Dishwasher doesn't clean pint glasses

[bmcwood]

The title says it all. My pint glasses go into the dishwasher with a bit of lacing and they come out covered in bits of food, water marks and random bits of other things. It's really frustrating and I have had to throw many glasses away because this stuff won't even come off with a good soak. So, I am going to start washing all of my glassware by hand; what is a good detergent? Should I sanitize the glasses after or will hot water do the trick? Also, anyone have any dishwasher tips because this stuff comes out on all my dishes and I'm about ready to replace the whole unit.

 

[watermelon83]

First, I would try a half load from what you usually run. If it goes away, your golden. Second, check to make sure the trap at the bottom isn't clogged. If it is dirty wAyer can get kicked around after it should be.

 

[number40fan]

I'd start by telling her to do a better job.

My washer sucks too. Do most everything by hand.

 

[watermelon83]

I'd start by telling her to do a better job.



My washer sucks too. Do most everything by hand.

That's funny right there!

 

[ButcherBoy]

Make sure any filters in the sump are clean. Make sure it empties at the end of the cycle. It is normal for a little water to be left at the bottom of the sump at the end of the cycle, but you shouldn't see any laying in the tub.

What kind of detergent are you using? A good quality powder is usually best, bargain brands aren't. Gels generally don't clean well if you have any water quality issues, and most people do. Dishwasher detergent has a short shelf life, smaller boxes are better.

Are you using rinse aid? In the dispenser, not as part of a tablet. The dispenser will dispense a little rinse aid during the final rinse and help that kind of gunk slid off your dishes.

Check the wash arms for clogged holes, if the holes are clogged the water doesn't spray out well.

Do you have hard water? If you do there can be mineral deposits building up in the wash pump, causing poor wash action. If needed, there are several cleaners that will clean them up, available where you get detergent.

Hope that helps.

 

[The_Bishop]

Rinse aid + Beer glasses = No head

I fill my rinse aid dispenser with distilled white vinegar. Works well.

From the looks of it that dishwasher is either broken, clogged up, or not loaded correctly. You also need to make sure it's filling with hot water, otherwise it won't work well at all.

 

[HarryGrowth]

Drain washer first. Add about a cup of vinegar to the bottom of washer and use about half the detergent you normally would. I've never had cleaner dishes and glasses and I have real hard water

 

[Cyclman]

I handwash all my beer glasses, usually right after I finish using them, with very hot water and PBW or OxiClean fragrance free. Get beautiful, clean glasses, and gorgeous foam and lacing. I put so much time and effort into my beer, why would you shortcut the "presentation" and enjoyment of it?

 

[MaxStout]

One of these in your sink, and hand-wash.

 

[Homercidal]

I think overloading your dishes is one cause. Another is not having a clean dishwasher strainer. I love our newer dishwasher with the garbage disposal built right in. It helps break up the big chunks so that the drain doesn't clog. Also pre-rinsing may be in order to keep big chunks from getting into the dishwasher in the first place.

Good detergent is important, and a rinse aid may help keep water spots off your glasses. Not sure it will help with "gunk" stuck to the glass.

I can generally wash my beer glasses in the dishwasher, but sometimes I find them looking like that and I set them aside and hand wash them with a glass brush. Normal dish soap and water usually do the trick, but I've also soaked my glasses in OXY, then followed up with an acid rinse (high alkalinity here).

I have not personally noticed a problem with my rinse aid killing head, but it's always mentioned as a problem.

 

[mrgrimm101]

I hand wash all my beer glasses. Regular liquid dish soap and a brush always works fine. I put them back in the cupboard after they are clean and dry, then I usually give them a quick rinse before I pour a beer, just to wash away any dust particles that may have accumulated (especially if it had been at least a month since I used a particular glass.)

 

[max384]

You're throwing away glasses because of this??? I get this all the time. 99% of the time it's because I overloaded the dishwasher (and still haven't learned not to do this). This stuff never comes off from a second (or more) time in the dishwasher. It can be a pain to get off... But they definitely don't need thrown away. They need a good soak and then hand washed with copious amounts of elbow grease.

