--- title: "Dishwasher not cleaning properly" description: "Thermador dishwasher not cleaning properly — grit left on plates, a film on glasses, or detergent still sitting in the cup at the end." url: "https://thermadormiami.support/symptoms/dishwasher-not-cleaning/" date_modified: "2026-08-18" Appliance type: "Dishwashers" --- # Dishwasher not cleaning properly Symptom # Thermador dishwasher not cleaning properly Grit left on plates, a film on glasses, or detergent still sitting in the cup at the end. On hard water most of this is chemistry and loading before it is ever a part. - **From $95** diagnostic, credited to the repair - **59** cities and neighborhoods covered - **OEM** parts available on order - **In writing** the price, before anything is opened ## Book a diagnostic visit Your model number and a line about what it is doing is enough to get started. Your details stay private. No spam, ever. Five ordinary causes ## What this usually turns out to be Cheapest and commonest first, which is also the order we check them in. They sit hundreds of dollars apart, and only the unit settles which one is yours. - Hard water and no salt or rinse aid Miami-Dade water is hard. Without the softener set correctly and rinse aid in the reservoir, glassware films over and detergent works less well — and none of that is a broken machine. [ Descaling and maintenance from $155 ](https://thermadormiami.support/services/appliance-maintenance/) ### Hard water and no salt or rinse aid Miami-Dade water is hard. Without the softener set correctly and rinse aid in the reservoir, glassware films over and detergent works less well — and none of that is a broken machine. - The filter, again A blocked filter recirculates what it just washed off. It is the same part that stops the machine draining and it is checked the same way. [ Dishwasher drain repair from $155 ](https://thermadormiami.support/services/dishwasher-drain-repair/) ### The filter, again A blocked filter recirculates what it just washed off. It is the same part that stops the machine draining and it is checked the same way. - Spray arms blocked or not turning Hard water plugs the jets, and a tall item on the rack stops an arm dead. Spin each one by hand — they should turn freely. ### Spray arms blocked or not turning Hard water plugs the jets, and a tall item on the rack stops an arm dead. Spin each one by hand — they should turn freely. - Scale in the heat pump Published as its own condition on this platform. A cycle that never gets hot enough does not clean, and here that is a maintenance job rather than a failure. [ Descaling and maintenance from $155 ](https://thermadormiami.support/services/appliance-maintenance/) ### Scale in the heat pump Published as its own condition on this platform. A cycle that never gets hot enough does not clean, and here that is a maintenance job rather than a failure. - The detergent dispenser A door that does not open, or is blocked by a tall plate leaning against it. There is a code for it, and the tell is detergent still in the cup. [ Control board replacement from $340 ](https://thermadormiami.support/services/control-board-replacement/) ### The detergent dispenser A door that does not open, or is blocked by a tall plate leaning against it. There is a code for it, and the tell is detergent still in the cup. In five minutes ## Before you call anybody None of it needs tools, and all of it makes the visit shorter. - 01 Look in the detergent cup at the end Full means the dispenser, not the wash. That single observation splits this page into two different repairs. ### Look in the detergent cup at the end Full means the dispenser, not the wash. That single observation splits this page into two different repairs. - 02 Spin both spray arms by hand They should turn without resistance. Hold each one up to the light and check the jets are open — a pin clears them. ### Spin both spray arms by hand They should turn without resistance. Hold each one up to the light and check the jets are open — a pin clears them. - 03 Clean the filter and run a hot cycle empty With a proper dishwasher cleaner rather than vinegar. On this water it is worth doing before deciding anything is wrong. ### Clean the filter and run a hot cycle empty With a proper dishwasher cleaner rather than vinegar. On this water it is worth doing before deciding anything is wrong. - 04 Check the salt and rinse aid Both, and set the water hardness to match. It changes the result more than any single part on this list. ### Check the salt and rinse aid Both, and set the water hardness to match. It changes the result more than any single part on this list. How it shows up ## What people describe when they call - “Grit or food left on the lower rack” - “A cloudy film on glassware” - “Detergent still in the dispenser afterwards” Two shortcuts ## Narrow it down before anybody arrives A description of the behaviour leaves a few possible causes. A code names the subsystem, and the model number says which parts to bring. Either one shortens the visit; both together usually settle it. If the display is showing something - [ E6900 Detergent dispenser ](https://thermadormiami.support/error-codes/error-code-e6900-dishwasher/) - [ E12 Limescale in the heat pump ](https://thermadormiami.support/error-codes/error-code-e12-dishwasher/) - [ E6160 Zone Control arm ](https://thermadormiami.support/error-codes/error-code-e6160-dishwasher/) Photograph it before it clears — codes do not wait. [ Search the full code list ](https://thermadormiami.support/error-codes/) If there is no code at all The data plate is inside the cabinet, upper left wall or behind the grille. [ All models ](https://thermadormiami.support/models/) In more detail ## About Thermador dishwasher not cleaning properly ### The fastest diagnosis is the code If the detergent cup is still full at the end