Why LG Dishwasher Not Cleaning Dishes As It Should?

People invest in a dishwasher to simplify their daily lives. Generally, the idea is that you load it with dirty dishes, which later come out perfectly clean. So, if your LG dishwasher leaves stains, residue, or grease on your kitchenware, it’s not doing its job.

Your LG dishwasher fails to clean the dishes if there’s a faulty water inlet valve, problematic wash arms, or a failed circulation pump. These problems will prevent the dishwasher from getting the water it needs to clean your dishes correctly. Besides, a dirty filter full of food bits can also cause clean dishes to get dirty again before the cycle ends.

Don’t worry about having to go back to hand washing your dishes. This guide will walk you through the likely causes behind this problem and how you can correct them yourself.

If your kitchenware comes out of your LG dishwasher less than perfectly clean, here are the reasons why that’s happening and what you can do to correct them:

Faulty Water Inlet Valve

About this: One of the most critical components of your LG dishwasher is the water inlet valve. That machine part is connected directly to your household’s water supply and is an electrically-controlled mechanical water valve. 

It’ll open when you start a new cycle to let water flow into the dishwasher’s compartment. Once there’s enough water, the valve will shut to prevent the machine from overflowing.

What’s happening: A common reason an LG dishwasher will stop cleaning dishes is a fault in the water inlet valve. Remember: the valve must be able to open and close when necessary and at the right moments.

A faulty water inlet valve can get stuck in any position between being completely open or closed.

In this case, what’s happening is that the valve fails to open completely. As a result, it can’t let enough water into the machine. 

Without enough clean water, the dishwasher’s spray arms can’t spray away all the food bits and grease on each plate inside. Even the detergent you’re using won’t work if the water inlet valve doesn’t let enough water in to dilute it to the correct levels.

How to correct it: Firstly, you have to take the water inlet valve out so you can inspect it closely. Then, suppose a foreign object or a dirt buildup prevents it from opening and closing correctly. In that case, you can clean them away and solve the problem.

Unfortunately, if the valve is malfunctioning, you must purchase a replacement part.

Read: 5 LG Dishwasher Problems You Need To Know

Clogged or Damaged Wash Arms

About this: When you look inside your LG dishwasher, you’ll find at least two spinning wash arms. Typically, there’s one in the middle and another at the bottom.

These wash arms do the bulk of the cleaning inside the dishwasher. That’s because several holes or jets along each wash arm spray water toward your plates, cups, and other kitchenware in the machine.

Doing that ensures that the high-pressure water jets can hit all the food debris and stains on your kitchenware from multiple angles, leaving them clean by the end of the cycle.

What’s happening: Another reason your LG dishwasher isn’t cleaning the dishes inside is that there’s something wrong with the wash arms. 

The holes on those arms are likely clogged with food debris and other impurities from the water, or the arms are damaged as a whole.

Clogs and damage can prevent the wash arms from spraying your dishes clean, leaving them dirty when you pull them out later.

How to correct it: Firstly, remember that the wash arms in your LG dishwasher are removable. So you’ll want to take them out so you can inspect them closely for clogs and damage.

Clogs are pretty straightforward to clean. You can use a toothpick to remove debris from each hole so water can spray out normally.

However, any cracks or breaks will cause the wash arm to leak and reduce the water pressure. So, you must replace it with a new wash arm.

Read: How To Fix LG Dishwasher Which Has No Power?

Dirty Filter

About this: Modern dishwashers are designed to be efficient, especially when using water. After taking in clean water through the inlet valve (discussed earlier), the machine will recycle that water one or more times throughout the washing cycle.

Of course, that water needs to be cleaned before it can be used to wash your kitchenware. That’s why there’s a filter at the bottom of the dishwasher compartment. This filter catches food debris and other impurities before that water is recycled and sprayed onto your plates.

What’s happening: Naturally, the filter in your LG dishwasher will get dirty with extended use. If it’s not cleaned regularly, some of the impurities in the water will get through the filter and eventually get sprayed back onto your kitchenware.

That’s enough to leave your dishes dirty at the end of the cycle.

How to correct it: You can solve this problem within minutes just by removing the filter from the bottom of the dishwasher and cleaning it.

Then, you can prevent this problem from ever happening again by washing that filter at least once every 6 months.

