First off... is this residue accumulating on everything in the wash, or just a small crevice the water can't fall off easily?

I've seen sand like/grit once, in the crevice of a Starbucks Mug with my Bosch, but I think that was just food.

However... I used to have this problem all the time with my (Kenmore Elite) Whirlpool Ultrawash. I don't think it's you... as I've seen the same grit helping load & unload multiple dishwashers nearby me. I think it's stuff in your water supply, not the actual dishwasher itself. Unless your washing stuff with sand on it ;)

There is a simple solution. Phosphates. That magic little ingredient for some reason grabs onto this residue and suspends it away. If you combine it with Cascade Gel, even better :)

Another thing really, really worth trying (if you haven't already) is adding Finish Rinse Aid. If you have soft water, you can set it to dispense the least amount possible... but a rinse aid will help to prevent a lot of this from sticking on.

Also... if you happen to have some Citric Acid, Tang, or Lemishine on hand.. I'd recommend running a few empty cycles with just that, to help clean out the appliance.

You probably don't need to... but it's worth trying. :)

Hi Mitch, thanks for the quick response!

So, it's everywhere, but most noticeable on the tops of cups where water pools and inside tall water glasses (yuck). I actually have to rinse out water glasses after running them through the washer while they are still not fully dry so that stuff doesn't get stuck on for good.

The weird thing is that I just can't figure out what could possibly be the source of this. It never used to be like this, but in the past month has gotten worse and worse. It could be the water supply but we're on city water and I'm sure all of our faucets and showers would be super clogged if the water was coming in with that much grit!

Oh and I do use STPP with my loads and either Finish Quantum tabs or Ecover, depending on the load. And always rinse aid.

I didn't have any citric acid, but yesterday I ran 3 heavy duty hi temp washes with vinegar, and it hasn't gotten any better.

If it's mostly a "whiteish" residue, and not much darker for the most part... it could be participate caused by the Phosphate Free Detergents reacting to very hard water.

Does it look like this, even remotely? It's kinda hard to tell in your photo.

Yeah, it's pretty much impossible to take a photo of... It's partially white, and partially larger brown and black particles.

We also have fairly medium water over here.

Oh, and I get the same grit when running empty loads with vinegar only, so it's not detergent-related...

Miele says starch residue can be responsible for this. Does your dishwasher fill with enough water and does it get hot during the cycle? Clogged spray arms?

http://ebooks.miele.com.au/miele-docs/miele_dishwasher_guide/files/assets/common/downloads/publication.pdf (p. 67).

Thanks, Alex! I don't think it's starch because we don't really wash a lot of dishes with starchy residue, and also the grit is about half brown/black... But in any case the brainstorming is very helpful!

The fill levels are good and the spray arms were perfectly clean even before the vinegar cycles... Overall I was actually quite surprised how clean the dishwasher was, considering the last time I ran a citric acid cycle was several months ago.

I also followed the instructions here: http://www.applianceblog.com/mainforums/threads/31007-Kitchenaid-Dishwasher-leaving-particles-in-glasses-on-top-rack, there's a good video on cleaning out the sump basin. Was really hoping that would do the trick, but alas.

I also would stop using Ecover. If I remember correctly from an ancient appliance forum thread, that detergent leaves some type of residue.

I also would lose the sttp, the vinegar and the citric acid.

The usual way to clear the DW is to run 3 sanitary cycles. Since you've already done that I would get some Somat dishwasher cleaner.

If Somat doesn't clear it out, it well could be something coming in from the water pipe. We got brown residue from pipes when we had our apartment in the city. I'd call the plumber and discuss with him.

STPP has no bearing on this problem. It's a non-precipitating water conditioner so does not generate any residue.

Have you drained off the sediment from your hot water heater?

Thanks, Roc! If it were the detergent I'd be jumping for joy right now, since that's the easiest possible fix, but I got up close and personal with the filters and sump area today and the Ecover does not leave any residue. In fact, everything was surprisingly clean, much cleaner than in all the photos and videos I've seen today.

Enduring, I have a sinking feeling that this might be the issue... Our water heater is actually built into a wall with no way to drain it. Brilliant, I know. The only way to access it from the bathroom would be to take apart my laundry closet, move the washer and dryer somewhere and make a hole in the ceiling...

