I have had a few customers recently that said there dishes were not getting very clean. They had similar situations. I tested the dishwashers, and they were working fine. All a dishwasher does is fill, spray water, drain, fill, add soap, wash, drain, fill, rinse, drain… etc. If it’s not cleaning and it’s doing those functions properly, there is another problem.
Both customers were using a low-cost, off-brand soap. I like to use Finish tablets. One customer was not using the soap dispenser, which is critical. The longest cycle is the wash cycle; soap must be dispensed then, not before.
It’s also important that the dishwasher receives HOT water. Hot water activates the soap.
The other thing that both had been doing was thoroughly washing the dishes, leaving nothing for the soap to attach to. You want to scrape off most of the food, but leave a little bit of gunk on the plate. It gives the soap something to attach to.
I also recommend using the Affresh brand dishwasher cleaner to keep the gunk out of the dishwasher.
If these tips don’t improve your washer’s cleaning, you may have a problem with your dishwasher. If so, call me, and I can help.