of a cycle, stop looking at the water: either the dispenser did not open, or something blocked its door. That has its own code, E6900, and it is a different repair from poor washing. ### Hard water is a real cause here, not an excuse The manufacturer publishes a code for limescale in the heat pump. That is unusual, and it tells you something: this machine expects to meet water like ours and expects to be maintained for it. Where the softener is unset and the rinse aid is empty, poor cleaning and filmed glassware follow, and no part will change it. ### The check that splits this page in two Look in the detergent cup when the cycle finishes. Empty, and this is a washing problem: filter, arms, water, heat. Still full, and the dispenser never opened — which is a small, specific repair with a published code of its own, and nothing to do with how well the machine washes. This article is based on: - Official manufacturer documentation - Internal repair procedures - Technician repair history - Company quality standards Before you book ## Questions about thermador dishwasher not cleaning properly We would not. It is acidic enough to work on seals and stainless over time, and a purpose-made dishwasher descaler does the job better without the argument. On this water you will be doing it regularly, so it is worth using the right thing. That is mineral film from hard water, not dirt. Rinse aid and the correct hardness setting fix it; a repair does not. Something changed: filter, spray arm jets, a new detergent, or scale that has built up to the point the machine now reports it. In that order, and the first three cost nothing. Where we do it ## Across Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach Same terms everywhere we go: an on-site diagnostic first, the price agreed in writing, and the exact figure confirmed once we have seen the unit. ### [ Miami-Dade ](https://thermadormiami.support/service-area/miami-dade/) - [Aventura](https://thermadormiami.support/service-area/miami-dade/aventura/) - [Bal Harbour](https://thermadormiami.support/service-area/miami-dade/bal-harbour/) - [Bay Harbor Islands](https://thermadormiami.support/service-area/miami-dade/bay-harbor-islands/) - [Biscayne Park](https://thermadormiami.support/service-area/miami-dade/biscayne-park/) - [Coral Gables](https://thermadormiami.support/service-area/miami-dade/coral-gables/) - [Doral](https://thermadormiami.support/service-area/miami-dade/doral/) - [ 15 more places ](https://thermadormiami.support/service-area/miami-dade/) ### [ Broward ](https://thermadormiami.support/service-area/broward/) - [Cooper City](https://thermadormiami.support/service-area/broward/cooper-city/) - [Coral Springs](https://thermadormiami.support/service-area/broward/coral-springs/) - [Fort Lauderdale](https://thermadormiami.support/service-area/broward/fort-lauderdale/) - [Hallandale Beach](https://thermadormiami.support/service-area/broward/hallandale-beach/) - [Hillsboro Beach](https://thermadormiami.support/service-area/broward/hillsboro-beach/) - [Hollywood](https://thermadormiami.support/service-area/broward/hollywood/) - [ 5 more places ](https://thermadormiami.support/service-area/broward/) ### [ Palm Beach ](https://thermadormiami.support/service-area/palm-beach/) - [Boca Raton](https://thermadormiami.support/service-area/palm-beach/boca-raton/) - [Delray Beach](https://thermadormiami.support/service-area/palm-beach/delray-beach/) - [Highland Beach](https://thermadormiami.support/service-area/palm-beach/highland-beach/) - [Jupiter](https://thermadormiami.support/service-area/palm-beach/jupiter/) - [Palm Beach Gardens](https://thermadormiami.support/service-area/palm-beach/palm-beach-gardens/) - [ 2 more places ](https://thermadormiami.support/service-area/palm-beach/) Neighborhoods people ask for by name - [Brickell](https://thermadormiami.support/service-area/miami-dade/miami/brickell/) - [Coconut Grove](https://thermadormiami.support/service-area/miami-dade/miami/coconut-grove/) - [Cocoplum](https://thermadormiami.support/service-area/miami-dade/coral-gables/cocoplum/) - [Design District](https://thermadormiami.support/service-area/miami-dade/miami/design-district/) - [Gables Estates](https://thermadormiami.support/service-area/miami-dade/coral-gables/gables-estates/) - [Old Cutler](https://thermadormiami.support/service-area/miami-dade/old-cutler/) - [South of Fifth (SoFi)](https://thermadormiami.support/service-area/miami-dade/miami-beach/south-of-fifth/) - [Star Island](https://thermadormiami.support/service-area/miami-dade/miami-beach/star-island/) - [Coral Ridge](https://thermadormiami.support/service-area/broward/fort-lauderdale/coral-ridge/) - [Harbor Beach](https://thermadormiami.support/service-area/broward/fort-lauderdale/harbor-beach/) - [Harbor Islands](https://thermadormiami.support/service-area/broward/hollywood/harbor-islands/) - [Las Olas](https://thermadormiami.support/service-area/broward/fort-lauderdale/las-olas/) - [Rio Vista](https://thermadormiami.support/service-area/broward/fort-lauderdale/rio-vista/) - [Seven Isles](https://thermadormiami.support/service-area/broward/fort-lauderdale/seven-isles/) - [The Landings](https://thermadormiami.support/service-area/broward/fort-lauderdale/the-landings/) - [Admirals Cove](https://thermadormiami.support/service-area/palm-beach/jupiter/admirals-cove/) - [BallenIsles](https://thermadormiami.support/service-area/palm-beach/palm-beach-gardens/ballenisles/) - [Mirasol](https://thermadormiami.support/service-area/palm-beach/palm-beach-gardens/mirasol/) - [Royal Palm Yacht & Country Club](https://thermadormiami.support/service-area/palm-beach/boca-raton/royal-palm-yacht-and-country-club/) ## Tell us the model number and what it is doing. --- **[Read full article: Dishwasher not cleaning properly](https://thermadormiami.support/symptoms/dishwasher-not-cleaning/)**