When the garbage disposal leaked we had the plumber come in and asked him to replace the water heater before it went the way of the disposal. That was just a couple of weeks ago. The plumber inspected it from all sides and said that we'll get another 4-6 years out of it easily, so we figured we'd let the new owners deal with it after we sell.

But that does make sense, since the grit seems to be coming from outside the dishwasher... I wonder if the dishwasher water inlet valve has a filter and if that could be replaced...

And here's the water heater situation - this is the only "access hole" from the spare room that shares a wall with the bathroom. Lucky us!

I don't understand why people do an installation like that. Water heaters will leak and will need to be replaced. The plumber and construction contractor should never have allowed it. Anyone who buys your house will be buying a huge headache.

I wonder the same thing, Dadoes! I mean, I know the reason: cutting corners and timing/cost benefits for the contractor. But what a giant pain for the homeowners...

Whoever buys will have to replace the heater before they move in, when the laundry closet is empty (I won't be leaving my Mieles behind). According to the plumber the biggest issue is moving those out of the way.

I would look at a tankless water heater as a replacement. You could remove a wall and gain some space. As for the weird residue, have you noticed anything in your laundry? Over time hard water can do some strange things to plumbing. When we purchased this house there was no water softner. We installed one and had a lot of weird particles over the next months as the built up calcium lessened. Could the plumber have shook some buildup loose? Brown makes me think rust. Commercial dishwashers are delimed regularly with a strong acid. Vinegar is a weak acid.

Roc, the building was converted into condos in 2008, so I'm pretty sure it's all in accordance. We have 14 units with this setup and a city that won't let us paint the exterior door without several inspections, so it should be fine (other than if it's causing the grit, that I am not okay with). Others in our building have recently sold within 12-24 hours of listing, too!

Sandy, I personally am not a fan of tankless (they are probably much better now compared to what I used 10 years ago, but I still hold a grudge), especially in combination with HE front loaders, so worst case scenario we'd do another tank I think, but thank you for the suggestion!

We actually do not have hard water, ours is pretty much medium. There was also no sign of calcium deposits when I took the dishwasher apart, and nothing in the laundry. The grit started before the plumber came over, but did get worse after that... Now this is giving me some hope that it might settle again.

I think the best way to go will be to have somebody come over and take apart the water pump/valve and see if that's clogged. It's a $26 part, so that might be worth fixing...

As fine a screen that is in the valve it would be completely clogged at the rate you are having "sand". I have had that before years ago with a KitchenAid Superba of all things. It even had the middle arm but if you had glasses in the corners they would be full of the grit. I thought it was either pulverized food OR filler out of the dish detergent. You should try some gel detergent (if you havent already) and see if that makes a difference. I don't think it is your water and if it was the water heater you would have clogged screens all over the house as you previously said.

Actually sparky has a point... Humor me. Go out to Target or Safeway and pick up a bottle of Chlorinated (check the back of the bottle) Lime Green Cascade Gel.

Then fill both cups in your dishwasher, with about a teaspoon (play around with it) of STPP added in the main wash cup. It might just solve your problem.

Thanks Sparky and Mitch!

I actually have some of that gel on hand (bought after Mitch's recommendation here), so I'll run the next load with it and report back. I asked the same question last night on the appliance repair forum I linked to, and in their experience soap particles are the #1 cause of such grit. Although I don't understand where it would be coming from when I'm running empty loads with no detergent when there's no visible grit build up in the sump area... But still, will try it out and very hopeful that the gel will make a difference.

Your post reads to me like you aren't having issues if you run a no detergent load, is that right? So then if sounds like it could be the detergent, if you don't get the grit when you don't use the detergent. I am probably not getting what you mean in this last post.

when you run an empty load, without detergent, are you putting one glass in there to see if something collects on the bottom of the upside down glass?

Looking forward to the outcome of this conundrum.

