The dished appear to have a milky film on them after washed. We we use rince aid but it is not working. How de we get them sparkeling clean ?

Problem Possible Cause What to do Dishwasher will not start. No power. Ensure the dishwasher is plugged in and the power supply is turned on at the wall. The door is not properly closed. Close the door. Start/Pause button has not been pressed. Press the Start/Pause button . Water tap not turned on. Ensure water is connected and turned on. Blocked strainer in water inlet hose. Check the strainer and clean if necessary-it is located where the water inlet hose screws into the tap. Keylock is activated. Cancel Keylock by pressing and holding until the keylock indicator goes out. Lower spray arm rotates with difficulty. Spray arm holes are blocked by small items or food particles. Clean the spray arm. See 'Care and cleaning' for instructions. Cover of detergent dispenser cannot be closed. Detergent compartment has been overfilled. Remove detergent until the cover can be closed. Detergent dispenser is clogged with remnants of detergent. Wipe dispenser out with a damp cloth. Dry the dispenser before adding detergent. Remnants of detergent stuck inside dispenser. Compartment was damp when filled with detergent. Wipe dispenser out with a damp cloth. Dry the dispenser before adding detergent. Buttons beep and do not respond. Keylock is activated. Cancel Keylock by pressing and holding until the keylock indicator goes out. Water remains inside dishwasher after wash has ended. Drain hose is crimped, bent, or blocked. Check the drain hose and straighten if needed. Pump is jammed. Call your Fisher & Paykel Authorised Service Centre or Customer Care. Filter(s) blocked. Clean the filter(s). See 'Care and cleaning' for instructions. Foaming. Incorrect amount or type of detergent used. See section 'Adding detergent' or consult the detergent manufacturer's instructions. Too much egg in the wash load. Increase the amount of detergent. Rinse aid dosage level too high. Decrease the rinse aid dosage. Rinse aid spills not wiped up. Ensure that all rinse aid spills are wiped up when they occur. Water tap not turned on. Ensure water is connected and turned on. The dishwasher stops suddenly during the wash. Power or water supply has been interrupted. Check the power and water supplies. Knocking or rattling sound during wash. Spray arm knocking against dishes. Pause the wash and rearrange dishes. See sections 'CH and CHP models - Controls and starting a wash' or 'CK models - Controls and starting a wash', and 'Loading'. Dishes have been stacked incorrectly. Unclean dishes. Wash programme unsuitable for load. See section 'Wash programmes and detergent quantities' and select a suitable programme. Soils were too heavily baked on. Dishes may need soaking. Spray arm(s) unable to rotate. Ensure no items are obstructing the spray arm path. Dishwasher overloaded or incorrectly loaded. See the 'Loading' section. The filters are incorrectly inserted. See section 'Care and cleaning'. Detergent put in the wrong compartment. See sections 'Wash programmes and detergent quantities' and 'Adding detergent'. Excessive food not removed from dishes before loading. Scrape all food scraps off dishes before loading. Unsuitable detergent. Only use powdered or tablet detergent designed for domestic dishwashers. Not enough detergent. See 'Wash programmes and detergent quantities' for recommended quantities. You may need to adjust these to suit your particular load and the hardness of your water supply. Spray arm holes are blocked. Clean the spray arm(s). See 'Care and cleaning' for instructions. The filters are blocked. Clean the filters. See 'Care and cleaning' for instructions. Plastic items are discoloured (e.g. stain left by tomato sauce). Not enough detergent, not pre-rinsed. Pre-rinse plastic dishes before placing in the dishwasher and/or add more detergent. Alternatively, using the Rinse programme after adding dishes may minimise staining. Display flashing while Keylock is on. This is normal. The display remains on although the buttons are disabled. No action required. White stains are left on dishes; glasses have a milky appearance. Not enough detergent. See section 'Wash programmes and detergent quantities' for recommended quantities. You may need to adjust these to suit the hardness of your water supply. Rinse aid dosage too low. Increase rinse aid dosage. See 'Using rinse aid'. Dishes, cutlery have not dried. Rinse aid dosage too low. Increase rinse aid dosage. See 'Using rinse aid'. Items removed too soon. After the end of the wash programme, leave the door ajar and wait for several minutes to help drying. Rinse aid dispenser empty. (The rinse aid indicators are lit.) Add rinse aid. See section 'Using rinse aid' for instructions. Glasses have dull appearance. Rinse aid dosage too low. Increase rinse aid dosage. See 'Using rinse aid'. Tea stains or traces of lipstick have not been completely removed. Not enough detergent. See section 'Wash programmes and detergent quantities' for recommended quantities. You may need to adjust these to suit your particular load. Wash temperature too low. Select a wash programme with a higher temperature (see section 'Wash programme data' for information). Traces of rust on cutlery. Cutlery is not sufficiently rustproof. Wash by hand. Glasses clouded and discoloured; milky coating Hard water situation. Increase detergent quantities. Glasses are not dishwasher proof. Wash by hand. Water marks left on glasses and cutlery. Rinse aid level or dosage setting is too low. Ensure there is rinse aid in dispenser. If necessary, increase the rinse aid setting or try using a wash programme with a higher temperature. See sections 'Using rinse aid' and 'Wash programme data'.

