How to Fix a Foaming Dishwasher

A dishwasher may start foaming for several different reasons, but the most common reason is from the use of wrong products. If you used dish soap like you normally use in the sink instead of a cleaning products made specifically for a dishwasher, you can fix the problem quickly. Follow the steps below.

How to Fix a Foaming Dishwasher

Stop the washing cycle and open the dishwasher.

Pour approximately 1 1/2 cups of regular table salt inside the bottom of the dishwasher. The salt will aid in the removal of the suds.

Close the dishwasher and run a rinse cycle. Rinsing the dishes is the only way to remove the suds. The salt should prevent the dishwasher from continuing to foam. However, if the dishwasher does continue to foam, place a towel under the dishwasher to catch the bubbles. Once the rinse cycle is complete, the foaming should no longer be present.

Run the wash cycle again using dishwasher-only products. If the foaming is still persistent, you may need to check your drain hose to make sure nothing has blocked it.

Fix a Foaming Dishwasher DIY

What to do if dishwasher starts foaming?

If you notice soapy foam coming out of your dishwasher, first interrupt the cycle. Add a half cup of standard table salt or cooking oil to the bottom of the dishwasher and turn the machine onto a rinse cycle.

This should get rid of the foam. Now, you will need to put new soap in the dishwasher and run another cycle to clean the dishes.

Why is my dishwasher foaming out the bottom?

If you use the wrong type of detergent or too much detergent, the dishwasher can create an excess of soap suds that end up coming out of the machine and getting all over your kitchen floor.

Does vinegar break down suds?

Vinegar has acidic qualities to it that can naturally dissolve soap suds.

Why is my dishwasher oversudsing?

Though it can be shocking to see soap suds spilling out of your dishwasher, it's not necessarily an indication that the dishwasher is malfunctioning. Soap is made to get very foamy and it gets very overworked in a dishwasher, which creates an excess of suds.

If you see soap suds coming out of the dishwasher, you are using either too much or the wrong kind of soap to clean your dishes. Switch to something that is formulated for dishwashers and don't use an excess of it.

What happens if you put vinegar and baking soda in the dishwasher?

Both vinegar and baking soda are used commonly as all-purpose household cleaners, but you should not mix the two together to clean the dishwasher. Together, baking soda and vinegar will foam up and if mixed with soap, they will really create a lot of suds.

Plain vinegar, about half a cup poured into the bottom of the dishwasher, is very effective at de-sudsing dishwasher water.