Why Isn’t The Detergent Dissolving In Your Dishwasher?

Have you opened your dishwasher only to find that it is covered with undissolved detergent all over your dishes or an undissolved tablet is sitting at the bottom of the tub? This not only means that your dishes aren’t fully cleaned, but you also have a problem with your dishwasher. Having undissolved detergent left over is not normal, and you will want to get to the bottom of it.

You might first look to the detergent dispenser. However, if the detergent is in the tub and your dispenser door is open, then that part of your dishwasher has done its job. It dispensed the detergent and thus is working as designed.

What is most likely happening is that, while the detergent is dispensed, it is not being dissolved in the dishwashing process. The only reason it would not be dissolved is that dishwasher water is not getting hot enough to do that. Your dishwasher may not be hooked up to the hot water line, and that is normal.

All dishwashers have a heating element inside to bring the water up to the appropriate temperature to dissolve the detergent and sanitize your dishes with heat. If you are finding undissolved detergent, you will want to locate the heating element in your dishwasher and test it with a multimeter. There is a good chance it is no longer working. A sure sign of this is also the fact that your dishes are left ice cold immediately after a wash cycle or when using heated dry. If the heating element isn’t working, it has some far-reaching effects. However, once you have located the heating element, it is something that is easily replaced. You simply need to pull it out, disconnect the wire harness, and plug in the new one to get your dishwasher up and running again.