People invest in a dishwasher to simplify their daily lives. Generally, the idea is that you load it with dirty dishes, which later come out perfectly clean. So, if your LG dishwasher leaves stains, residue, or grease on your kitchenware, it’s not doing its job.

Your LG dishwasher fails to clean the dishes if there’s a faulty water inlet valve, problematic wash arms, or a failed circulation pump. These problems will prevent the dishwasher from getting the water it needs to clean your dishes correctly. Besides, a dirty filter full of food bits can also cause clean dishes to get dirty again before the cycle ends.

Don’t worry about having to go back to hand washing your dishes. This guide will walk you through the likely causes behind this problem and how you can correct them yourself.

If your kitchenware comes out of your LG dishwasher less than perfectly clean, here are the reasons why that’s happening and what you can do to correct them:

Faulty Water Inlet Valve

About this: One of the most critical components of your LG dishwasher is the water inlet valve. That machine part is connected directly to your household’s water supply and is an electrically-controlled mechanical water valve. 

It’ll open when you start a new cycle to let water flow into the dishwasher’s compartment. Once there’s enough water, the valve will shut to prevent the machine from overflowing.

What’s happening: A common reason an LG dishwasher will stop cleaning dishes is a fault in the water inlet valve. Remember: the valve must be able to open and close when necessary and at the right moments.

A faulty water inlet valve can get stuck in any position between being completely open or closed.

In this case, what’s happening is that the valve fails to open completely. As a result, it can’t let enough water into the machine. 

Without enough clean water, the dishwasher’s spray arms can’t spray away all the food bits and grease on each plate inside. Even the detergent you’re using won’t work if the water inlet valve doesn’t let enough water in to dilute it to the correct levels.

How to correct it: Firstly, you have to take the water inlet valve out so you can inspect it closely. Then, suppose a foreign object or a dirt buildup prevents it from opening and closing correctly. In that case, you can clean them away and solve the problem.

Unfortunately, if the valve is malfunctioning, you must purchase a replacement part.

Read: 5 LG Dishwasher Problems You Need To Know

Clogged or Damaged Wash Arms

About this: When you look inside your LG dishwasher, you’ll find at least two spinning wash arms. Typically, there’s one in the middle and another at the bottom.

These wash arms do the bulk of the cleaning inside the dishwasher. That’s because several holes or jets along each wash arm spray water toward your plates, cups, and other kitchenware in the machine.

Doing that ensures that the high-pressure water jets can hit all the food debris and stains on your kitchenware from multiple angles, leaving them clean by the end of the cycle.

What’s happening: Another reason your LG dishwasher isn’t cleaning the dishes inside is that there’s something wrong with the wash arms. 

The holes on those arms are likely clogged with food debris and other impurities from the water, or the arms are damaged as a whole.

Clogs and damage can prevent the wash arms from spraying your dishes clean, leaving them dirty when you pull them out later.

How to correct it: Firstly, remember that the wash arms in your LG dishwasher are removable. So you’ll want to take them out so you can inspect them closely for clogs and damage.

Clogs are pretty straightforward to clean. You can use a toothpick to remove debris from each hole so water can spray out normally.

However, any cracks or breaks will cause the wash arm to leak and reduce the water pressure. So, you must replace it with a new wash arm.

Read: How To Fix LG Dishwasher Which Has No Power?

Dirty Filter

About this: Modern dishwashers are designed to be efficient, especially when using water. After taking in clean water through the inlet valve (discussed earlier), the machine will recycle that water one or more times throughout the washing cycle.

Of course, that water needs to be cleaned before it can be used to wash your kitchenware. That’s why there’s a filter at the bottom of the dishwasher compartment. This filter catches food debris and other impurities before that water is recycled and sprayed onto your plates.

What’s happening: Naturally, the filter in your LG dishwasher will get dirty with extended use. If it’s not cleaned regularly, some of the impurities in the water will get through the filter and eventually get sprayed back onto your kitchenware.

That’s enough to leave your dishes dirty at the end of the cycle.

How to correct it: You can solve this problem within minutes just by removing the filter from the bottom of the dishwasher and cleaning it.

Then, you can prevent this problem from ever happening again by washing that filter at least once every 6 months.