Older dishwashers ground food waste with a hard food disposer, which was noisy but self-clearing. Most current machines, GE included, use a filter you are expected to remove and rinse instead. It is quieter and cleans better, but only if somebody does the rinsing. When nobody does, the symptoms are predictable: grit left on dishes, a film on glassware, a smell when the door opens, and slow draining.
Turn the Power Off First
Switch the dishwasher off at its breaker or unplug it before reaching into the sump. You will have a hand where the drain pump lives, and a cycle starting unexpectedly is not worth the risk. Then let any hot water in the tub cool enough to touch.
The Filter
- Pull the lower rack right out so you can work comfortably.
- Turn the cylindrical filter in the tub floor counter-clockwise and lift it out. Beneath it is a coarse flat screen that also lifts free on most models.
- Rinse both under hot running water. Use a soft brush, not a wire one, on baked-on grease and hard-water film. Avoid anything abrasive that scratches the mesh.
- Wipe out the sump recess and remove debris: fruit stickers, glass fragments, seeds, bones and toothpicks all collect there.
- Refit the screen flat, then the filter, and turn it clockwise until it locks. A loose filter rattles and lets debris past.
Every month suits most households. Weekly is reasonable if you rinse very little before loading, or if you run the machine every day.
The Spray Arms
If dishes come out with clean patches and dirty patches, look at the arms. Spin each one by hand to confirm it turns freely and is not being blocked by a tall item below it. Hold each arm up to the light and check the jets for blockage; mineral deposits and seeds plug them. Many arms unclip for rinsing, and a toothpick clears a jet without enlarging it. Do not force an arm off if it does not release easily.
Smells and Film
A musty smell usually traces back to the filter and sump rather than the drain hose. After cleaning, run a hot cycle with an empty machine and a dishwasher cleaner, or a cup of white vinegar in a bowl on the top rack. Hard-water film responds to cleaning the filter and arms plus keeping rinse aid topped up.
When It Is Not Maintenance
Cleaning helps grit, film and smell. It does not fix a machine that leaves standing water after every cycle, one that has stopped heating, or one that shows an error code. If cleaning does not change anything within a couple of loads, book GE dishwasher repair rather than repeating it.