 

[mrgrimm101]

If liquid dish soap doesn't work, definitely try soaking them and scrubbing with PBW. If that doesn't work, I would try Oxyclean free. If THAT doesn't work, I would even try Bar Keeper's Friend powder. If THAT doesn't work, I might consider throwing the glasses out lol.

 

[Yuri_Rage]

One of these in your sink, and hand-wash.

Second this suggestion. If I'm running low on glasses, it only takes a few seconds to wash them by hand.

Full disclosure: I wash my bar-ware in the dishwasher almost exclusively, including a heavy dose of rinse aid. I see no ill effects. However, we rinse dishes well before loading the dishwasher and only put glassware on the top rack. The water here is extremely hard, so rinse aid is a must. Even so, the rinse aid doesn't leave a film due to the water composition, and I get plenty of foam and lacing.

 

[chemman14]

This would happen with my dishwasher if I loaded the glasses in the top rack. When I load them in the bottom rack they come out sparkling clean.

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

Drain washer first. Add about a cup of vinegar to the bottom of washer and use about half the detergent you normally would. I've never had cleaner dishes and glasses and I have real hard water

Skip the vinegar and the detergent. Fill the detergent cups with PBW and run the dishwasher on it's hottest cycle. This will dislodge and clean out any hardwater/soap scum deposits on the filters and on the inner workings of the pumps/disposal (if equipped)/ and piping.

Do this once every 6 months.

 

[Hello]

I use my dishwasher for bottle storage and other brew-related stuff because I hand wash everything. My dishwasher gets hot and it would strip the printing off the glasses anyway so I would wash them by hand if I didn't want a bunch of blank pint glasses. I am also in the camp that pre-rinsing everything is useful. Most people laugh at me, but I do it because I want the dishes clean. The dishwasher is used only if I have more than 3 people eating at my house.

 

[HarborTownBrewing]

I have your solution. Well, maybe. Just dealt with this same problem.

My bottom rack cleans fine, but the top rack was just getting all the glasses dirty or leaving soap. Well, the top propeller is mounted so it can spray into the glasses; the problem in my case was that the top propeller nozzles were full of gunk. So, if you take the propeller off, you can jam a thin piece of wire into them to clean them out. Then the water will flow freely into your glasses.

If that didn't make sense, here is more info: http://www.homerepairtutor.com/dishwasher-not-cleaning/

Maybe that isn't your problem, but could be a very easy way to start. Worked for me.

 

[Homercidal]

I have your solution. Well, maybe. Just dealt with this same problem.

My bottom rack cleans fine, but the top rack was just getting all the glasses dirty or leaving soap. Well, the top propeller is mounted so it can spray into the glasses; the problem in my case was that the top propeller nozzles were full of gunk. So, if you take the propeller off, you can jam a thin piece of wire into them to clean them out. Then the water will flow freely into your glasses.

If that didn't make sense, here is more info: http://www.homerepairtutor.com/dishwasher-not-cleaning/

Maybe that isn't your problem, but could be a very easy way to start. Worked for me.

Hmm... I might have to check mine. Not that I think I have a problem, but with the amount of deposits we get here, it might be a good idea. I love buying appliance parts from repairclinic and others and fixing them myself. I've saved so much money by fixing all that stuff over the years.

Our old dishwasher was really bad at leaving deposits and stuff. I was so glad to get rid of it and get a better model. I've used an acid rinse in there before to get rid of the stains and deposits.

 

[Upthewazzu]

A couple of things that have worked well for me over the years: 1) clean the crap trap at the bottom (usually towards the back). Make sure to disassemble the whole thing, clean any debris, and stick a rag down into the sump to pull up any crud that has collected (and there will be crud). 2.) Run a load on the hottest setting without any dishes with a ton of vinegar. Put vinegar everywhere; in the soap dispenser, in the bottom, and fill up a little dish with vinegar and place it on the top rack. 3.) Make sure to pre-wash the dishes before they go in, especially if they have large chunks of food stuck to them. 4.) If all else fails, you may have an issue with water pressure or temperature.