apparently phosphate free. I switched to Cascade and problem solved! Now I need to figure out what to do with the 3 years supply of the Kirkland stuff I have!

Damn obama, on to of all the other things he messed up I never thought he would screw up my dishwasher

Are the spinning things blocked or partially blocked by a spatula or something that would hinder the water/soap spraying over the dishes?

Op here. We've been using the Finish Powerball for awhile. It's definitely the best.

But happy update - I ran another cycle of CLR and whatever the stuff I got at the grocery store for dealing with water spots/film. And then ran a load of dishes. My glasses are sparkling. I've no idea why they're clean this time. I just hope it lasts. Can't wait to see our water bill from all the extra cycles I've run.

I did order that stuff that was recommended on the first page and I'll use that once a month to hopefully keep it clean.

Ditto Finish Powerball. It's like magic.

Anonymous wrote:We had issues w/ ours and had Maytag come out to take a look. They gave us some type of liquid to put in once a month or so to help give it a deep clean. But also, he mentioned that no one's dishwasher is workign the same anymore if you're in MD since they outlawed some of the more effective cleaning agents last year and so dishwasher detergents just don't work as well as they used to.

This! It's not your dishwasher. Washington state outlawed phosphates in detergent, so all of the manufacturers agreed to stop using them. Result is that everyone thinks their dishwasher is broken. Same thing with laundry. Buy some trisodium phosphate at the hardware store and add about a half teaspoon to every load.

It's the detergent. Just paid a dishwasher repairmen to tell me that. Get the power booster and you'll have no problem. Thank you EPA