How to Clean a Dishwasher Filter in Ten Minutes

Your dishwasher starts leaving a gritty film on glasses, a few flecks of food stuck to the bottom of bowls, and a smell when you open the door after a cycle. Most people reach for a dishwasher cleaner tablet at this point. It usually helps for a week and then the problem comes back, because the cause is sitting in a plastic cylinder at the bottom of the tub that the tablet never really reaches.

That cylinder is the filter. Most dishwashers sold in the last fifteen years use a manual filter that you are supposed to rinse every few weeks, and almost nobody does. Cleaning it takes about ten minutes, needs no special products, and fixes the majority of "my dishwasher stopped cleaning properly" complaints on its own.

Why a dirty filter ruins the wash

A dishwasher does not use fresh water for every spray. It fills the sump with a few litres, heats it, and pumps that same water through the spray arms again and again during the main wash. The filter sits between the dirty water at the bottom and the pump, catching food so it does not get blasted back onto your plates.

When the filter clogs, two things happen. Water flow drops, so the spray arms push out less pressure and miss the corners of the racks. And fine particles that should have been trapped slip around the edges of the blocked mesh and end up recirculating. That is the grit on your glasses. The smell comes from fat and food scraps rotting in the filter between cycles, especially if the machine sits closed for a day or two.

Older dishwashers often had a self-cleaning filter with a grinder that chopped food and sent it down the drain. Those machines were louder and used more energy, so manufacturers switched to manual filters. If your dishwasher is quiet and was made after about 2010, it almost certainly has one you need to clean by hand.

What you need

Gather a soft brush (an old toothbrush works well), a sink of warm water with a few drops of washing up liquid, a towel to put on the floor, and a sponge or cloth. If you have hard water, a small cup of white vinegar is useful. Skip wire brushes and scouring pads, because the fine mesh is easy to tear and replacements cost 15 to 40 pounds or dollars depending on the brand.

How to clean a dishwasher filter, step by step

Before you start, make sure the machine is off and has cooled down. If you have just run a cycle, wait at least 30 minutes, as the water in the sump can stay hot.

Pull out the bottom rack. Slide it all the way out and lift it clear so you can see the floor of the tub. The filter is usually in the centre or the back corner, directly under the lower spray arm.
Remove the lower spray arm if it is in the way. On many Bosch, Siemens and Neff machines it lifts straight off. On others it unscrews a quarter turn. Put it to one side; you will clean it too.
Twist out the cylinder filter. Grip the handle on top and turn it anticlockwise, usually a quarter turn, then lift. On some models an arrow shows the direction. Do not force it; if it is stuck, a little warm water poured around the base loosens dried grease.
Lift out the flat mesh filter. Underneath or around the cylinder there is often a flat metal or plastic screen. It slides or lifts out once the cylinder is gone.
Scoop out debris from the sump. Look into the hole where the filter sat. Bits of glass, olive stones, rice and labels collect here. Remove them by hand or with a spoon. If there is standing water, sponge it out so you can see properly.
Soak and scrub both filters. Put them in the warm soapy water for five minutes, then brush the mesh gently from the inside out. Hold it up to the light. You should see light evenly through the whole mesh. Cloudy patches mean grease or limescale is still there.
Deal with limescale if needed. White, chalky crust on the mesh will not brush off. Soak the filter in a 50/50 mix of white vinegar and warm water for 20 minutes, then brush again.
Clear the spray arm holes. Rinse the arm under the tap and poke any blocked holes with a toothpick. Shake it; if something rattles inside, keep rinsing until it comes out.
Refit everything in reverse order. Flat filter first, then the cylinder, twisting clockwise until it locks. A filter that is not fully locked can let large debris reach the pump, so listen for the click or check the arrow lines up.
Run a short hot cycle empty. This flushes any loosened grime out of the pipes before your next load.

The whole job takes ten to fifteen minutes the first time, and about five once you know where everything goes.

The myth about pre-rinsing your dishes

A lot of people respond to a smelly dishwasher filter by rinsing every plate thoroughly before it goes in. It seems logical: less food, less mess in the filter. But it often makes cleaning results worse, not better.

Modern detergent tablets contain enzymes designed to break down starch and protein. If the dishes are already clean, the enzymes have nothing to work on, and some machines with soil sensors will also run a lighter, cooler cycle because the water looks clear. That combination can leave a dull film, especially on glasses.

The better habit is to scrape, not rinse. Tip food into the bin, leave the smears, and let the machine and the filter do their jobs. Then clean the filter regularly. You use less water at the sink, and the dishwasher runs the cycle it was designed for. The only things I would rinse are dishes that will sit in the machine for more than a day before you run it, since dried egg and porridge become hard to shift.

How often to clean it

Most manufacturers say once a month. In practice, it depends on how you use the machine.

If you run the dishwasher once a day for a family, check the filter every two weeks. If you live alone and run it twice a week, once every six to eight weeks is fine. If you often wash pans with baked-on food, or plates with a lot of rice or pasta on them, check it more often, because starch builds up quickly.

A good rule of thumb is to look at the filter whenever you notice grit on glassware or a smell. If you have just cleaned it and the smell is still there, the problem may be further down: a kinked drain hose or a blocked sink trap. The same approach in our guide to unclogging a slow drain without chemicals works on the sink trap the dishwasher drains into.

When cleaning the filter is not enough

Sometimes the filter looks clean and the dishes still come out dirty. A few things to check:

The rubber door seal can trap food and mould along its bottom edge. Wipe it with a cloth dipped in diluted vinegar. Washing machines suffer from the same problem, and the method in our article on cleaning a smelly washing machine transfers almost exactly.

If the dishwasher is not draining at all and the filter is clean, the drain pump may be blocked by a piece of glass or a fruit stone. On most machines you can reach the pump cover through the sump hole once the filter is out. If you are not comfortable doing that, it is a standard repair job.

And if the water is very hard, you may need to top up the dishwasher salt and set the water hardness level in the machine's settings. Limescale on the filter is often a sign that salt has run out.

FAQ

Where is the filter on a dishwasher?

It is at the bottom of the tub, under the lower spray arm, usually in the centre or back corner. Remove the bottom rack and you will see a round handle you can twist.

Can I put the dishwasher filter in the dishwasher?

No. Without the filter in place, debris can reach the pump. Clean it by hand in warm soapy water with a soft brush.

What happens if you never clean a dishwasher filter?

Water flow drops, dishes come out gritty, the machine starts to smell, and in time the drain pump can block. Many service calls for poor cleaning turn out to be a clogged filter.

Can I use bleach to clean a dishwasher filter?

It is better not to. Bleach can damage the plastic and seals over time, and it does nothing for grease. Warm soapy water handles most dirt, and vinegar handles limescale.