The detergent in our washer isn't completely dissolving and the dishes are not coming clean. What can I do? Thanks

QUESTION: I just moved into a new apartment. The dishwasher is running normal but when it completes the wash cycle, my dishes are not clean and the detergent tablet is still there. The dishwasher is not dissolving the tablet. Maybe a little bit but about 80% of it is still there. I believe it gets hot water and runs normally. The apartment management said to use dishwasher cleaning tablets and not the powder soap. What can I do to try and get the tablet to dissolve? Any help you can provide would be great!

ANSWER: If your dishwasher hot water temperature is below 110F/115F, then it may not be hot enough to dissolve certain brands of detergent tablets. Be sure the water is HOT before you run the dishwasher. Run the hot water in the sink until it is very hot, then immediately run the dishwasher. Run the dishwasher on the longest, hottest cycle it has.
Also check that the spring opening action of the detergent dispenser door is working properly. If the detergent dispenser is too small a big detergent tablet may not be letting it open correctly. It may be jamming up the door. Try using a liquid or gel dish washing detergent if this is the case. There are many high quality liquid and gel dishwasher detergents on the market today. Liquid Cascade seems to be the best so give that a try. A powdered detergent will work too. Use a rinsing aid also as this will help remove spots even when the tablet may not be dissolving properly.
KEEP THE DISHWASHER DETERGENT DISPENSER CLEAN

If you are in an apartment, then most likely you do not have a high quality dishwasher. Knowing this, the dishwasher needs all the assistance it can get with the hottest water possible. You also need to be sure your dishwasher is clean at the bottom (removable strainer filter) where the pump and bottom washer arm is located. Be sure that it is clean and has hot water and this will be the best method to dissolve tablets. If you must use tablets, you can break them in half in the sink first. Place them in the dispenser and the hot water should make it easier to dissolve since the tablet is not as large.
You also need to be sure there is enough water for the pump to actually pump the water. To check this, start the dishwasher. Once you hear it running, open the dishwasher and be sure there is hot water and enough of it. If there is not much water in the dishwasher it may not be getting much water to the pump. When you open the door while it is running, check the water level at the bottom of the washer. If there is not much water at the bottom, then it may not be getting enough water to clean dishes and dissolve the tablet. Clean the filter at the bottom of the dishwasher to help the pump get the water more efficiently.
DISHWASHER PARTS IDENTIFICATION
If all else fails, you may have an old worn out dishwasher. The pump may be bad. Possibly your water heater is set to low. Your water heater should be set right around 120F. This will ensure that your dishwasher is getting the correct water temperature to effectively clean dishes and dissolve the tablet. If in an apartment, let the management know you are having this issue and they SHOULD resolve it.
Do you know of another way to assist a dishwasher to dissolve a detergent tablet? Please leave a comment below.

my mother suggested this to me.
run the hot water tap in the sink that the dishwasher taps into .
So that the water going into the dish washer is going to be hot !
the other thing was that the plastic coated detergent block thing may need a longer wash cycle setting so that the plastic covering dissolves completely to clean the dishes more .

Water hardness could be an issue .
dish washer may have a slat reservoir and a water hardness setting . Check the dish washer manual for water ph level adjustments.

Could be blocked filters or spray arms. Personally, I recommend using powders and rinse aid detergent. I really don't believe that the tablets work as well.

I have had good luck with the powdered dishwasher detergent from Wall Mart's brand Great Value.

Before I switched to this brand I had to clean the washer drawer several times because the detergent I was using was not dissolving properly and would leave a residue in the bottom of the drawer and on the dishes.

Hello

Water Inlet Valve

A dishwasher's water inlet valve is its most common part to fail. When your dishes are not being fully cleaned, quite often a faulty water inlet valve is to blame. Test your dishwasher's water inlet valve, and if it is no longer functioning as it should, you will have to replace it.

Upper or Lower Spray Arm


Your dishwasher has a lower spray arm. It may also have an upper spray arm at the top of the dishwasher. These spray arms are designed to shoot high pressure, high temperature water at your dishes. It is possible that the holes of the spray arms, where the water comes out, are blocked with debris, affecting wash quality. You should inspect your dishwasher's spray arms regularly. Clean out the spray arms as need be.

Heating Element

Water temperature is a key element in achieving clean dishes. A dishwasher's heating element is not designed to heat the water that enters it. Rather, the heating element is designed to maintain the heat of the water that enters the dishwasher. Its a good idea to run the hot water in your sink for a couple of minutes before you run the dishwasher. Just to make sure the water is nice and hot before it enters the dishwasher. If the water is unable to stay hot, it can adversely affect your dishwasher's cleaning ability.


Filter/Drain Grate

There is a filter in your dishwasher. Its function is to keep large particles of food and foreign objects away from the pump. Many of the newly-manufactured dishwashers have self-cleaning filters, and routine cleaning isn't a concern. However, some other dishw ashers need to have the filter removed and cleaned regularly. If the filter or grate is clogged or blocked with debris, it may interfere with the normal functioning of your dishwasher. Consult your owner's manual for specific directions for removing your dishwasher's filter and cleaning it.

Detergent or Detergent Cup

It could just be that you aren't using enough soap to completely wash your dishes. Your dishwasher may be designed to dispense soap at two different times during the wash cycle. If you don't fill all of the detergent cups, then the diswasher will lose a cleaning cycle. Also, if you use a gel-type detergent, try switching to a powered kind. Powders tend to dissolve better in hot water. And don't buy in bulk. Detergents are most effective in the first two weeks. After that, they decrease in potency.

Alternatively, your dishwasher's detergent cup could be defective in some way. It is possible that it is gunked up full of built up detergent, and a thorough cleaning may be enough to get it working again. If that doesn't do the trick, you probably need to replace the entire detergent cup assembly. If your cup isn't even opening, please see our section My dishwasher detergent cup won't open.

If your sprayer arms are clear, you will want to check these things.
The upper arm attaches to a tube in the back of the dishwasher. If the support clamps come loose, the upper spray tube will not be flush with the tube and can't carry water to the sprayer arms.
Also, make sure your water temperature is hot enough to dissolve your detergent. It should be 140 degrees.
Finally, make sure your detergent is fresh. If it is several months old, it might have become affected by humidity and will not dissolve.
I hope this helps. If it does, please come back to Fixya and rate my answer

Sounds like your water is too hot(etching) and maybe not enough water should be about level with heater .

First of all, don't pre-rinse the dishes. Check the water temperature, it should be between 120 and 140 degrees. Be sure you are not partially blocking the dispenser door so that it isn't opening.

I believe that the instructions for using these 3-in-1 tablets is to place it in the open dish detergent cup, rather than in the closable compartment, since the tablet needs to get doused by a lot of water in oder to fully dissolve and be effective in getting the dishes clean.

Since the tablets are designed to dissolve more slowly, they are able to be used for the entire range of washing cycles. If it's a constant problem and you don's have an open detergent cup below or next to your closed detergent dispenser, just toss it into the bottom of the dishwasher instead.

The reason that the tablet isn't getting dissolved fully is because the door is preventing the tablet from dropping all the way out and the door is shielding the tablet from quite a bit of water spray.

Another option is to take a look at your owners manual for the dishwasher and see if they recommend these all-in-one tablets versus regular powered detergent and liquid rinse aid.

Hope that helps and best regards!

There should be about 2 inches of water in the bottom of the DW.  If it is filling but not washing the pump may be bad.  That might explain the loud noise (motor bearing).  I assume that the detergent cover is opening but no water is being sprayed to dissolve it.