Two other possible causes are a high mineral content in the water, or depending on the silverware, they maybe getting etched.

Use a Rince Aid to eliminate this problem. Don't use powder or old dishwasher soap.

Hi, I have an older dishwasher also and recently mywife also complained about it not cleaning right... so me being the man I amtried in vain to clean the things... Bought new spray arms online and installedthem in minutes...now the thing works like new... However I have also foundthat if the heating element goes bad then that also can mess things up bad...So I would buy new spray arms, and also check out the heating element to makesure it is working... Here is a tip that will help you with the onlinebuying...
Dishwasher SprayArms not Spinning

How to Buy ApplianceParts Online

A bad heating element causes many problems in dishwashers...

Dishwasher Problems The HeatingElement not Working

DishwasherMaintenance DishwasherResidue and Film on Dishes

heatman101

Asker's Testimonial "explanation very clear. will give it a go and see howsimple it was. thanks Ronnie " - ronnieshomes

Hard water, or not rinsing well. I use
"Lemi shine" in one of the soap holders.
Also make sure you have plenty of jet dry in
the rinse aid holder. These two things make
my dishes sparkle. I live in Arizona, and
our water is horrible it eats away at everything.

the film is caused by hard water. go to www.dishwasherfilter.com. they have a product out for this exact problem. works amazing every time and is very affordable.

From Whirlpool:

*Film is due to either etching or silica film. Silica film is a milky, rainbow-colored deposit and etching is a cloudy film. Sometimes there is a water/chemical reaction with certain types of glassware.
o Silica film and etching are permanent and cannot be removed. Both can occur in any automatic dish washing machine and result from a water/chemical reaction with certain types of glassware. They are caused by some combination of:
+Soft or softened water.
+Alkaline washing solution.
+Insufficient rinsing.
+Dishwasher overloading.
+Heat of drying.
+Long/hot cycles.

To slow the down this process:

*Use a minimum amount of detergent but not less than 1 tablespoon per load.
*Use a liquid rinse aid.
*Under load the dishwasher to allow thorough rinsing.
*Do not use heated drying.
*Wash glasses by hand.

Do the following:

1. do you use a rinse agent
2. clean out the drain.
3. if you have a food disposal, run hot water through it and turn it on to clear it out before you turn on the dishwasher. The dishwasher drains into that sink. If you notice food or dirty water backing up into you sink when the dishwasher is draining, then the sink could have a minor clog and is backing up and being re-sprayed onto your dishes.
Source(s):
Use SANIVAC to clean lime deposits and extend the life of your dishwasher. If you have heavy water.

Run your dishwasher empty and pour in a cup of bleach and a cup of white vinegar to get the residue out.....run a regular cycle.......How hot is your hot water tank set on? The hotter the water the better a dishwasher washes and rinses, be careful it's not to hot as your shower and other sinks also will get this hot water......cut your dish soap down and make sure to use a Jet Rinse Aid. Again, be sure to use a liquid soap, and rinse agent, powders will cause a caustic reaction. Hope this helps. Let me know if there is anything else I can help you with.
JimmyC

This "milky-like" film is hard water build up in your dishwasher that is depositing it back onto your dishes. To solve this you can get the product called Lemi-Shine at any store or on line. The first time you need to put about 2 heaping table spoons into the dishwasher with no dishes in it and run a normal cycle. Then load and put 1 table spoon in it for about 4 times and you will see the "milky-like" film go away. After that you will need to do a Lemi-Shine cleaning 1 a week. The Lemi-Shine has the directions on the container. I know this cause I use to have the same problem at my house and this works. Good luck. And thank you for the question.

The most common cause of film left behind is a broken heating element.

The heating element is not only used during the dry cycle, but also to raise the water temp. during the main wash cycle to activate the dishwasher detergent. Fixing the heating element should "clear" this problem right up!