Everyone here has good suggestions. I have seen this happen on a friends BOL GE dishwasher. Are you using rinse aid? It sometimes will help the sheeting action in the final rinse, and prevent as much sediment from settling on your dish ware. Quantum Tabs are about as TOL for dishwashing detergents, in my opinion. So, you are good there. High temp wash selection is also a good idea. This will force a hotter wash and 2 full rinses versus a purge and final rinse.

You can add citric acid to the detergent cup, as it should not affect the detergent in any way. This could help dissolve particles, too. Maybe about 1 TBS, at the most.

After trying all that with no improvement, you could have a clog in the filtering system, or the top rack spray arm is not getting sufficient pressure to clean the top rack completely. I hope it all works out for you, being without a working dishwasher is terrible!!

It may be that you don't see grit while running empty loads because there is nothing for it to get settled onto.

Hi guys, sorry for not making it clear (it was too early and this issue is annoying me to no end), but I am getting the grit in empty loads. I ran three loads with nothing but vinegar and put a clean cup in there right side up to see if it would collect sediment. There were equal amounts of grit in all three detergent-free loads. Also, there is no grit visible in the sump area and filters, so it's not being "kicked up" from there... Unless it's hiding in some crevice I didn't get to.

Joel, thanks for chiming in! I am using rinse aid, and also getting grit on the bottom rack (so I don't think it's the top spray arm). Gah.

Actually... I had the exact same issue with an AEG dishwasher years ago. It was a very expensive unit boasting triple A ratings for energy efficiency and cleaning/drying performance. Back then, I used to drink the Kool-Aid and selected the AAA-rated Energy Label cycle for 90% of the loads I washed. Because this was a long 2.5 hours cycle, it washed almost everything clean. The wash was carried out at 122F with a short peak at 140F to activate the oxy bleach. Sounds good so far. However, after a few years, dishes continuously had the "wet dog smell" and grit collected in indentations of cups. I switched detergents, Pots and Pans-washed every load... nothing. At some point, I was ready to take rack full of smelly dishes and throw it out of the window.

Long story short: after the drying fan gave up, the dishwasher was replaced for an expensive Bosch I found on eBay for like 50% off. Never looked back. The Bosch is ten years old now and cleans like a champ. Never used gel in it BUT I never used the Eco cycle either. I disassembled the AEG a little bit and found grit even in the internal pipes.

Fast forward to two years ago when I replaced the cheap contractor grade dish"washer" in my apartment with a used Bosch. The previous owners were super nice and clean people, ate out most of the time, used finish tabs, yada yada. But they also used the Eco cycle most of the time. When I got the dishwasher, there was grit stuck on the upper rack rails and the hight adjustment. I cleaned it off and it has never returned since, despite heavy use. I never use dishwasher cleaner, always powder or tabs... and make sure to use the Speed Perfect option with every cycle, which adds water, heat and pressure in turn for a faster cycle.

Just sayin' :)

For what it's worth, Miele sells a heavy duty dishwasher cleaner in - well, everywhere but North America, it seems - that's basically sodium carbonate, pentasodium triphosphate and sodium carbonate peroxide and bleach activator. I can only see the dishwasher conditioner but not the cleaner sold in the online Miele Store. Looking at the formula, it sure does sound a lot like low-sudsing oxi clean to me.

I use to own two different Maytag dishwashers that use to this exact thing! I would have to check my drinking glasses before placing in the cupboards. I used powdered Cascade back then. Tabs hadn't evolved yet :) I always used JetDry, also. I have whole-house water softener. So none of those things were the issue. I did have a few rust spots, eventually on my racks and now wonder if that was the cause of the debris. I now own a Miele. No issues with it.

I had similar grit build up on the screen in my shower head. My house was built inth 40s. It turned out that the pipes were corroded. I had to replace all of the water pipes in my house.

I just read where a tech told a lady with the same problem to put one capful of Lime Away in (I guess in detergent disp) and run regular cycle. When finished run another cycle using 1/4 cup vinegar and afterward she had no more "sand".

I googled and found that. Worth a try.

Try running the dishwasher with no additives. No detergent. No vinegar. Put a few items in there to collect the grit. After the cycle is finished, collect all the grit that you can and put it into a container and let it dry out thoroughly. After it is dried, add a few drops of some acid...white vinegar, lime away, etc. and look for a fizzing reaction. If it fizzes then you can pretty much assume that you have hard water issues.

