GE QuietPower1 Dishwasher just won't clean dishes

We just moved in to a house with a QuietPower 1 dishwasher and no matter what I try the dishes are not coming out clean. I've run two bottles of Dishwasher cleaner through and the hardwater seems to be nearly gone from the heating element. But I get white specks on the back of the plates every time, the glasses are a hit and miss and sometimes the silverware has a hard coating on it. I've tried liquid and powder detergent. I've uped the Jet dry to 'max'. Help!

 

Try Lemi-Shine which is available from most grocery and super stores in the automatic dishwashing detergent section.

 

Make sure to run the hot water before you start the washer. Also, do not use too much detergent. Newer washers do better with less.

 

Must be area specific. I've never heard of it where I'm from.

 

Isn't that the same thing as the dishwasher cleaner to remove lime build-up?

 

I did that as well after checking for solutions on the internet. Any other ideas?

 

Dishwasher detergent manufacturers changed to a no-phosphate formulation a year ago. Since then, if you have hard water, your dishes will often come out dirtier than when you put them in. I've heard that Lemi-Shine helps, although my mother is using it, and it is still no substitute for the old phosphated versions of dishwasher detergent. I'm using just Cascade, and my glasses come out with a whitish glaze on them, and horizontal surfaces have a white powdery film that needs to be wiped off. I'm glad I don't have dinner parties, since nobody would eat off of my dinnerware!

 

Maybe I'm confused then. I assumed that the lemi-shine was a cleaner like I had used to get rid of the buildup. Is it a type of dishwasher detergent or additive that you use regularly? Guess I'll be making yet another trip to the store. MOVING SUCKS!

 

Lemi-Shine is an additive that you use with every load you wash. I believe the instructions advise filling the regular detergent dispenser with Lemi-Shine and the secondary detergent dispenser with your regular dishwashing detergent.

I haven't tried it myself, but my mother is using it, and she says that while Lemi-Shine helps, it's not a total solution. Hopefully, the dishwasher detergent manufacturers will get the word that customers are unhappy with detergent performance and get their formulations revised soon.

 

Thanks for the info. I looked at one store with no luck but I'll keep trying. ANYTHING is better than washing them by hand. LOL

 

I tried pots and pans and it didn't help at all but last night I tried hot wash (which I thought it already did automatically) and it seemed to help a little. At least I didn't have to re-wash everything that came out of it this time. If the only water connected to it is hot, wouldn't ALL washes be hot?

 

While I don't know what's wrong, I have to think there's something else going on and not what detergent or additive you're using or not using. We have very hard water, I don't use any additives and I use whatever detergent happens to be on sale, and I don't have that problem. Just saying.

 

I have that exact problem. I know its because the detergents no longer have phosphates. I went to a couple of mom and pop variety stores and bought up all their overpriced old stock. Clean dishes with old casacade, dirtier than before they went in with new cascade. (or All, or whatever) I'm getting a little low on stock, so now with each load I use half old, half new. Works for my 2yr old dishwasher

 

Thanks for the info. This is just so new for me. Didn't have this issue a month ago before we moved but we had great water in the other state. Extreme hard water here! And I mean really extreme!

 

I have the same dishwasher and had the same problem. All the holes in the spray arms were caked with chunks of mystery stuff. I tried to flush them out in the sink and with a paper clip with little luck. I tried a few cleaner options I saw online unsuccessfully and then went shopping for a new dishwasher. Lowes guy told me to try Lemi Shine. I ran two loads empty with just Lemi Shine and now we add it to most every load of dishes with the detergent. The machine is working again and the dishes are clean (clean enough, no spots -- it is a cheap dishwasher afterall and doesn't get hard, multi-day dried junk off). Lemi Shine label says do the empty load once a month but I haven't found that to be necessary, and Lemi Shine is kind of pricey.