If your dishwasher runs a full cycle but dishes come out with food still stuck on, a gritty film, or cloudy glasses, it's almost always one of these five things:
1. Clogged or blocked spray arms
The rotating arms underneath (and sometimes above) the racks have small holes that shoot water at the dishes. Food particles, broken glass slivers, or labels can clog those holes, and a large pot or bottle in the wrong spot can physically block an arm from spinning. Pull the arms out (most just lift off) and hold them up to a light to check every hole is clear.
2. Bad gasket or seal letting wash pressure leak
The pump needs to build real water pressure to push water through the spray arms. A worn door gasket or a cracked spray arm seal lets that pressure leak out as a slow drip instead of a forceful spray — the cycle runs and sounds normal, but dishes barely get rinsed.
3. Failed wash pump or motor
If the pump motor is wearing out, water circulates weakly even with everything else clear. This usually shows up gradually — dishes get worse over a few weeks rather than failing all at once — and is one of the few causes on this list that genuinely needs a tech, since the pump assembly sits behind the tub wall.
4. Hard water film or detergent buildup
Orange County's hard water leaves a chalky white film on glasses and a cloudy haze inside the tub over time, and old or clumped detergent doesn't dissolve fully and rinses off into a film instead of washing away. Run a hot cycle with a cup of vinegar in the bottom rack, and check the rinse-aid reservoir isn't empty — rinse aid is what prevents most of this.
5. Overloading or bad rack placement
Dishes that nest, touch, or block a spray arm's rotation path stay dirty no matter how well the machine works mechanically. Bowls facing the wrong way trap water and food instead of letting the spray hit the inside. This is the most common cause we see and costs nothing to fix — just reload with everything facing the center, not stacked or nested.
Is it worth running it again to "see if it works"?
Running another full cycle with a partially clogged pump or worn seal usually just wastes water and detergent without fixing anything, since the root cause is mechanical, not a one-off fluke. If the same load comes out dirty twice in a row after you've checked the spray arms and rinse aid, it's time to call a tech rather than keep re-running cycles.