Not Cleaning
Miele Dishwasher
Severity:What Does This Error Mean?
If your Miele dishwasher is not cleaning well, start by cleaning the filters and clearing the spray arm holes. Also check that the salt and rinse aid dispensers are not empty — Miele dishwashers rely heavily on correct salt and rinse aid levels.
Affected Models
- Miele G Series Dishwasher
- Miele Active Dishwasher
- Miele Classic Plus Dishwasher
- Miele Excellence Dishwasher
Common Causes
- Blocked spray arm holes — food debris or limescale blocking the jets
- Dirty filter restricting water flow and pressure
- Salt dispenser empty — limescale reducing wash effectiveness
- Rinse aid dispenser empty — spots and poor drying
- Incorrect rack loading blocking spray arm rotation
- Failing flow heater — water not reaching wash temperature
How to Fix It
-
Clean the filters.
Remove the bottom basket and clean both the coarse filter and microfilter. A dirty filter is the most common cause of poor wash results on Miele machines.
-
Clear the spray arm holes.
Unscrew or unclip the lower and upper spray arms. Use a toothpick to clear every hole. Rinse the arms under the tap and refit. Check they spin freely.
-
Check salt and rinse aid levels.
Top up the salt dispenser (on the floor of the machine) and the rinse aid dispenser (inside the door). Miele machines are very sensitive to salt levels in hard water areas — running without salt causes visible limescale on dishes and glassware.
-
Adjust the water hardness setting.
If the salt indicator has been lit for a long time, the machine may also need its water hardness setting checked. This is in the machine settings menu and determines how often the softener regenerates.
When to Call a Professional
If all dispensers are full, the filters are clean, and spray arms rotate freely but results are still poor, the flow heater may be failing — book a Miele technician to check wash temperature.