No water `going into the dishwasher

If you have hard water, you may experience stains on dishes and scale forming on your dishwasher heating element.

To clean it up and improve performance, there is a product called "Dishwasher Magic" that descales the machine.

Another trick, particularly if you can't find Dishwasher Magic, is to use white vinegar.

Run the machine empty with about two cups of white vinegar added to the bottom. Then run it again empty to remove the odor of the vinegar.

If you have dishes that have a built up film (you notice this particularly on clear glass) you can soak it in vinegar for ten minutes or so and then rinse it off with tap water. For stubborn stains you may want to rub with a paper towel.

The best way to avoid these problems is to use rinse agent in your dishwasher, and to use the Dishwasher Magic once every month.

UPDATE: A low cost alternative to this product is to simply use unsweetened kids soft drink mix....aka KoolAid. It's got lots of citric acid, just like the Dishwasher magic. To get similar results, you need to use two large packages or four to six of the small one quart size pouches. IMPORTANT: Don't put any sugar in it, just add the powder to the bottom of the dishwasher and run a cycle.