Removal of Dishwasher Detergent Build-Up

15 years ago

I have a Miele dishwasher in a rental unit that has been used (abused) for about a year by tenants that may have used incorrect and/or too much dishwashing detergent - which has resulted in a severe build-up of a white hard material throughout the dishwasher (i.e., racks, plastic, stainless steel metal screens/parts). This material has built up to 0.030 inches (give or take). Much of it I can scrape off - but not that which has built up on the stainless steel screens - it plugs the holes and layers on top of the screen. Vinegar and LimeAway with soaking/scrubbing do not touch this material - so I doubt if it is a hard water deposit build-up (in fact our water is fairly soft). I tried Amaze - no luck. I tried quite a few other spray on cleansers with no luck. I tried sanding the material with 400 grit wet/dry sandpaper but that would hardly touch it - this stuff is very very hard. So, what is this stuff? And how do I get rid of it? I can remove my screens and soak them if necessary. Any input is appreciated.

Featured Answer

mwinfield

11 years ago

Cant speak for the original poster, but I had this same issue, and I tried the Finish Power Up in every load (which I have heard is similar in function to Lemishine) and it worked wonders for me. In fact, was so desperate was about to replace DW and now it works fine! DW repair person gave me this tip, wish I had tried it 5 years ago!

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Comments (6)

jakvis
15 years ago
Citric acid will work about the best. You can get it by buying Dishwasher Magic, Glisten, Finish Dishwasher Cleaner. If the build up is as bad as you indicate it may take 4 -5 cleanings.
dimond
Original Author
15 years ago
Thanks Jakvis - I will try one of these products and report back next week.
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jakvis
15 years ago
A quick idea you may want to try. After the citric acid has dispensed, stop the dishwasher for about a 1/2 hour to allow the citric acid to soften the thickest layers and then restart the dishwasher and let it finish the cycle.

I believe the instuctions will ask you to select the longest cycle but some of these dishwasher have sensors that will shorten the wash cycle if there are no measureable soils.
maire_cate
15 years ago
I bought a container of Lemishine dishwasher cleaner. It says to put in the Lemishine, run for 2 to 4 minutes, and then let it sit for up to 4 hours. Once the machine is clean then they recommend using Lemishine Rinse agent with the dishwasher detergent. It's formulated for hard water.

Here is a link that might be useful: Lemishine
gskillen
11 years ago
dimond - did anything work for you? Thanks!