Does the DW have a heating element? Could be that the heating element is shedding hard water deposits and the element itself is degrading.

Have you removed faucet aerators and inspected them for hard water deposits/ accumulations?

Did the plumber inspect the hot water heater anode rod for corrosion? Have you drained the hot water heater to help get rid of sediments?

I had this same behavior in my Kitchen Aid dishwasher about 13years ago. Your Maytag sounds like it may be Whirlpool product. It never went away with cleaning. Apart from that the dishwasher worked really well. This dishwasher had a built in garbage disposal. I was never able to get rid of the issue. I replaced the dishwasher in the same home with a Miele dishwasher. I never had a grit problem with the Miele. I used the same powdered detergent at the time. I think it was cascade with original scent. When I purchased the Miele, I finished the cascade and switched to somat. I also went down the line of if being the water heater, water quality, etc before replacing it with a floor model Miele. I always suspected that it was something with the garbage disposal that would chop of whatever was in the dishwasher into a fine powder and that would be suspended in the rinse water somehow. I would definitely try the dishwasher cleaners and see if the issue remains. I would post on the appliance forum and see if one of the users there has any tips about what may be causing your issue.

Good luck!

Hi guys, thanks so much for all the responses and for sharing your thoughts/experience - it's almost overwhelming how helpful everyone is!

So last night I ran a load with gel, and there was still grit but less of it. It could be a one-off result, so I'll have to try going back and forth between tabs and gel to see if there's any consistency. The good news is that the cleaning seems to be back to normal (other than the grit) - the past week or so I'd have to rewash certain dishes, and it seemed to be getting worse and worse. Looks like cleaning out the filters and grinder area did something positive there.

ci_lantro, interesting that you recommend that. When I was running a load with vinegar I opened the door shortly after it filled and noticed that there was some foam, which surprised me... I figured it was reacting with detergent residue. I'll definitely try drying out the grit and experimenting with how it reacts to acids.
As for aerators, I did not check faucets, but did swap out a shower head fairly recently and there were no issues there. The plumber was also surprised by how strong our water pressure was, so doesn't seem like it's bad enough to clog anything.

It's a good idea to check the front edge of the tub below the door. Crud can accumulate there. Eventually it builds up and starts coming loose and circulating in the water.

Are you certain your machine is filling with enough hot water, the wash arms rotating freely and water circulating forcefully? Post your model # and pic of the machine after it has completed filling.

Also possiably check the sump pump for clogs....do you still have the manual? I get this once in awhile in my old d/w...I beleive its old pulverized food..something somewhere must have a blockage

Daras...how's the D/W doing..was the problem resolved? I've tried researching this problem but keep comming to something somewhere is backed up with food debris.

I just used a wet dry to clean out the discharge of my Bosch dishwasher. There was a ton of that gritty sand stuff! I can't figure it out either, but it has been collecting in the drain tube. The dishwasher is about 3 yrs old. I'd sure like to find out what it was.

Sometimes water mains break, miles away from our house. Once repaired, we see all sorts of dirty water with grit in it. Much of it accumulates in our toilet tanks. Ew.

I wonder if that could be a thing, especially with winter freezes and pipes moving as a result? Thirty-odd years ago, we lived in a town several miles down the road. We had a 6-week long stretch of cold(!) weather and snow. One day, the water looked like dirty river water. The water department said the pipes were moving due to the daytime melt and re-freeze at night. The town was old enough, and it did go away once warmer weather arrived.

I'm just throwing that out as a remote possibility.

Thanks. I’m on well water (with 3 levels of water filtration) so may not apply to me.

There was another discussion thread that indicated the grit is just inorganic decomposed food particles. Apparently, it just builds up. I’m skeptical.

Over the years, that grit happens here when my dishwasher is about to need a repair. Pump. Motor. It's like the crystal ball lights up showing the repair man's face at my front door.

Our Bosch will leave grit if we don't use a rinse aid product.

I completely forgot about this thread! Unfortunately in our case the issue was permanently resolved only by replacing the dishwasher. We got a new Bosch and had no issues with it.